Wagerup is a town located in the
Peel region of
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
just off the
South Western Highway
South Western Highway is a highway in the South West region of Western Australia connecting Perth's southeast with Walpole. It is a part of the Highway 1 network for most of its length. It is about long.
Route description
Perth to Bunbury ...
. It is located between
Waroona and
Harvey, south of Waroona.
History
The town's name was initially spelt Waigerup or Waigeerup, derived from an
Aboriginal name meaning "the place of the emu" (waitch), and was applied to a brook in the area. The same spelling was used when the railway station opened in 1896. However, by 1899, when the townsite was gazetted, the current spelling had been adopted (according to local legend, the man who painted the sign for the railway station misspelt the name).
In the mid 1970s serious community concern about impending mining in
jarrah
''Eucalyptus marginata'', commonly known as jarrah, in Noongar language and historically as Swan River mahogany, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tree with rough, fibro ...
forests saw considerable protests about the construction of the Wagerup refinery. The
Campaign to Save Native Forests and
South West Forests Defence Foundation challenged the planned mining venture, and the conditions under which
Alcoa
Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for "Aluminum Company of America") is an American industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary alu ...
was to be mining.
Present day
Alcoa have operated an
alumina
Aluminium oxide (or aluminium(III) oxide) is a chemical compound of aluminium and oxygen with the chemical formula . It is the most commonly occurring of several aluminium oxides, and specifically identified as aluminium oxide. It is commonly ...
refinery in Wagerup since 1984. For years, residents and Alcoa workers have reported illnesses such as respiratory irritation, frequent
nosebleed
A nosebleed, also known as epistaxis, is an instance of bleeding from the nose. Blood can flow down into the stomach, and cause nausea and vomiting. In more severe cases, blood may come out of both nostrils. Rarely, bleeding may be so significa ...
s, headaches, nausea and higher rates of cancer, as reported in numerous media outlets including the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
's ''
Four Corners
Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. Most of the Four Corners regio ...
'' program, although no formal causal link has ever been established. In September 2006, Alcoa obtained permission from the Western Australian government to expand the size of the refinery to become the biggest such refinery in the world, with production capacity increased from per year to around per year, although very strict conditions have been imposed on the expansion by the Health and Environment departments. Residents in nearby
Yarloop subsequently announced plans to fight the decision in the
Supreme Court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
.
See also
*
List of aluminium smelters
This is a list of primary aluminium smelters in the world. Primary production is the process by which alumina is smelted to pure aluminum. Secondary production is the process of recycling aluminum scrap into aluminum that can be used again. Capa ...
References
Further reading
* Hunte, H.E. (chair) (1978) ''Report by the Steering Committee on Research into the Effects of Bauxite Mining on the Water Resources of the Darling Range, September 1978''. Perth, WA: Dept. of Industrial Development, Western Australia,
* Lines, William J. (2006) ''Patriots: defending Australia's natural heritage'' St Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press.
* Working Groups of Technical Review Committee to Hunt Steering Committee and Kelsal Steering Committee. (1976) ''Research into the effects of
bauxite mining
Bauxite () is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...
in the Darling Range. Research into the effects of woodchipping in the Manjimup area'', reports of Working Groups of Technical Review Committee to Hunt Steering Committee and Kelsall Steering Committee, Perth, WA: Dept. of Conservation & Environment.
External links
Alcoa Australia website
{{authority control
Towns in Western Australia
Mining towns in Western Australia
Shire of Waroona