| Southern Cross | |
Location: | 369km east of Perth |
Shire: | Yilgarn |
Population: | 982 |
Postcode: | 6426 |
The largest town in the Yilgarn Shire, Southern Cross was founded after the discovery of gold by Charles Glass in 1887. He was followed by others who moved farther east until, in 1892, Bayley and Ford discovered large deposits in Coolgardie. The first train arrived in Southern Cross in 1894 and the town became an important railhead for the Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie regions.
There are a number of old mines to be seen locally, including Frasers Mine, behind the Palace Hotel, an example of an early open cut mine. The old cemetery north of the township has been redeveloped as a Pioneer Memorial by the Southern Cross Historical Society and the Society also operates a museum in the original courthouse.
Picnic spots nearby include Hunts Soak, 7 kilometres north of the town, which was constructed by convicts in 1865 and Frog Rock, a wavelike outcrop with a dam at its base.