Teh One Who Knocks
07-12-2019, 10:44 AM
By Hannah Moore for Daily Mail Australia
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Authorities are begging tourists to stay out of a town in Western Australia, saying just breathing the air there could kill you.
Wittenoom was taken off maps and disconnected from the power grid after high levels of asbestos in the air caused the death of thousands of miners.
Despite warning signs posted all around, tourists are still flocking to Wittenoom, a former mining town about 300km inland of Port Hedland.
In a form of 'extreme tourism', visitors are flocking to Wittenoom to photograph the run-down Doc Holiday's Cafe, the gem shop with a caved in roof, abandoned cars and homes, and the barren land it all sits on.
https://i.imgur.com/H69yUiG.png
https://i.imgur.com/QIJ7SZW.png
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The images show families holidaying, groups of friends camping out, and tourists swimming in a nearby lake - sometimes with their pets.
Many are also sharing pictures of the warning sign advising them not to enter.
Most don't mention in their captions the deadly contaminants in the air, or reference the issue at all.
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Lands, Ben Wyatt, told Nine Honey there was still a terrifying amount of asbestos in the air, and the town would never again be safe to visit.
https://i.imgur.com/Ye7Llk7.png
https://i.imgur.com/ZBJpjr1.png
He said when the Wittenoom mine closed in 1966, there was three million tonnes of asbestos residue - known as tailings - left behind in the gorge and surrounding area.
'Exposure to a single fibre of these tailings could prove fatal,' he said.
Mr Wyatt said no amount of money or time would allow the town to be cleaned to a point where it would be acceptable for human habitation.
'I have a simple message for anyone thinking of travelling to Wittenoom. Don't,' he said.
'These warnings signs are not there for decoration or to add your Instagram collection. They are serious warnings about serious health consequences.
'I can't stress enough that it is particularly foolish to travel to Wittenoom. There are plenty of gorges in WA which do not bring with them the threat of a fatal consequences.'
https://i.imgur.com/PfgAQro.png
https://i.imgur.com/vPH0hK3.png
https://i.imgur.com/wVAtzh1.png
Authorities are begging tourists to stay out of a town in Western Australia, saying just breathing the air there could kill you.
Wittenoom was taken off maps and disconnected from the power grid after high levels of asbestos in the air caused the death of thousands of miners.
Despite warning signs posted all around, tourists are still flocking to Wittenoom, a former mining town about 300km inland of Port Hedland.
In a form of 'extreme tourism', visitors are flocking to Wittenoom to photograph the run-down Doc Holiday's Cafe, the gem shop with a caved in roof, abandoned cars and homes, and the barren land it all sits on.
https://i.imgur.com/H69yUiG.png
https://i.imgur.com/QIJ7SZW.png
https://i.imgur.com/f0wIQ6Y.png
The images show families holidaying, groups of friends camping out, and tourists swimming in a nearby lake - sometimes with their pets.
Many are also sharing pictures of the warning sign advising them not to enter.
Most don't mention in their captions the deadly contaminants in the air, or reference the issue at all.
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Lands, Ben Wyatt, told Nine Honey there was still a terrifying amount of asbestos in the air, and the town would never again be safe to visit.
https://i.imgur.com/Ye7Llk7.png
https://i.imgur.com/ZBJpjr1.png
He said when the Wittenoom mine closed in 1966, there was three million tonnes of asbestos residue - known as tailings - left behind in the gorge and surrounding area.
'Exposure to a single fibre of these tailings could prove fatal,' he said.
Mr Wyatt said no amount of money or time would allow the town to be cleaned to a point where it would be acceptable for human habitation.
'I have a simple message for anyone thinking of travelling to Wittenoom. Don't,' he said.
'These warnings signs are not there for decoration or to add your Instagram collection. They are serious warnings about serious health consequences.
'I can't stress enough that it is particularly foolish to travel to Wittenoom. There are plenty of gorges in WA which do not bring with them the threat of a fatal consequences.'
https://i.imgur.com/PfgAQro.png
https://i.imgur.com/vPH0hK3.png