Norseman

The goldmining town of Norseman is located in the eastern goldfields, 724 kilometres east of Perth and 206 kilometres north of Esperance. Gold was discovered here in July 1894 by Lawrence Sinclair and his horse "Norseman" The gold find was named "Norsemans Find" and most records state that Sinclair named it after his horse, although Sinclair was himself of Norse descent from the Shetland Islands.

By January 1895 there were over 200 miners working the goldfields here, and the Mining Warden, Arthur Hicks, requested declare a townsite. The local progress association soon added pressure for a townsite, and lots were surveyed in April 1895. A number of names were proposed for the townsite, but local usage of Norseman resulted in the Minister for Lands selecting this name. The townsite was gazetted in May 1895. The Aboriginal name of the area is Jimberlana.