WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Western Australia is a huge state of just under one million square miles. Late in the 1800s and the early 1900s, gold was discovered in many places and attracted many Jews. However, most underground mining lasted only 20 to 30 years. The towns shrank or disappeared altogether. The cemeteries are the only lasting monument that Jews lived in the towns. The healthy Jewish community in Australia now mainly is found in the big cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. We want to make sure that these remote Jewish graves are not lost as most will never have any more burials. We have been researching Jewish burials in remote areas of Western Australia and have found nine cemeteries that contain either a Jewish Section or individual Jewish graves: Broome, Carnarvon, Coolgardie, Cue, Geraldton,  Kalgoorlie, Northampton, Roebourne and Sandstone. The only Jewish Community in Western Australia is in Perth where there are three Jewish cemeteries: Karrakatta (the main one); Fremantle (still used but rarely); and the old East Perth Cemetery (inactive).  Source - Warren and Brenda Austin, 2 Gifford Way, Dianella, Western Australia 6059, Australia, email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., telephone 61 8 9375 3181 completed the survey in January 2006.