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Mount Meharry

Mount Meharry (Western Australia)

Mount Meharry is the highest mountain in Western Australia. It is located within the southeastern part of Karijini National Park of the Pilbara region, approximately 135 kilometres (84 mi) from Wittenoom, and 160 kilometres (99 mi) from Tom Price.

Mount Meharry is named after William Thomas ("Tom") Meharry (1912-1967), Chief Geodetic Surveyor for Western Australia from 1959 to 1967. It was discovered (so far as non-indigenous records show) by Surveyor Trevor Markey and his party in 1967. Tom Meharry directed the survey party and performed the calculations that confirmed the mountain was the highest peak in Western Australia, being 15 metres (49 ft) higher than Mount Bruce.

After Meharry's sudden death on 16 May 1967 the Nomenclature Advisory Committee (now the Geographic Names Committee) recommended to the Minister for Lands that the recently discovered peak be named after him. The Minister for Lands the Hon. W S Bovell MLA approved this on 28 July 1967 and a notice naming the peak was published in the Western Australian Government Gazette on 15 September 1967.

In 1999, Gina Rinehart, daughter of Lang Hancock applied to the Geographic Names Committee to rename the mountain after her father.³ The application was declined and in 2002 she lobbied the then Premier Geoff Gallop with the same proposal.⁴ He too declined the request.

References

v • d • e Australian States and Territories Highest Points Bimberi Peak (Australian Capital Territory) • Mount Kosciuszko (New South Wales) • Mount Zeil (Northern Territory) • Mount Bartle Frere (Queensland) • Mount Woodroffe (South Australia) • Mount Ossa (Tasmania) • Mount Bogong (Victoria) • Mount Meharry (Western Australia)

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