John Forrest, the famous Western Australian explorer, who later became the first Premier of the State, named Mt Leonora when camped near there on his search for the lost Leichardt expedition.
Little did he realise the riches which lay beneath him. It was another 25 years before prospectors moved through the area and in 1896 the first claims were pegged and mining started soon after at Leonora and Gwalia.
The Sons of Gwalia mine was the major contributor to the area. The largest underground gold mine outside the Golden Mile, Sons of Gwalia operated continuously for 67 years until it closed in 1963.
An interesting part of the mines history is the fact that a 23-year-old mining engineer named Herbert Hoover was appointed mine manager in 1897 and commissioned the construction of a house as the mine managers residence.
Herbert Hoover later became the 31st President of the United States (1929-33) and the residence, which has recently been extensively renovated and upgraded, now serves as a quality bed and breakfast facility adjoining the Gwalia Museum.
The twin townships of Leonora and Gwalia were once joined by a 3.2 kilometres tram service which ferried workers and the general public between them.
While mine workers no longer reside in Gwalia and the tram service is long gone, many of the original iron cottages in which they lived remain today and there is plenty to see on a walk through the township past the cottages, the State Hotel and up to the Gwalia Museum and Herbert Hoover House.
The Museum offers the opportunity to look at various aspects of mining history in the region, as well as a strong Italian influence brought about by a large contingent of Italian miners who worked and lived there.Leonora today is a bustling township which offers a service centre for the mining and pastoral industries with a railhead just north of the town.
Prospecting is very much a favourite activity for many and there are frequently reports of good strikes by enthusiasts and professionals armed with a little knowledge, plenty of luck, and a metal detector.
Malcolm Dam, 12 kilometres out of Leonora, was built in 1902 to provide water for the railways and is a pleasant picnic spot, while the Terraces, a beautiful breakaway formation on both sides of the Goldfields Highway located some 40 kilometres north of the town offers some excellent views and bushwalks for the more adventurous.
