Mingenew Spring

From the earliest settlement in the 1850’s the Mingenew Spring was the main watering point for people and cattle in the area. In 1867 100 acres of land around the spring was leased by Samuel Pole Phillips. A shepherd’s hut built of stone and pug with a thatched roof was built south of the spring.
In 1891 his son Samuel James Phillips surveyed this land into 156 town blocks which became the private town of Mingenew Spring. Market gardens were established on land around the spring to supply produce for the local market and the gold diggers on the Murchison gold fields. A Chinaman named John had one of the first fruit and vegetable shops on the corner of William Street and Railway Parade. This natural freshwater spring was also a popular swimming spot for locals.
In 1887 the town’s people were drawing from the spring “an ample and pure supply of water all the year round.” By 1929 water for the town site was being supplied mostly from Erregulla Spring, collected rainwater and some spring water.
In 1979 an earthquake shook the town and it is speculated that this event affected the water flow of the spring. In 1982 a bore was drilled west of the reserve, which also lowered the water table to its current level.
In 1961 a caravan park, under the management of the Shire, was established on a portion of this land while the remainder was retained as a reserve. The caravan park is now privately owned.