Eradu is a small town in Western Australia located in the
Mid West
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...
region of
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 ...
east of
Geraldton
Geraldton (Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth.
At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...
on the
Geraldton–Mount Magnet Road.
Following the opening of the Nangulu-
Mullewa railway line in 1894 a station was opened at the location of the current town-site. The name of the station was
Greenough River
The Greenough River is a river in the Mid West region of Western Australia.
Course
Greenough River has its headwaters near Woojalong Hills on the Yilgarn Plateau. It runs in a south-westerly direction through deep valleys for approximately ...
until 1903. It remained a station with a
station master
The station master (or stationmaster) is the person in charge of a railway station, particularly in the United Kingdom and many other countries outside North America. In the United Kingdom, where the term originated, it is now largely historical ...
from 1915 to 1921 and was gazetted as a town in 1920.
The station later became a siding until it was closed in 1973.
The name is
Aboriginal in origin and is the name of a pool found in the nearby Greenough River.
Eradu was a coal mining town, and the mine was situated 50m from the town post office, located at the railway track junction. When the coal supply ran out, the townsfolk moved out to find other work, leaving the infrastructure behind.
The old post office was adopted as housing, with the old coal mine being turned into a rubbish tip. The post office still stands, but it is not in use as either a post office or housing anymore. The old coal mine eventually filled up with rubbish and was filled in and closed.
Daniel "Chook" Roth was one of the people living in the old post office, up until near the year 1997. He earned his nickname one day when his elder brother chased some chickens into the old mine (rubbish tip), and due to his love of the birds, he threatened to dob him in to their mother unless his brother climbed down into the mine to save them.
References
{{WesternAustralia-geo-stub