Shire of Menzies

Menzies is a mining and pastoral town in the Eastern Goldfields, 730kms east of Perth.

The Shire of Menzies covers an approximate total area of 125,000 square kilometres. There is a total population of 235 people in Menzies and district as at June 2008. A further approximately 150 people live in the Tjuntjuntjara Community near the South Australian border.

Menzies is not a large town and doesn't appear in the news very often, but this was not always the case. Like many towns in Western Australia it was born in and boomed during the gold rush days of the 1890s. Then, following the pattern which has become typical of many gold mining towns, the limit of available resources was reached, the people drifted away and the area declined. Despite these changing fortunes, Menzies continued to survive.

The first gold discovery in the Menzies area has been credited to a prospecting party led by James Speakman in 1891. His find was reported but for some unknown reason Speakman did not return to the area.

The discovery of the rich Coolgardie field in 1892 tempted prospectors further inland. The track to Ninetymile (Goongarrie) north of Coolgardie became well known as people trying to make their fortune ventured forth.