Burbanks is an
abandoned town in
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
located between
Coolgardie and
Londonderry in the
Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.
In 1894
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
was discovered in the area and the townsite was gazetted in 1897. The following year the population of the town was 390 (350 males and 40 females).
The town was named after the
prospector
Prospector may refer to:
Space exploration
* Prospector (spacecraft), a planned lunar probe, canceled in 1962
* '' Lunar Prospector'', a NASA spacecraft
Trains
* Prospector (train), a passenger train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western ...
, John Burbanks in 1893, who along with his partner Sheldon, first discovered gold in the area. The find was named the ''Birthday Gift'' and a company was swiftly formed which bought a sixty head
battery
Battery most often refers to:
* Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power
* Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact
Battery may also refer to:
Energy source
*Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
.
The
Burbanks Gold Mine continues to operate near the old town site.
References
{{authority control
Goldfields-Esperance
Ghost towns in Western Australia