Western Australia’s lost “chemical town”
The town of Chandler was built for a factory processing a large natural supply of alunite, which potash is derived from. Yes, potash. The very same you buy from the Bunning's garden centre. The town was very important during World War 2, however, since Australia's imports of potash had been cut off. If we didn't utilise our own source, our crops would suffer.
Despite never making a dime, Chandler served its purpose right until the end of the war. As soon as international imports became available again, the need for the town disappeared, but it lived on for several years as the plant could also process gypsum (used for plasterboard). After that lost its financial sense, it was decided that the entire town and plant equipment would be sold off. In a big fire sale, the entire community was wiped off the map through auctions.
Despite a small operation in the 70s and 80s harvesting the tailings to create kitty litter (of all things) the site has remained vacant since. Only the large concrete footings, slabs and support columns remain - creating quite an other-worldly landscape. It's well worth a visit if you're out in the Wheatbelt, near the towns of Nungarin or Mukinbudin.
Sources:
https://inherit.dplh.wa.gov.au/Public/Inventory/Details/7edab07f-fe03-4c7b-8141-d6cd6c3164ae
https://www.nungarin.wa.gov.au/tourism/attractions/chandler.aspx
https://www.adventures.net.au/information/chandler
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandler,_Western_Australia
https://web.archive.org/web/20110312060048/http://members.westnet.com.au/caladenia/ghosttowns/C.pdf
https://www.nungarin.wa.gov.au/tourism/nungarin-museum.aspx
Images:
Youanmi (?) 1914
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b2366849_1
Youanmi shops 1934-1945
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b2499288_1
Townsite survey plan 1943
Colour plan CANCELLED
https://archive.sro.wa.gov.au/index.php/chandler-sheet-1-tally-no-504005-0359
1946
Video:
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b1383220_1
Newspapers:
4th November 1944
Photo of plant. Good facts about the town
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/78765390?searchTerm=Chandler%20town
Good headline and photo to use. “The town that potash built”
Many houses had established gardens with lawn, plants not native to the area and vegies
Water piped in from the goldfields water scheme
Stiflingly hot in the summer, cold and windy in the winter
Population was 160 nov 44. 50 was children
There was a shop in town but groceries and ice were also delivered from Merredin three times a week
Houses were rented from the gov
Good radio reception
27th of July 1945
CWA fielding donations of clothing etc for victims of war in Europe
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/256255526?searchTerm=Chandler%20town
5th August 1945
Great headline to use “Enough WA Potash to supply Australia for over 100 years”. Photo of James Chandler. Has the advantage of being collected from a dry lakebed. Potash was essentially for the growth of tomatoes, sugarcane and tobacco
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/59337323?searchTerm=Chandler
27th September 1945
Double page spread showings lots of photos, including a house and the school. A suggestion that the deposit of Alunite was the largest in the world and could supply the whole country for 100 years
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/3677974
12th July 1946
Buffalo club
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/240245572?searchTerm=Chandler%20town
23rd February 1945
Campion Dam failed, so local farmers had to rely on a public standpipe from the Goldfields Water Supply. School house built (after using town hall). Transferred from Campion. 35 students enrolled, more expected as they return from holidays. Comm bank opening.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/250826398?searchTerm=Chandler%20town
25 August 1949
Chandler Chatter – Golf bug
Be sure to show “chandler chatter”
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/252690316?searchTerm=Chandler%20town
1st September 1949
Chandler Chatter – general movements of the townsfolk
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/252690706?searchTerm=Chandler%20town
29 September 1949
Chandler Chatter – a play
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/252691770?searchTerm=Chandler%20town
8th of December 1949
Talks about shutting down production. Cheaper and higher quality sources were becoming available from places like France
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/211505633?searchTerm=Chandler
31st of August 1950
New car!
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/252700247?searchTerm=Chandler%20town
5th October 1950
Cycle club. End of picture gardens.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/252700566?searchTerm=Chandler%20town
14th December 1950
Chandler Chatter - preparations for Christmas
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/252701602?searchTerm=Chandler%20town
29th April 1952
Side story – truck travelling from Chandler to Perth with 200 bags of plaster veered off great eastern highway on greenmount hill, into a gully and burst into flames. Near the “old log cabin”
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/265883281?searchTerm=Chandler
16th July 1952
Big image of a potash drier about to be transported from Chandler to Bassendean
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/265904924?searchTerm=Chandler
16th October 1952
Good image to use to illustrate housing being sold off
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/252710966?searchTerm=Chandler%20town
7th May 1953
Clothes and groceries auctioned off (includes photo). Includes numbers of items sold
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/266130587?searchTerm=Chandler%20town
18th June 1953
Town sold off. Gives specifics.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/266130396?searchTerm=Chandler%20town
