Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun Visitors' Centre and Museum

is located in the main street of Ravensthorpe (Morgan St). It has information on all local attractions, including information on walking and driving trails in the district. Phone: 9838 1277

Ravensthorpe Hopetoun Area Promotions

Morgan St
Ravensthorpe WA 6346
Telephone: (08) 9838 1277
Facsimile: (08) 9838 5029

Places to Stay

Ravensthorpe Motel

Situated on Highway 1. Quiet, clean, comfortabel units. Single, double or twin and family rooms available. Competitive rates. Tel: 08 98381053, Fax: 08 98381366.

Ravensthorpe Motel-Hotel

Situated in Morgans Street, Highway 1. Motel units, Hotel rooms, Backpackers and dining room. Competitive rates. Tel: 08 98381005, Fax: 08 98381200.

Ravensthorpe Caravan Park

Turn off South Coast Highway. Camp sites, on site vans, single rooms, BBQs, showers, laundry, campers kitchen, self contained cabins. Tel: 08 98381050, Fax: 0898381465, Email: rcp@westnet.com.au

www.ravensthorpecaravanpark.com.au

Lakes Breaks

Situated in Church Avenue, Lake King. Break your journey and have a relaxing stay at Nancye and Dick Perkins beautiful Bed and Breakfast accommodation. Dinner on request. Tel: 08 98744007, Fax: 08 98744185, Email: nancye@wn.com.au, www.westnet.com.au/nancye

Munglinup Beach Caravan Park

Situated on Munglinup Beach Road off Springdale Road, 30km east of Ravensthorpe. Weekender cottages, 2 bedroom units, motel room, park cabins, powered sites, tent sites and backpacker vans. Laundry and BBQ facilities. Canoeing, fishing, bird watching, 3km to safe beach. Tel: 08 90751155, Fax: 08 90751166, Email: wallefeld@bigpond.com

Hopetoun, West Beach B & B

Situated in Templetonia Street, Hopetoun, within easy walking distance of the beautiful West Beach. Ring 98383182

Places to Eat

BP Service Station

Morgans Street, Tel: 08 98381047

Ravy Country Kitchen

Morgans Street, Tel: 08 98381163

Palace Motel Hotel

Morgans Street, 08 98381005

For Your Convenience

FE Daw and Sons

Morgans Street. General store and groceries.

Ravensthorpe Building Supplies

Morgans Street.

Biosphere Pharmacy

Morgans Street

Meridian Agency and Post Office

Morgans Street

Things to See and Do

Cocanarup Homestead

Not open to the public at present: Cocanarup Homestead (it was probably built between 1868-1871) is a typical spartan pioneer's house made from local stone and galvanised iron with simple, earthen floors. It is now located on private property however it may be possible to visit the old home. Contact Ravensthorpe Hopetoun Area Promotions.

The Palace Hotel

The Palace Hotel in Morgan Street was built in 1907 and is the outstanding building in town. It was built from local bricks with a large upstairs verandah and an ornamental staircase. The stained glass window, once a feature of the hotel, is no longer in existence.

Railway Heritage Walk

The old railway line between Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun, which closed in 1935, has been opened as a walk trail. There are 4 sections; maps and information are available at the Visitor Centre in Ravensthorpe. In spring, when the bush is radiant with flowers, this is a stunning walk.

Government Smelter

Perhaps the most poignant evidence of the town's former glory is the disused Government Smelter where mountainous tailings dumps and old equipment stand starkly as a reminder of the importance the town enjoyed during the copper and gold rush period. Operating between 1906 and 1918, it smelted gold and copper ingots and once employed around 120 men. The rounded chunks of molten rock are slag remnants, once poured into crucibles then wheeled off for dumping via trolleys. The site is located 2 km south-east of town via the road to Hopetoun. The site is now private property.

Ravensthorpe Historical Society Museum, Open 6 Days a Week.

Ravensthorpe Historical Society Museum, situated in Morgans St, Ravensthorpe, includes one of the original miners' cottages built in 1900. Dance Cottage has been set up as a home and displays kitchen, sitting room, bedroom and children's room artifacts and clothes. The museum also contains an array of memorabilia and other items pertaining to mining, agriculture and local history, and the town's first gaol and the guard's van from the Hopetoun-Ravensthorpe railway.

Cattlin Creek Heritage Trail

This trail is currently closed. Work is in progress to reopen the trail with an amended route. There is an interesting brochure, Cattlin Creek Heritage Trail - Development of the Ravensthorpe District, which covers most of the important historical sites in town. It starts at the Dance Cottage Museum, moves to the Railway Station and Railway Turnaround (the railway ran between Ravensthorpe and the Phillips River mining area between 1909-1935), crosses Cattlin Creek where once there was a railway bridge, moves on to the Mount Cattlin Mine, passes the Big House which was built in 1906-7 for the manager of the Government smelter, reaches the current shire offices which date from 1908 and finishes, appropriately, at the Palace Hotel. It is, so the brochure declares, 'a leisurely two hour walk exploring the early history of the Ravensthorpe area'. An entertaining history of the area, the book, Ravensthorpe - Then and Now, is available from the Museum.

Ravensthorpe Range

This 45-km long strip offers fine views of the district. It can be accessed by all vehicles via either Ethel Daw Drive (16 km south-east of town) or Archer Drive (10 km north of town). However, Range Top Drive is only negotiable by 4WD. For further information, Ravensthorpe Hopetoun Area Promotions.

Ethel Daw Scenic Drive

This 30-km trail takes in Mount Desward Lookout (340 metres) which offers excellent panoramic views of the district. A related brochure is available from the Tourist Bureau.

Mt Madden Scenic Drive

This is a 160-km circuit drive which takes in the local scenery and the views atop Mount Madden, although those wishing to drive straight to the mountain and back can do so in a shorter 76-km trek. The Tourist Bureau has a related brochure.

Mt Short Scenic Drive

This is a 40-kmscenic tour for those possessed of four-wheel-drive vehicles. Its destination is Mt Short, which can be climbed. Along the way travelers can enjoy the pleasant local flora and mining relics. The Tourist Bureau has a related brochure.

The No. 1 Rabbit-Proof Fence

Portions of the 1822-km rabbit-proof fence (recently a focus of a film of the same name) can be seen in the area around Ravensthorpe. It was constructed between 1901 and 1907 to keep rabbits ad other pests out of farming areas, and was used as a guideline for three young Aboriginal girls in the 1930s who walked the length of the fence to make their way from enforced captivity back to their families. For further information enquire at the Tourist Bureau.

Rock Hunting

There are plenty of mineralised rocks in the area for fossickers but it is best to inquire first at the Tourist Bureau and avoid trespassing.