Princess Royal, Western Australia


Princess Royal is an abandoned town in the Goldfields-Esperance region in Western Australia. It was named after a gold mine that was the basis for the town. The mine was named after Victoria, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria.
A rich gold reef was discovered in the area in the 1895 by a party of prospectors - Chester, Peddler and Flanagan. Alluvial gold was later found in 1900 and a townsite was established to house the miners. The townsite was gazetted in 1904.
A police station was built before 1905 and the first officer in charge arrived in that year; the station later closed in 1908. The town boasted four hotels in 1906, as well as a host of other businesses.