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Salmon Gums, Western Australia

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Population
  
789 (2006 census)

Postcode(s)
  
6445

Mean max temp
  
Mean min temp

Founded
  
1925

Local time
  
Thursday 12:51 AM

Federal division
  
Division of O'Connor

Established
  
1925

State electorate(s)
  
Eyre

Elevation
  
249 m

Postal code
  
6445

Lga
  
Shire of Esperance

Salmon Gums, Western Australia httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Location
  
780 km (485 mi) ESE of Perth103 km (64 mi) N of Esperance95 km (59 mi) S of Norseman

Weather
  
9°C, Wind E at 10 km/h, 78% Humidity

Salmon Gums is a small town in Western Australia located 106 km north of Esperance on the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway. The name is derived from a prominent stretch of Eucalyptus salmonophloia (Salmon Gum) trees which formed a landmark in the town's early days. The town is part of the Shire of Esperance. At the 2006 census, Salmon Gums had a population of 789.

Contents

Map of Salmon Gums WA 6445, Australia

The surrounding areas produce wheat and other cereal crops. The town is a receival site for Cooperative Bulk Handling.

History

The first potential use of a townsite was as a watering spot for the proposed Esperance to Norseman Railway, since Salmon Gums is roughly halfway between these two towns. Land for a town-site was set aside in 1912 and the name was recommended in 1916. The town was gazetted in 1925, when the Esperance to Salmon Gums section of the railway was completed.

Settlement of the area received a boost after the First World War when returning soldiers were given grants of land in this and many other areas around the state. These grantees became known as soldier settlers. At the time Salmon Gums was regarded as being on the fringe of arable land. The low soil fertility and marginal average rainfall of 341mm meant that yields were poor prior to the 1950s. As a result, the land was not in high demand, so the opportunity cost to the government was quite small.

Agricultural research was boosted prior to the Second World War by the establishment of the Salmon Gums Research Station. In 1949 a similar station, the Esperance Downs Research Station was established near Esperance. Research at the latter quickly led to the discovery that soil in the Esperance region was deficient in trace elements, reportedly phosphorus, copper and zinc, and the addition of these greatly improved fertility and crop yields. Since then the region, including Salmon Gums, has become a successful producer of wheat, sheep and cattle.

Mining

In 2001 a Perth-based iron ore company announced an investigation into a large lignite deposit at Salmon Gums for use reducing its phosphorus-rich iron ore currently being mined at Koolyanobbing. As of 2009 all plans for the mining of the lignite has been suspended indefinitely due to the stock market collapse in early 2009. The sudden drop in oil prices would make the refinement of the oil suspended in the lignite financially unviable.

References

Salmon Gums, Western Australia Wikipedia


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