Zanthus, Western Australia
Zanthus | |
|---|---|
 Zanthus circa 1940 | |
  Zanthus | |
Interactive map of Zanthus | |
| Coordinates: 31°02′00″S 123°34′00″E / 31.03333°S 123.56667°E | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Western Australia |
| Region | Goldfields–Esperance |
| LGA | |
| Location |
|
| Government | |
| • State electorate | |
| • Federal division | |
| Population | |
| • Total | 0 (2021) |
| Postcode | 6434 |
Zanthus is a remote and uninhabited outpost on the Trans-Australian Railway approximately 210 kilometres (130 mi) east of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
History
Zanthus was established as a railway town during the construction of the Trans-Australian Railway. Trains arrived in 1915 mostly carrying materials to the railhead from Kalgoorlie.[1] The 1933 Australian census recorded Zanthus as having nine dwellings and a population of 47.[2] As at the 2021 Australian census, Zanthus had a population of zero.[3]
In 1996 the timber station building was donated to Rail Heritage WA and relocated to the Railway Museum in Bassendean.[4]
Passengers were stranded at Zanthus in 1948 when a train was delayed resulting from floodwaters causing washaways along the tracks between Zanthus and Kalgoorlie. Several passengers completed the journey to Kalgoorlie via a Goldfield Airways aeroplane while over 50 men worked to fix the two big washaways.[5]
A derailment of a train occurred in 1953 when five carriages of an eastbound transcontinental express left the tracks near the town tearing up a section of the line. Repair crews worked through the night and built a deviation by the following day.[6]
In 1975, large amounts of rain had inundated inland Western Australia from the remnants of Cyclone Trixie. A large washaway close to Zanthus had resulted in the closure of the line. A new bridge was constructed as part of the repairs in just two weeks.[7]
Zanthus has a crossing loop on the line. On 8 August 1999, an Indian Pacific passenger train collided with a stationary freight train.[8][9]
The locality also has notoriety due to its position in place name lists of Western Australia.[10]
References
- ↑ "The Federal line". The West Australian. Perth. 16 April 1915. p. 6. Retrieved 16 October 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ Population and Occupied Dwellings in Locations Commonwealth of Australia 30 June 1933
- ↑ Zanthus Australian Bureau of Statistics
- ↑ Here & There Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin issue 701 March 1996 page 95
- ↑ "Aircraft Brings Rail Passengers From Zanthus". The Daily News. Perth. 25 February 1948. p. 5. Retrieved 13 April 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ "Trans Trains Stranded at Zanthus". The West Australian. Perth. 25 February 1953. p. 4. Retrieved 13 April 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ "Operation flood bridge". Westrail. 1988. Retrieved 13 April 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ Collision between Indian Pacific Passenger Train 3AP88 and Freight Train 3PW4N Australian Transport Safety Bureau
- ↑ Independent Investigation Report: Collision Indian Pacific Passenger rain 3AP88 and Freight Train 3PW4N Department for Planning & Infrastructure
- ↑ Murray, Ian,(2003) Araluen to Zanthus : a gazetteeer of Perth suburbs and Western Australian towns / Ian Murray and Brian Goodchild, in association with the Department of Land Information
External links
Media related to Zanthus at Wikimedia Commons