Leonora’s first and only two-storey building, the Commercial Hotel, was erected on this site in 1902 by Robert Lavery Thompson who opened a brickworks west of the town to manufacture the 200,000 bricks required to build it.

Excavation of the cellar began in February 1901 and the hotel opened in early October 1902. The Commercial was described as the biggest hotel north of Kalgoorlie, featuring a large dining room and a balcony off all the bedrooms.

In an interview with the Kalgoorlie Miner on 18 September 1905, Mr Thompson boasted that the bricks of his hotel contained free gold, declaring a sample had assayed at 22 pennyweight (1.2 ounces) to the ton. He declared that the top 4 feet (1.22 metres) of the soil near his factory – in what was clearly gold-bearing ground – had been used to make the bricks.

The Commercial Hotel was the last hotel built in Leonora. In 1905 the State’s Liquor Licensing Board decided that Leonora had sufficient hotels and refused further applications for licences.

In 1906 Mr Thompson leased the hotel to Mr WS Price and a large brick billiard room and saloon bar were added.

Many a celebration and community event were viewed from the balcony of the hotel – from the opening of the steam tram in 1903 to watching the Leonora Brass Band playing in Tower Street on a Saturday night. From 1916 the balcony was also a popular vantage point from which to watch Anzac Day parades in Tower Street.

Two notable owners of the Commercial Hotel were Thomas (Tom) Crameri and his wife Margherita (Marj), who took it over from Mr T Moore on 25 June 1924.

Thomas O’Shaughnessy became the licensee after Mrs Crameri and is listed in the 1959 Leonora rate books as occupying the now de-licensed hotel.

The hotel was demolished in the late 1990s and the present building constructed on the site.

• Please take care while crossing Tower Street to view Site 8, the Exchange Hotel.

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The original Exchange Hotel was built of timber and iron by Evan Alexander Wisdom in Fremantle in March 1897. The building was transported in pre-fabricated sections, first by train to Coolgardie and then hauled the 135 miles (217 kilometres) to Leonora by camel and bullock teams.

The hotel boasted a double entrance facing Tower Street, a large bar, a generously proportioned dining room, two small sitting rooms and 10 bedrooms.

Mr Wisdom and his wife Agnes lived in a hessian camp while the hotel was built. Once completed, the hotel was leased to Mr WH Robins who went on to be the first manager of the State Hotel in Gwalia. The next lessee was Charles W Parer who ran the hotel from October 1899 to c1902.

The hotel was also the original arrival and departure point for the Cobb & Co coaches to Leonora.

In June 1903 the wood and iron hotel was burnt to the ground while leased by Otto Vetter, one of Leonora’s pioneers. Early the following year a new brick hotel was constructed by Leonora contractors Gamel & Trim.

James W Farlie leased the hotel from 1905. The hotel operated until it was de-licensed in 1925, after which it was run as a boarding hostel. In later years the Shire of Leonora acquired the site and a decision to demolish the building was made on 15 April 1986. The Leonora Recreation Centre now stands on the site.

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The gracious residence on this lot was owned by Christian Alfred Andresen and his wife Esther from c1905.

Married on 28 February 1898, the Andresens were the first couple to wed in Leonora. Their home in Tower Street was described by the Mount Leonora Miner as “a most hospitable abode” and the couple were regarded as Leonora’s social leaders. Many distinguished visitors to the region enjoyed the Andresens’ generous hospitality and the numerous functions they hosted were attended by up to 150 guests.

Celebrated as the largest house in Leonora, the residence consisted of 8 rooms, all lined with Wunderlich steel in beautiful pressed metal designs. The house had a dining room and lounge, a kitchen, 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. A staircase still leads to a turret for viewing the spectacular Leonora sunsets.

On 13 January 1900, Christian Andresen announced in the Mount Leonora Miner that he had erected a bottling plant, named the Eureka Bottling Works with the slogan Bottling Done Day and Night, on his Tower Street property, for the cost of £2000. He operated the factory until 1912 when he leased it to John Francis Hayes. The bottling plant was closed in 1918.

A boiler from the plant remains in the back yard of the former Andresen home as a reminder of the tenacity of the business people of Leonora in the early days.

Reginald Blythe Millar and his wife Mabel bought the property in 1920, including the former bottling works and cordial factory behind the house.

The house on Lot 68 has had just 4 owners since it was built – the Andresen, Millar, Dorph-Peterson and Demasson families. It remains in the Demasson family today.

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The Barnes Federal Theatre building is a product of the optimism, enthusiasm and energy of David and Philip Barnes who also owned the Leonora Hotel that once stood next door.

In September 1900 it was announced in the Mount Leonora Miner newspaper that David Barnes was “erecting a structure which would fill the long felt want in the town of a large hall, suitable for community activities”.

Built to accommodate 1000 people and opened in April 1901, the Barnes Federal Theatre was known as the best hall outside Perth. The building was utilised for many community concerts, Poster Balls, dances and meetings. At Poster Balls, a form of fancy dress ball popular in the early 20th century, patrons dressed as poster advertisements to promote well-known products. Regular films were also screened at the theatre.

The theatre’s hall measured 80 x 30 feet (24.38 x 9.14 metres), with the depth of the stage area approximately 20 feet (6.10 metres). The roof was domed with moveable skylights and the original flooring was of Kauri pine.

Access to the front seats was gained from the southern entrances while the rear seats were accessed from the main Tower Street entrance. A separate entrance led to a private parlour which was connected with a saloon bar 18 x 20 x 13 feet high (5.49 x 6.10 x 3.96 metres high).

The façade was of dark-hued bricks with the cornices, mouldings and facing rendered in Portland cement. The pediment consisted of an iron frieze. The work was carried out under the supervision of Will Kelly, a well-known architect and also a popular comedian and dancer. The stone for the building was most likely procured from Frederick Fessey’s Leonora Quarry, situated on the Menzies Road a quarter of a mile (0.4 kilometre) from the Leonora Post Office.

In 1911 David Barnes opened the Glideaway roller skating rink adjacent to the theatre and skating became a popular past-time in Leonora.

The Leonora Roads Board bought the building and Glideaway Rink in May 1927 for £325 ($650), when it officially became the Leonora Town Hall. As the Town Hall, the building was used by a variety of community groups. In the mid-20th century the roof blew off during a storm and was only rebuilt in 1981, but with a gable roof. A fire in 1986 caused damage to the kitchen, floors and ceiling.

In 1988 the Leonora Tourism Committee Inc. became the owner and the Leonora Community Telecentre occupied the building from 2000-2007. It has been unoccupied since early 2007. A proposal to restore the Barnes Federal Theatre is under consideration.

This vacant lot is the site of the first hotel to be erected in Leonora. Originally built of hessian and timber and opened in February 1896, its first owners were Phillip Barnes and Linton Robert Ritchie. In April 1898 the partnership was dissolved and Phillip Barnes bought out Mr Ritchie’s share for £900 ($1,800).

Phillip Barnes and his brother David continued to run the hotel, refurbishing the building in July 1898 to include a dancing platform and a large hall which also served as a dining room.

The hotel was known by various names such as the Barnes Hotel and Music Hall and the Barnes Tivoli Theatre.

Phillip Barnes sold his interest in the hotel to his brother David in 1901 and David Barnes and his wife Sarah continued to run the hotel until David’s sudden death on 11 November 1920. He was a foundation member of the Jockey Club and Rifle Club and was in the forefront of the campaign to have the Leonora District Hospital subsided by the Government. At the time of his death David Barnes was the longest serving local Councillor. When he died flags were flown half-mast on public buildings in Leonora.

Sarah Barnes continued to operate the Leonora Hotel until 1926, when the Hotel Licence Reduction Board de-licensed it after an assessment that there was an excessive number of hotels in the region.

Sarah Barnes was paid a total of £590 ($1,180) as compensation for the loss of the Leonora Hotel licence. She left Leonora in early 1926 for Sydney, where her daughters resided. The lot has been vacant since the demolition of the hotel in 1927.

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Timothy Morrisey, one of Leonora’s early pioneers, owned this lot in 1898 before selling it to Joseph Curtes Semken in September 1902. Joseph Semken came to Leonora in 1900 to establish an undertaking and livery stables.

He constructed three buildings on the site with stables at the rear. The undertaking business was a demanding one in Leonora and Gwalia due to the high number of mine and infant fatalities as well as deaths from typhoid fever and influenza epidemics. Suicide was also common at the time.

The hearse was originally a horse-drawn buggy. After World War 2 it was mounted on a 1926 Chevrolet chassis and converted to a motor vehicle, with the shafts replaced by a drawbar. This hearse is now on display at the Gwalia Museum.

Joseph Semken was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1905 by the State Government under Premier Newton Moore. He was elected chairman of the Leonora Water Board in 1907 and served as Mayor of Leonora from 1907-1908 and 1914-1916.

In June 1916 Mr Semken sold his business to a blacksmith, Alexander Lamont, who operated his blacksmith’s trade and continued the funeral and undertaking business. In 1922 Mr Semken left Leonora and later died in the Eastern States.

Today this is a vacant site.

Brothers Francis George and William Heron purchased this site on 12 November 1898 and built a butcher’s shop which they ran together until 1906 when it was sold to a Leonora miner, John Cameron. 

In 1906 the property was purchased by Percy Birchley and William Coates who engaged local contractors Gamel & Trim to construct a second building on the site in January 1907. The new shop opened on 2 February 1907 as Birchley & Coates General Merchants.

In the same year, a cottage was built adjacent to the right hand side of the premises to house Percy Birchley and his soon-to-be wife Mabel, and the butcher’s shop was demolished.

The new retail premises was described as measuring 70 x 26 feet (24.38 x 7.92 metres). The original coved ceiling, featuring Wunderlich stamped steel, remains a feature of this building which still stands on the site today.

William Coates left Leonora in 1910 for Perth while Percy Birchley continued to run the business until early 1913, when he and Mabel also returned to Perth.

Joseph Semken then leased the premises for his undertaking business which had an office and a showroom for the sale of coffins. 

Thomas Crameri took over the shop on 13 March 1916. On 8 February 1932 Richard William Ainsley purchased the building and rented it out as retail premises.

When Mr Ansley died the building was transferred to his wife Elizabeth, who remained living in the cottage and later used the adjoining former shop as her lounge.

Other owners of the cottage have included the Crameri, Ainsley and Demasson families. Now known as Miranda Cottage, it remains a private residence today.

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Constructed of sun-dried bricks in July 1899 and situated on the same lot as the now demolished Challenge Hotel, this building was erected for Christian Alfred Andresen and his brother and business partner, John Andresen.

The foundations were constructed to accommodate a second storey to be erected when finances permitted, but this never eventuated. The heavily-reinforced foundations may have ensured the survival of this building, which was originally a general store with a liquor licence selling fermented and spirituous liquor.

Christian Andresen left the business in 1900 and his brother John continued running the store and transport firm for many years. By 1919 the store was used as a barber’s and tobacconist with billiard saloon at the rear. John Andresen died in Leonora in September 1929 at the age of 64.

The interior of the building features timber floorboards throughout, pressed metal ceilings with decorative ceiling roses and the original wall vents.

The former general store was owned by the local Druids Society between 1959  and 1965 and used as a meeting hall.

In 1965 the United Aborigines Mission purchased the building and utilised it as the Leonora Christian Centre. Although the building is no longer used for this purpose, it is still owned by the United Aborigines Mission.

The Challenge Hotel was the third hotel to be erected in Leonora and, as with the other hotels, was a focus of social life in the town.

It was constructed of hessian and iron by Magnus J Thompson and his wife Elizabeth Ann in early 1897.

The hotel was purchased by Christian Alfred Andresen and his new wife Esther Ann in November 1898, two months after the death of Elizabeth Thompson. The Andresens replaced the hessian walls with mud bricks and carried out extensive renovations. The hotel consisted of 7 bedrooms, a dining room, 3 sitting rooms, a kitchen and a storeroom.  The “Leonora Beetles” made their debut in May 1899 at the hotel.

In late September 1899 Robert Lavery Thompson and his wife Ellen, formerly of Menzies, secured a 5-year lease on the Challenge Hotel. They had the dining room artistically painted and decorated. They also installed a movable stage with drop scenes, making it a fine music hall where Mrs Thompson intended to host a concert in aid of the Leonora Hospital.

On 29 December 1905 John Minogue purchased the hotel from the Andresens. On 3 August 1908 Arthur H Court and his wife Laurine (née Warren) installed a steam engine and electric generator which supplied the hotel with its first electric power.

Thomas Crameri leased the hotel from the Courts in 1909, purchasing it in December 1913. Due to the Crameris’ Italian connections, the Challenge became the drinking spot for many of the Italian men from Gwalia. Tom Crameri ran the hotel until 1924, when Richard Ansley leased it. Mr Crameri still owned the hotel at his death in 1930. In 1939 Peter Hill took it over and it was transferred to his daughter Mary Agnes Hill after his death.

The hotel was de-licensed in 1926 and demolished in 1948 when the structure was found to be unsafe. A pleasant surprise was in store for the contractor, who discovered a 4 pennyweight (6.2 gram) gold slug amongst the mud bricks as he demolished the building.

In 1949 Herbert J Smith, Alfred A Roe and Charles GL Leaney formed a partnership to buy the vacant land, which was transferred to the United Aborigines Mission in 1965. The land has remained vacant ever since.

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Prison life in Leonora in 1896 was very simple – the prisoner was chained to a log, according to an article in the Kalgoorlie Western Argus on 13 July 1899.

Leonora’s first police officer, Constable Gerald Uniacke, initially lived in a small hessian camp on this site.

When Western Australian Premier Sir John Forrest visited the town in April 1899 he was met by a delegation of local residents in the Mechanics Institute in Gwalia Street. One of the requests put to the Premier was for an adequate lock-up and police quarters.

The request was granted and tenders were called in July 1899 for a new lock-up and police quarters for Leonora. Initially consisting of 2 cells, a charge room and storeroom with verandahs on either side, the lock-up was built by Thomas H Parsons at a cost of £360 ($720).

New quarters for the police staff were added to the building the following year. Erected by Mr Mackesy and completed in May 1900 for the cost of £342 ($684), the quarters consisted of 1 bedroom, a living room, kitchen and charge room. The new building incorporated the original 1899 lock-up cells.

In March 1900 the stables situated at the rear of the block were completed to provide stabling for 3 horses and a harness and feed room. Added to this was a shower room for the prisoners. The cost of these additions was £170 ($340).

A court room with a small public gallery was added to the police building in 1902.  It provided far better conditions than the first court session in Leonora on 21 June 1899, which is believed to have been held in Constable Uniacke’s hessian camp.

Harry James JP presided over the first case – against a young man named William Phillips who had been charged with wilfully damaging property at a French brothel in Tower Street.

In November 1902 tenders were called for 2 new cell blocks with an exercise yard for male and female prisoners. These were erected at the rear of the police building by contractor Joseph Hart for the sum of £313 ($626) and completed on 9 March 1903.

In 1906 another men’s cell was added to the existing cell block with a new kitchen and bathroom added to the police quarters for the cost of £250 ($500). In 1909 tenders were called for the conversion of the old police court to police quarters for a married Constable.

In 1911 the weatherboard Sergeant’s quarters were erected on the corner of Rajah and Gwalia streets. The quarters consisted of 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom and lounge.

All these buildings, including the original cells, stables and exercise yards, still exist on the site and may be observed from Rajah Street. The women’s cell block is nearest the fence and the men’s lockup, with its four chimneys, is visible behind it. The stables are at the rear of the men’s block.

After a new police station was erected in 1973 in Tower Street, the former police complex was sold and is now a private residence.

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This is the site of the original Leonora Fire Station. The twin buildings once housed both the Mechanics Institute Hall and the Leonora Fire Brigade, although the hall was built in 1898, five years earlier than the fire house.

In 1911 the hall and the fire brigade were officially combined into one building and the Mayor, Mr WS Price, opened the new Leonora Fire Station on 7 January.

The original Mechanics Institute Hall, the building on the right, opened on 24 May 1898 with a grand ball, the first of many community functions.

The hall was also Leonora’s first library, public polling place, band headquarters and venue for religious services before churches were built.

In 1903 the fire station was built on the left side of the Mechanics Institute Hall, providing the volunteer fire brigade with its first premises.

The present fire station was built in Tower Street in 1987 and the fire station bell was moved to the new premises.

This building is today a private residence.

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The Sacred Heart Church has hosted many a wedding, funeral and christening since its doors opened for the first time on Sunday 28 August 1901. It was the first Roman Catholic Church erected in the Mt Margaret district and the large congregation was served by the Reverend Father E O’Malley.

The 22 x 58.5 feet (6.71 x17.83 metre) church was constructed of corrugated iron and timber by contractor Charles W Smallhorn. In September 1901 tenders were called for the erection of a Presbytery at the rear of the church.

Two Dominican Nuns opened a primary and secondary school in the church in August 1903. They also provided “finishing classes” for young ladies who had left school. These classes included music, painting, needlework, singing and art.

The church bell, cast by the well-known Mathew Byrnes bell foundry in Dublin, Ireland, was hung on St Patrick’s Day 1906.

Three years later, in early 1909, local builder George Wilson was contracted to renovate the church. New interior walls and ceilings were added with stamped steel in 3 ecclesiastical patterns, while ruby and green glass windows were added in the sanctuary. The roof was fitted with 3 patent Boyle ventilators to reduce the interior air temperatures in summer. Reverend Dr Graber was the priest during the time these alternations were made.

Today, the Sacred Heart Church has no resident priest and the district has been served since 2002 by Sister Annette Dever of the Good Samaritan Sisters of the Order of St Benedict. Sister Annette also regularly conducts services for congregations in Laverton and Leinster.

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These two buildings were constructed in 1907 for Alexandra Lodge 64 as a Masonic Temple and Masonic Club at a total cost of £1,200 ($2,400). The buildings were officially opened on 22 May 1907.

The temple, situated on the left of the site, comprises a large hall with a foyer. Although virtually unused today, the temple still retains many of its original furniture and fittings. The building on the right, the Masonic Club, comprises a members’ room, a visitors’ room and the secretary’s office.

Freemasonry began in Leonora on 19 September 1900 when Leonora Lodge 913 was formed under the Scottish Constitution with a membership of 14. Before the Masonic Lodge was constructed, local Lodges held their meetings in the Mechanics Institute. Thereafter, the various Lodges met in the new complex.

Freemasonry was very strong in the Goldfields until the outbreak of World War 2, but during the war many mines closed, the population diminished and Lodge membership declined. 

The Lodges focused on community fundraising to benefit many local institutions including the hospital and schools. The Leonora United Lodge is the last remaining Masonic Lodge in the Northern Goldfields region. Members now meet in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, where the majority of members live.

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In 1899 a campaign began for a Mining Warden’s Court in Leonora to save the 20km trip to Mt Malcolm, then the main centre of the Northern Goldfields where all mining claims were registered.

All requests were rejected by the district’s first Mining Warden and Magistrate, Archibald Burt, who served from 1897-1908.

Soon after Warden Burt left, the Warden’s Court building (facing Trump Street) was relocated from Mt Malcolm. The first sitting of the Leonora Warden’s Court was on 7 April 1909. 

In 1911 the Mines Inspector’s office was relocated from Mt Malcom to the corner of Gwalia and Trump streets.

The Department of Mines vacated the old Warden’s Court and Mining Registrar’s buildings in 1978. The present Mining Registrar’s office is in Rochester Street.

Both these buildings are now used as classrooms for the Leonora District High School.

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The first school in the area was opened in a tent by Miss Eileen Wigg in 1899 near Half Way Creek between Leonora and Gwalia. 

Miss Wigg’s school was later closed down by the Leonora health authority and tenders were called in February 1901 for a Government school to serve both Leonora and Gwalia. The Central State School opened at Half Way Creek later that year.

With the advent of the railway a large number of families settled in Leonora and it was obvious the town needed its own State school, especially as the extremely high summer temperatures made it too dangerous for young children to walk the 2 mile (3.2 kilometre) distance twice daily. The Central School building was relocated to this site.

While additions were made to the building, children attended classes in the Mechanics Institute. The first Leonora State School opened on Monday 11 June 1906 with Mr Ulbrich as the headmaster.

An additional room and washhouse was added to the school in 1909 and in 1912 the building firm of Gamel & Trim was awarded the contract to erect quarters and fencing at a cost of £88 and 8 shillings. The number of enrolments increased and in 1913 a new classroom was added to the school building to accommodate them.

The school was described in the 4 September 1931 edition of the Toodyay Herald by a young pupil named Neil Millar:

“My school is in Gwalia Street, Leonora. It is made of galvanised iron and is lined with asbestos. It consists of 3 large rooms; the class room is larger than the other 2. One room is used for woodwork and has three large benches in it.”

The old Central School building was later relocated to the back of the Presbyterian Church where it remained until it was dismantled in 2004.

Today the Leonora District High School is on this site.

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Town Lot 2 was granted to the Presbyterian Church in 1898, but the church was only erected in 1910. 

The plans for the church were drawn by Herbert W Collins, an engineer at the Sons of Gwalia Mine. After tenders for the church were called in October 1910, the contract was awarded to local contractors Gamel & Trim. The work was carried out under the supervision of Joseph Semken.

The building was described in the Leonora Miner newspaper on 10 December 1910 as having a galvanised iron exterior, with the interior featuring jarrah dados and stamped metal. An electric fan donated by a member of the congregation helped alleviate the fierce summer heat.

The church was officially opened on Sunday 4 December 1910 by the moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Western Australia, the Right Reverend William Agnew, assisted by the local minister, Rev John R Thrum.

Before the church was built, services for the Leonora Presbyterian congregation were conducted from 1905 in the Mechanics Institute. The first sermons were delivered by Rev J Haynes who travelled from Kookynie.

Leonora’s first resident minister, Rev Thomas Gray, arrived in Leonora from Victoria with his wife Isobella and their daughter Isobell on 3 April 1906.

The minister and his wife worked hard to raise funds to build the church, however they left Leonora in early 1908.  Mrs Gray and her daughter Isobell were renowned for their beautiful singing voices and these were greatly missed when Rev Gray and his family left Leonora. The Grays returned to Leonora in 1918 for another 4 years of service to the church. Rev Gray died in Perth in 1922 at the age of 62.

This is a rare example of the type of Federation Churches built in the northern part of WA’s Eastern Goldfields in the early days. There are only approximately 7 iron-clad churches left in existence in Western Australia and Leonora is privileged to have 2.

In the 1930s the church was often used for Anzac Day services. A public service was conducted next to the post office, the mine whistle giving the signal for the minute’s silence. After this, a church service was held in the Presbyterian Church. 

In 1938 the Armistice Day service was conducted in the evening at the Prestbyterian Church by the Moderator, the Right Reverend Dr JA Munro-Ford.

This church was utilised as the Australian Inland Mission Church until a few years ago and it is now the Christian Fellowship Church.

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The Grand Hotel, with its intricately decorated façade and beautiful Wunderlich pressed metal ceilings, is a charming example of early 20th century public house architecture.

The hotel was constructed of brick in 1900 by Kalgoorlie architect DT Edmunds for fruit merchants Abraham Silbert and Joseph Sharp. The Mount Leonora Miner described the building as “a lasting ornament to Tower Street”.

The following year, in 1902, the Kalgoorlie Miner reported that the Grand was “one of the best known northern houses” featuring “a parlour, main bar, music and commercial room, Wunderlich ceiled and skylighted… saloon bar and fittings, hall and stone cellar”. The hotel also had 2 kitchens and “the most complete bar conveniences north of Kalgoorlie”. Its large stone cellar measured 27 x 18 feet (8.23 x 5.5 metres).

The hotel’s first lessee was John Moher, a pioneer prospector at Nullagine and later a successful butcher. Mr Moher ran the hotel until 1903 when he left to manage pastoral stations at Roy Hill, WA. In 1904 William Price took over the hotel.

In November 1910 an open-air cinema, the Olympia Picture Gardens, was built by contractors Silbert & Sharp adjoining the left side of the hotel. Movies were screened there on summer nights and the cinema was very popular. The Olympia Picture Gardens later closed.

Kitty Schimlack purchased the Grand Hotel and the adjacent Olympia Picture Gardens in February 1915.

In 1925 the hotel was de-licensed and in December 1934 Miss Schimlack advertised the Grand – by then a hostel – for sale “with or without furniture”, describing it as “all freehold… (and) all in good order”.

It ran as a hostel until the 1970s when it was taken over by the Shell Company of Australia. Fuel pumps were installed on the left side of the building on the site of the former Picture Gardens. The old parlour became the service station shop and the 2 shops fronting Tower Street are now used as storage rooms.

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The White House Hotel was built in 1902 for Thomas and Annie Webb by contractor Mr CW Arnott and opened on New Year’s Day 1903.

In 1896 the Webbs ran the Menzies White House Hotel which had been constructed of local white stone. When the family moved to Leonora to build a new hotel, they took the name with them.

Leonora’s White House Hotel was built from locally-made burnt mud bricks and featured a decorative parapet in the Italianate style. The hotel consisted of 25 rooms – 11 were bedrooms with 3 set aside as quarters for the Webb family.

The saloon bar was known for its unique wall decorations and Wunderlich pressed metal ceilings which can still be seen today in the hotel. The cellar, situated directly beneath the front bar, measures 18 x 18 feet (5.49 x 5.49 metres) with very thick 8 foot (2.44 metre) walls.

Thomas Webb and his stepson Herbert George Webb ran the hotel until 7 August 1912 when Mr Webb (Senior) died from an accidental gunshot wound to the head. He was just 49 years old. Herbert Webb continued to run the hotel until his own death in 1959. Herbert also served on the Council from 1916-1920.

The dining room and kitchen are still in the same position as when the hotel was first erected.

Ever since, the White House Hotel has continued to be a popular family-run business.

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This building, constructed of timber, iron and stone, housed Leonora’s first newspaper, the Mount Leonora Miner. The first edition appeared on Saturday 8 July 1899 and the paper was published weekly and circulated throughout the Goldfields.

The first proprietor was Walter Henry Barker who was born at Burrowa, NSW, and served his printing apprenticeship at the Cootamandra Herald. Arriving in Western Australia in 1895, Walter Barker ran the newspaper until July 1905 when he sold it to William Snell. Mr Snell, the first Mayor of Leonora, managed the paper until he left Leonora in 1907.

The name of the newspaper changed several times during its lifetime from 1899 to 1946. 

The newspaper was the longest operating of any Goldfields newspaper, except for the Kalgoorlie Miner.

Leonora’s final newspaper was the Leonora News, published from 1946 to 1947. This publication was produced by James Clark, a pioneer of Leonora and editor of the Northern Grazier & Miner during World War 2. His wife Martha also helped with the production of the paper.

This building is a private residence today.

This prominent landmark building in the centre of town is the fourth post office to be erected on this site.

In 1897 Leonora’s mail was delivered to the premises of James Clark & Co on the corner of Trump and Tower streets, where residents would collect it. As the population grew, so did the volume of letters and parcels.

Eventually the proprietor of Clark & Co had had enough. According to a report in the Malcolm Chronicle & Leonora Advertiser, he declared that unless a proper postal department was established his staff would “throw the mail bags onto the footpath for all to ruffle through”.

The first post office in Leonora was a temporary hessian camp on a frame of iron telegraph poles and wire stays with a bough shed attached. A new building was constructed by Muir & Wright at a cost of £575 ($1,150). The second post office opened in January 1898 with Mr Johnson as postmaster. A skilled telegraphist, he volunteer his service for the South African War in 1899.

The Leonora Post Office handled more than £17,000 ($34,000) in money orders and nearly £24,000 ($48,000) in saving bank deposits in 1900.

A third post office building was erected in 1901 at a cost of £1,200 ($2,400) and built of more substantial materials: a timber frame with a galvanised iron roof. However the building was too small and customers were forced to wait for an hour or more at the counter. Plans were soon drawn up for a more substantial post office building.

The current post office building was constructed in 1903 of brick on the corner of Tower and Trump streets by builder Joseph Hart. Described as a half bungalow design, the building consisted of a public office, mail room, telegraph operator’s room and postmaster’s office surrounded by verandahs. The contractors handed over the post office on 28 December 1903.

The postmaster’s residence was constructed at the rear of the post office in 1906 by builder Peter McInnis. This residence is still occupied by the postmaster today.

The original Bank of Western Australia opened in Leonora in April 1898 under the management of Mr DL McLeod. The current site was purchased in 1901 and a timber and iron building erected.

The Bank of Western Australia merged with the Bank of New South Wales in 1927. The original bank building was demolished in 1939 and a brick building erected for the Bank of New South Wales by builders Mortimore and Thompson and designed by architects Hobbs, Forbes and Partners.

Costing £3,738 ($7,476) and built of cement blocks, the building spanned a frontage of 30 feet (9.14 metres) on Tower Street and included a public banking chamber, a manager’s room and strong room.

The attached manager’s residence comprised a lounge, dining room, 2 bedrooms, a maid’s room, kitchen, laundry, servery, bathroom and sleep-out with a garage at the rear.                                                                                                                                                                                                             

The Bank of New South Wales ceased operations in Leonora on 25 January 1943 and customers’ accounts were transferred to the Kalgoorlie branch. The National Bank of Australasia moved its Leonora branch into the former Bank of New South Wales building in the same year and continued to utilise the building until the National Bank ceased operations in May 1966.

Shortly afterwards the property was sold to the Shire of Leonora after the Shire offices burnt down. Memorial Park now occupies the site of the former Shire offices.

In 1993-1994 many of the original fittings were removed when the Shire offices were renovated, although the strong room from the building’s banking days remains in the reception office.

The building remains the administration hub of the Shire of Leonora

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