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| The pub and the wheat silos at Three Springs |
Three Springs
Typical northern wheatbelt township
Located 313 km north of Perth on the Midlands Road, Three Springs is a typical northern wheatbelt town. Surrounded by fields of wheat which stretch to the horizon it is a small town (population around 600700) which focuses on the grain silos, the railway line, the hotel which has some motelstyle accommodation, and a main street which provides services for the surrounding farmers.
The area was first explored in 1846 by the Gregory brothers (Augustus, Henry and Francis) who were looking for new country for settlement. Their report on the area was such that in the early 1850s the Cooke family took up a holding of 17 500 acres which was known to the local Aborigines as 'Carridena'. The area was officially surveyed in 1867 and it was at that time that the surveyor, C.C. Hunt, recorded on his map the name 'Three Springs'.
Things to see: ![[Top of page]](smlArrow.gif)
Talc Mine
Perhaps the most interesting attraction in the area is the Western Mining Corporation¹s talc mine. Located 13 km east of the town on the Three SpringsPerenjori road it can be inspected any day of the week but is closed from 11.30 a.m. -12.30p.m. and from 4.30 p.m. to 7.30 a.m. Tel: (08) 9179 0999 to arrange visits. The talc from the mine is taken to Fremantle where it is shipped around the world for use in the pottery and ceramics industries.
Wildflowers
Apart from the talc mine the town is another centre for people interested in the wildflowers which bloom throughout the Central West between August and October. There is a wildflower rest area at the southern end of town.
