The Place for Local and Family History
on the Western Australian Goldfields

Youanmi > Youanmi


Youanmi
Western Australia

Latitude : 28 37 S Longitude : 118 50 E

Youanmi is an abandoned goldfields townsite located 570 km north east of Perth and 90 km south west of Sandstone. Gold was discovered in the area in 1896, but was of insufficient richness to warrant being developed. The area was rediscovered in 1908, and by 1910 there were sufficient miners in the area for the "Youanme Progress Committee" to request a townsite be declared. Following the survey of lots the townsite was gazetted in August 1910, but was spelt "Yuani". This spelling was adopted because it was regarded as the correct spelling of this Aboriginal name, and Youanme was a local corruption. However, it was soon realised that the gazetted spelling would lead to the name being mispronounced, and in December 1910 it was changed to the current spelling, Youanmi. The "mi" at the end of the name is pronounced as in "me". Another spelling recorded for the name is "Euanni", and "Coorang" is also recorded as an alternative Aboriginal name for the area.

The name was first recorded for a spring in the area by a surveyor in 1887, the name having been given to the surveyor by an old Aboriginal accompanying him. The meaning of the name is uncertain, one source advising it actually means "you and me", although this is unlikely. Other sources suggest it relates to a type of mulga trees located around the spring or the bob tailed goanna, the Aboriginal name of which is "Youan" or "Uan".

Reccomended Reading:

"Youanmi" - A Story of Murchison Gold
by J.M. Hooper
invaluable district history with lots of pictures but no index
Published by Hesperian Press 1986
ISBN 0 85905 104 8

Available from:
Hesperian Press - https://www.hesperianpress.com/
and The Eastern Goldfields Historical Soc - https://www.kalgoorliehistory.org.au/

"Sandstone - From Gold to Wool & Back Again" - a district history - by Sally Senior Published by the Shire of Sandstone 1995
Available from the Shire of Sandstone a great regional history, lots of pictures & indexed



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