There’s more to Zanthus than its position at the end of every list of Western Australian place names. The name is derived from the latin name for the Kangaroo Paw, Western Austalia’s floral emblem1.
Zanthus appears to have started life as a depot and rail siding during the construction of the Trans Australian Railway. Materials needed for the construction of the railway were sent to Zanthus from Kalgoorlie. Work started on the line (that would join Port Augusta to Kalgoorlie) in 1912 and the line opened in 1917.
The Trans Australian Railway was the main route for the movement of Australian troops during World War II. Here RAAF personnel enjoy a stopover, probably to allow the steam locomotive to take on water, at Zanthus circa 1940
Photo from P Rogers Collection.
In 1921, the census recorded 24 people living at Zanthus and in 1933 there were 26 males and 21 females occupying the same 9 dwellings2. It must have been very crowded! That is the last time Zanthus appears in the census records. However, post 1933 census records carry a couple of caveats. The first is that only localities “in which at least 50 persons were enumerated” are included and that the record is “exclusive of full-blood Aboriginals and of dwellings occupied solely by them”3.
Even so life at Zanthus has never been dull. A quick search of Trove reveals a number of rail-related incidents over the years. In 1948, passengers were stranded when floodwaters washed away tracks and some of the passengers completed their trip in a Golden Airways airplane, and 50 workmen were required to repair the damage4. A derailment in 1953 resulted in tracks being torn up and repair crews worked through the night to have a deviation in place by the following day5. Rain from Cyclone Trixie in 1975 resulted once again in a major washaway, this time requiring construction of a new bridge in just two weeks6. And, as recently as 1999, the Indian Pacific collided with a stationary train on the tracks7. The speed with which each of these incidents was resolved speaks volumes about the continuing importance of the only transcontinental rail link8.
Today, the population of Zanthus is 09 and it appears that it has been that way for a very long time. and Zanthus is a crossing point on the railway where one train pulls off the main line to allow another heading in the opposite direction to pass.
Sources
- WA Now and Then. Zanthus. http://www.wanowandthen.com/zanthus.html. Accessed 20 Sep 2023 ↩︎
- Australian Bureau of Statustics. Census Bulletin No.25 Population and Occupied Dwellings in Localities. 30 Jun 1933. 21 Jan 1936, p.91. https://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/free.nsf/. Accessed 20 Sep 2023 ↩︎
- ibid. Part VIII. – Population and occupied dwellings in localities. 1947. 5 Apr 1949, p.497 https://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/free.nsf/. Accessed 20 Jun 2023 ↩︎
- The Daily News (Perth WA). Aircraft brings rail passengers from Zanthus. 25 Feb 1948, p.5. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article79680738. Accessed 20 Sep 2023 ↩︎
- The West Australian (Perth WA). Trans trains stranded at Zanthus. 25 Feb 1953 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49082438. Accessed 20 Sep 2023 ↩︎
- The Canberra Times (ACT). Closure of shipping link exacerbates WA’s isolation. 19 Mar 1976, p.2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110808955. Accessed 20 Sep 2023 ↩︎
- Australian Transport Safety Bureau. Collision between Indian Pacific Passenger Train 3AP88 and Freight Train 3PW4N, Zanthus, WA, 18 August 1999. https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports. Accessed 20 Sep 2023 ↩︎
- Insurance Business. Trans-Australian railway reopens but supply chain strain continues. 16 Feb 2022 https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/breaking-news/transaustralian-railway-reopens. Accessed 20 Sep 2023 ↩︎
- ibid. Zanthus (Suburb and Locality) Australian Census 2016. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/SSC51682. Accessed 20 Sep 2023 ↩︎
People of Western Australia's Ghost Towns 