The town of Southern Cross was named after The Crux (the Latin name for the group of stars more generally known as the Southern Cross) that guided prospectors to the area in 1888.

Southern Cross is basically a rural and mining community. It is the major town and administrative centre of the Shire of Yilgarn. A variety of minerals are found in the Yilgarn including gold, iron ore, gypsum, vermiculite, scheelite, salt, jasper, magnesite, tourmaline, and niobium. Sandalwood is harvested north of Koolyanobbing.

In keeping with the celestial derivation of the town’s name, the streets are named after stars of the constellations.

Australian explorers and prospectors frequently used the Southern Cross for navigation in much the same way that the Pole Star was used in the Northern Hemisphere. Various methods are used to determine the South Celestial Pole using the Southern Cross and its Pointers (Alpha and Beta Centauri).

Further information about the discovery and founding of Southern Cross may be found in They Wished Upon a Star by P.T. McMahon.

 

© Kim Epton 2015-2022
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