Zanthus, Western Australia

Zanthus is a remote and uninhabited outpost on the Trans-Australian Railway approximately 210 kilometres (130 mi) east of the regional city of Kalgoorlie in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia.

Zanthus Western Australia
Zanthus circa 1940
Zanthus
Coordinates	31°02′00″S 123°34′00″E
Population	0 (SAL 2016)[1][2]
Postcode(s)	6434
Area	12,506.3 km2 (4,828.7 sq mi)
Location	799 km (496 mi) ENE of the Perth CBD 211 km (131 mi) ESE of Kalgoorlie
LGA(s)	City of Kalgoorlie–Boulder
Region	Goldfields–Esperance
State electorate(s)	Eyre
Federal division(s)	O'Connor

Transport

Zanthus cabin now at Bassendean rail museum

A depot existed at Zanthus prior to 1915 when the east to west section of the Trans Australian Railway was still not completed. Trains were arriving daily at the station in 1915 mostly carrying materials to the railhead from Kalgoorlie.^[3]

Passengers were stranded at Zanthus in 1948 when a train was delayed resulting from floodwaters causing washaways along the tracks between Zanthus and Kalgoorlie. Several passengers completed the journey to Kalgoorlie via a Goldfield Airways airplane while over 50 men worked to fix the two big washaways.^[4]

A derailment of a train occurred in 1953 when five coaches of the transcontinental eastbound express left the tracks near the town tearing up a section of the line. Repair crews worked through the night and built a deviation by the following day.^[5]

In 1975, large amounts of rain had inundated inland Western Australia from the remnants of Cyclone Trixie. A large washaway close to Zanthus had resulted in the closure of the line. A new bridge was constructed as part of the repairs in just two weeks.^[6]

Zanthus has a crossing loop on the line. On 8 August 1999, the Indian Pacific passenger train collided with a stationary steel train in the area.

The locality also has notoriety due to its position in place name lists of Western Australia.^[7]

See also

• Localities on the Trans-Australian Railway

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Zanthus (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2016. 
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Zanthus (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2016 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
3. "The Federal line". The West Australian. Perth. 16 April 1915. p. 6. Retrieved 16 October 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
4. "Aircraft Brings Rail Passengers From Zanthus". The Daily News. Perth. 25 February 1948. p. 5. Retrieved 13 April 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "Trans Trains Stranded at Zanthus". The West Australian. Perth. 25 February 1953. p. 4. Retrieved 13 April 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "Operation flood bridge". Westrail. 1988. Retrieved 13 April 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
7. Murray, Ian,(2003) Araluen to Zanthus : a gazetteeer of Perth suburbs and Western Australian towns / Ian Murray and Brian Goodchild, in association with the Department of Land Information. Fremantle,W.A.: Fremantle Arts Centre Press.