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All Australia Wittenoom Wittenoom

Wittenoom

A town whose main resource was blue asbestos... what could possibly go wrong?

Wittenoom, Australia

Added By
Rachel James
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The abandoned Doc Holiday’s Cafe in Wittenoom.   Five Years/CC BY-SA 3.0
The abandoned Doc Holiday’s Cafe in Wittenoom.   Five Years/CC BY-SA 3.0
Warning sign near the entrance to town.   Five Years/CC BY-SA 3.0
The Wittenoom Gem Shop.   Five Years/CC BY-SA 3.0
Mine tailings near Wittenoom in Western Australia.   Five Years/CC BY-SA 3.0
Road sign where Wittenoom, Western Australia has been removed   Five Years/CC BY-SA 3.0
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About

The Australian mining town of Wittenoom became a boomtown producing the lung-punishing mineral asbestos. Today, it is mostly abandoned, after the government tried to scratch the town quite literally off the map.

The government tried to phase out the township by making it basically inaccessible—painting over its name on street signs and erasing it from maps. However there are still a few stubborn holdouts in the toxic ghost town. There were around six residents in 2015, who,  although their power had been turned off and they had to drive many miles for municipal services, chose to remain in Wittenoom. 

Related Tags

Ghost Towns Abandoned Abandoned Mines Mines

Know Before You Go

As of 2022, the final residents have been evicted and demolition of the town has begun.

Community Contributors

Added By

Rachel

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson, splamo, lilbaba, declanmar

  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • splamo
  • lilbaba
  • declanmar

Published

March 26, 2014

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Sources
  • http://io9.com/10-of-the-worlds-most-dangeous-toxic-ghost-towns-1552144947?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_facebook&utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
  • http://www.independentaustralia.net/article-display/blue-murder-at-wittenoom,5376
  • http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/photos/10-places-ruined-by-man-made-catastrophes/wittenoom
  • http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/life-in-a-non-existent-town--population-6-20121008-279jr.html
Wittenoom
80 Second Ave
Wittenoom, 6751
Australia
-22.235621, 118.335135
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