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More than a century ago Laverton was established as a gold mining town. Situated 120 kms east of Leonora and about 400 kms north of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
Originally the town was called 'British Flag' the name of a mine in the area. In 1900 Laverton was formally named after the local Doctor, Dr Charles Laver. He is best known for the epic bike ride he made from Coolgardie to Laverton in 1896.
Past Western Australian Premier, John Forrest, traversed the desert in search of German explorer and scientist Ludwig Leichhardt, who came to Australia in 1842 to study rocks and wildlife. Other courageous expeditions have been honoured at The Great Beyond Explorers Hall of Fame in Laverton.
In the early 1900s the northern goldfields region increased from Coolgardie, north around Lake Carey and past Laverton. The town relied heavily on mining for its survival and when the railway closed in 1957 many of the mines followed.
In the 1960s the Poseidon venture, approximately 28 kms northwest of Windarra, established nickel mining. The discovery was made by Ken Shirley and with WMC Resources the town thrived due to the demand for nickel. At its peak the share price increased from 80 cents to $280 in five months.
Even during the slump of the early 1990s the town managed to survive. There are three major mines working in the area today, mining gold and nickel-cobalt.
Laverton has embraced tourism with 4WD trails and tours on offter. It is an ideal place to get away from it all and enjoy the scenery or the history of the gold rush. There are many ghost towns in the area, all that remains in Burtville is the archway to the old pub and the cemetery. Rumour has it that only one of the bodies in the cemetery died of natural causes. The Beria township contains nothing more than a cricket pitch in the shadows of the Lancefield mine.
Laverton has accommodation at the local caravan park, pub and motel, it is a small and friendly country town with a great history.
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