Norseman
The town named after a horse. Gold, the magic metal, put Norseman on the map in 1894 when prospector Laurie Sinclair stopped off to visit his brother on his way to Esperance. He tethered his horse “Hardy Norseman” overnight and in the morning was amazed to discover that it had pawed up a gold nugget. A rich gold reef was discovered on the already proclaimed Dundas Field and thousands flocked to make their fortune. Today gold remains of major importance to Norseman which still has a population of some 1,800 people, most of whom still depend on the mining industry. Central Norseman still mines the richest quartz reef in Australia and the historic hayburner “Hardy Norseman” has not been forgotten as there is now a striking statue erected in his honour. The Historical Collection housed in the old School of Mines reflects on days gone by. A trip down the Heritage Trail will give you an insight into the life of the mining community’s past and present.
Related Travel Information
Coolgardie
Coolgardie is located 550 kilometres east of Perth, approximately 40 kilometres west of Kalgoorlie, and 187 kilometres north of Norseman. The name Coolgardie is said to be derived from the aboriginal word "Coolcaby", and is said to be a reference to the area's mulga vegetation and gnamma waterholes.
Coolgardie owes its existence to the discovery of gold at nearby Fly Flat in September 1892. According to all accounts the 2 prospectors credited with the discovery were Arthur Bayley and William Ford. Reports of the time indicate that on 17 September 1892 Bayley hastily reported the discovery of 554 ounces of
Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie is located 40 kilometres east of Coolgardie, 595 kilometres east of Perth and 200 kilometres north of Norseman. The traditional landowners of the Kalgoorlie area are the Maduwangka people and the name Kalgoorlie is said to mean "Silky Pear Bush" in the local aboriginal language.
European settlement of Kalgoorlie began in June 1893 with the discovery of rich alluvial gold deposits near Mount Charlotte. The three Irish gold prospectors credited with the discovery were Paddy Hannan, Dan Shea and Tom Flanagan. Paddy Hannan later reported discovering 8 pounds of gold nuggets to the mining warden in Coolgardie, and within
