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Situated some 200 km south east inland of Port Hedland, Marble Bar gained the dubious reputation of the hottest town in Australia when the temperature stayed above 100 degrees Fahrenheit 37.8 degrees Celsius for 161 consecutive days in 1923-24.
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With the reputation of the hottest town in Australia, the Australian wintertime is the best time for visiting Marble Bar when days and evenings are cooler. Daytime temperatures usually peak in the perfect high 20s and nights are about 12-13 degrees and after the rains wildflowers, spinifex and deep rock pools transform the countryside.
Outback Marble Bar grew out of a gold strike near the remote Coongan River in1887 when massive Jasper mineral deposits some 4 km away were mistaken by prospectors for marble, and settlers named the town Marble Bar. Francis Jenkins discovered alluvial gold at Marble Bar in 1891 and in the 1930s there was another Marble Bar gold rush; the Comet Mine was productive between 1936 and 1955. During the Second World War, an RAAF base operated from Corunna Station, located 40km southeast of the town. Corunna Downs RAAF Base was built in 1943 for long range attacks on the Japanese in the Indonesian archipelago.
Marble Bar has retained its mining background, with manganese mining, gold mining and pastoral production being the mainstay of the population of some 1000 souls.
Some colonial buildings of when the brave and the adventurous from around the world were lured by the gold rush to the far north west outback are still evident in Marble Bar. Government buildings erected in 1895 are retained and National Trust listed; the Comet Gold Mine is a museum with displays of rocks, minerals and local gemstones. It also has the highest smoke stack in the southern hemisphere and underground mine tours take place daily.
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The Jasper deposit is at Marble Bar Pool, 4 km from town; where splashing water on the marble brings out the colour of the Jasper quartz rock. Chinamans pool is an ideal picnic spot, with an infamous history: A Chinese miner was hanged here, in the olden days when he refused to disclose the secret location of his gold strike to claim jumpers. Fifty kms north of Marble Bar, on the Port Hedland Road, is One Mile Gorge, a photographers and bush walkers delight. Approximately 68km out of Marble Bar, on the old Shay Gap Road, is a deep cutting in the hills known as Coppins Gap, and 6km further on is Kittys Gap.Doolena Gorge, some 45 km NW of Marble Bar is the place to watch the romantic and dramatic glow as the cliff-face turns bright red in the setting sun.
Central Marble Bar North West WA - Western Australia
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Western Australia - Map of Marble Bar Australia
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