History

Name                            

The name of Kurnalpi is Aboriginal in origin but the meaning is not known.  A feature of the area is known as Kurnalpi Rockholes.

Discovery                     

Gold was first discovered at Kurnalpi by Alex Slater in 1894 and the area proved to be very rich in alluvial gold in its initial years.  It became known as the “home of slugs” because of the shape of the nuggets lying around.

Early History               

The largest area of alluvial finds was Social Flat near the Kurnalpi town site, a large flat area with several gullies.  Another large belt of alluvial gold was two miles north of the town.  Other sources mentioned were Cemetery, south east of the town, and Six Mile.  The supply of drinking water was a problem and at least six condensers were operating at the peak of the mining.  Because there was little gold at depth, the finds soon petered out and prospectors moved on.  Services such as the police station and post office ceased to operate in 1910 and the town no longer exists.  The area has been re-explored by mining companies in the 1970s and 2000s. 

Statistics