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Great Eastern Highway
The drive from Perth to Kalgoorie along the Great Eastern Highway is long (nearly 600km) and uneventful. The first hour heading east from Perth winds through the city’s suburbs and the Swan River Valley, then up a steep slope into the Darling Range; you may encounter nasty traffic near the city. Road trains rule this highway; beware of wide loads bearing machinery, farm equipment, and even buildings on the truck bed. The last hard stretch between the tiny town of Southern Cross (really no more than a wide spot in the highway) and Coolgardie is 200km of very rough road through the middle of nowhere. This part of the highway is poorly maintained, and even the truckers hate it. Fuel up when you can (in Southern Cross and Coolgardie)it’s a long way to the next petrol station.
Merredin (pop. 3700) is the largest town on the Great Eastern between Coolgardie and Perth. The friendly Shell Merredin Roadhouse makes a good pit stop, with tasty, inexpensive home-cooked meals and takeaway (open daily 7am-10pm).
Coolgardie has exceedingly little to offer the average traveler. It’s a dusty, empty, vaguely unsettling frontier town that serves mainly as a residential satellite for the families of miners working in Kalgoorlie. The main street (the 94 Hwy, known as Bay-ley St in town) houses a tourist office, post office, and police station, on your right when driving toward Perth. If you must spend the night in Coolgardie, the Denver City Hotel on Bayley St has simple, unheated rooms for. The noise from the rather unfriendly pub downstairs may keep you up. At the west end of town, die Caltex Roadhouse rents clean rooms for. There are rio ATMs in town, but most madhouses have EFTPOS.
Goldfields Aboriginal Art Gallery
Australian Aboriginal art is the oldest living art tradition of Australia, with paintings in
rock shelters dating back 25,000 years. Contemporary Aboriginal art is a vital part of the world’s oldest continuous cultural tradition. It is also one of the most brilliant and exciting areas of modern art. This art gallery quality paintings and limited edition prints by Aboriginal artists – together with information and comment to help understand these art works
The oldest civilization known to man, Aboriginal Art has no written language and consequently relies on story telling (through paintings, song and dance) to pass on Dreamtime Stories from one generation to another. The naturalistic style, predominant in Arnhem Land in northern Australia, is often characterised by “X-ray” art, where the internal organs of animals are depicted. The abstract style, predominant in central Australia, originates from sacred designs used in ceremonies.
Much of Aboriginal art relates to stories of the Dreamtime. This Dreamtime is the Creation Period in Aboriginal belief, when important Ancestral Beings formed the land and created the people, plants and animals. These Ancestral Beings, often depicted in the art, may take human, animal, plant or combined forms, and taught the people their laws and ceremonies.
Salt Lake Lefroy, Kambalda
Salt Lake Lefroy is a mining town surrounded by desert. Located 56 km south-east of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, 74 km from Coolgardie, 616 km east of Perth and 309 m above sea-level, Kambalda is a mining town which is divided into two very different sections – Kambalda East and Kambalda West. The town is surrounded by natural attractions which are definately worth checking out, such as land-sailing on Lake Lefroy. Both townships have the artificial feel of mining towns which have been laid out carefully on the landscape and with the uniformity of mining town architecture. A determination to keep as much native flora as possible gives them an appeal which is lacking from many similar towns.
Red Hill Lookout and Waking Trail, Kambalda
Of the two centers Kambalda East is the most interesting because of the Red Hill Lookout which offers superb views over Lake Lefroy, a vast 510-square km salt pan which stretches to the horizon and is rarely laden with water. The route to the lookout is not signposted from the main road and visitors have to enter the town, ignore the sign to the town centre, and continue along George Adams Road. Travelling on this road you eventually reach a sign to the lookout.
Although it cannot be seen from the lookout there is now mining in the middle of the lake. The view from the lookout is quite extraordinary. A 1.4-km walking trail winds about the hill, with information bays and resting places along the way.
A causeway runs across a blindingly white salt pan which shimmers in the sun. With a permit (which can be obtained from the Tourist Bureau in Kambalda West) it is possible to continue driving along George Adams Drive until you reach the causeway. The journey across the lake is quite a novelty with mirages suggesting water on every side. The salt lake at sunset is popular with photographers because of the unusual effects which the reflections create.
King Battery
16 km north of Kambalda, just off the Goldfields Highway, are the substantial remnants of an enormous gold stamper battery where tonnes of ore were crushed at the end of the 19th century.
The Kalgoolie – Boulder Museum
For those of you who enjoy museums, Nullarbor Net definitely recommends a visit to the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Goldfields museum. Located at the top end of Hannan Street the museum is open daily from 10am to 4-30 pm. The entrance to the museum is impossible to miss, marked as it is by a huge headframe from the Old Ivanhoe mine. Entry is by donation and for family and school groups the museum represents possibly the best value on the goldfields. Highlights from the museum include displays of restored miner’s cottages, a large chunk from the Mundrabilla meteorite, fine examples of union tapestries, historical memorabilia and an extensive photographic collection covering Kalgoorlie’s early social history. Unusual exhibits include an early prospector’s wooden bicycle, and within the gold vault a collection of gold nuggets and early federation period jewellery pieces can be observed. Visitors can also obtain good views of Kalgoorlie from the viewing platform of the Old Ivanhoe Headframe. For any “pubophiles” out there, the British Arms Hotel is also located within the museum and it’s said to have been the smallest pub in Australia. All in all this museum really is an excellent display and definitely well worth visiting for a couple of hours or so.
Kalgoorlie-Boulders Historic Buildings
Residents of Western Australia’s Goldfields are justifiably proud of their rich architectural heritage. Dotted throughout Kalgoorlie-Boulder are a host of old miner’s cottages and heritage buildings dating from Australia’s federation period of architecture – the late 1890s to early 1900s. Not surprisingly for a gold mining town many of the finest examples of federation architecture include lovingly restored hotels.
Kalgoorlie’s main thoroughfare is Hannan Street and here visitors can view a number of fine old buildings such as the Exchange Hotel, Palace Hotel, the Old Australia Hotel and the York Hotel. Important civic buildings within the area include Kalgoorlie’s Town Hall which dates from 1908, and the School of Mines Bulding located on nearby Cassidy Street.
The Super Pit, Kalgoorlie
The Kalgoorlie-Boulder Super Pit is definitely one of the goldfields outstanding attractions. Although really nothing more than a hole in the ground, it is nevertheless a huge and expensive one by any standards. During the past 100 years this goldfield has produced over 1000 tonnes of precious metal, and not for nothing has it been recognized as the richest square mile on earth. In terms of output the “Golden Mile” ranks second only the vastly more extensive Rand Goldfields of South Africa, and Canada’s Porcupine mine. A point to ponder: Nullarbor Net suggests the next time you’re in the market for a wedding ring spare a thought for the guys working in the Super Pit!
Access to the Super Pit viewing platform is made by taking the Outram Street turnoff from the Goldfields Highway. Admission is free and opening hours are from 6am to 7pm daily. It’s best to take photographs of the Super Pit in the middle of the day – at other times shadows can obscure large areas of the mine. Visitors might be also interested to check with the Kalgoorlie Visitors Information Centre for daily blast times.
School of Mines Museum – Cassidy Street Kalgoorlie
The WA School of Mines Museum will definitely appeal to those of you with a keen interest in geology and mineralogy. This museum houses a collection of approximatel 3000 mineral specimens along with replicas of famous gold nuggets. The School of Mines Museum is located on the corner of Cassidy Street and McDonald’s Street in Kalgoorlie. Opening hours are 8-30am to 12-30 pm Monday to Friday. Please note the museum is closed for public and school holidays. Admission is free.
For a short diversion of an hour or so Boulder’s Loopline Tourist Railway might prove to be of interest to travellers. Boulder’s Loopline Railway was established in 1897 and for many years it served as transport for miners who needed to commute between Boulder and the Golden Mile. Exclusive to the Loopline Railway tour is a visit to the Old Chaffers Power Station where visitors can also view displays of old gold mining machinery. The return journey to Boulder Railway Station sees the train make a short detour to the Super Pit. Throughout the journey a taped commentary details much of the colourful and seedy social history of the Golden Mile. Within Boulder Railway Station itself are a number of interesting displays of gold mining memorabilia. Boulder’s Loopline Railway tour would be of interest to both railway buffs and those with an interest in Western Australia’s Gold Mining history. Adjacent to the Railway station is a pleasant picnic area and playground suitable for the use of children.
Boulder’s Railway Station is located at the top end of Burt Street and tours depart daily at 10 am. On Sundays extra services depart at 11-45 am. Alternatively just visit the Loopline Railway’s website.
Boulder Pharmacy Museum, Kalgoorlie
Boulder’s Pharmacy Museum is located within a chemist shop that has been continuously operating for over 100 years. The museum’s collection includes a vast array of medicines and original pharmaceutical bottles dating from the 19th century. Essential medical tools dating from the period are also on display. If you find this display interesting we recommend you pay a visit to Coolgardie’s Pharmacy museum. Boulder’s Pharmacy museum is open from 8-50 am to 5-30 pm Monday to Friday, and 8-50 am to 12-30 pm on Saturdays.
Goldfields War Museum, Kalgoorlie
Military history enthusiasts will definitely find the Goldfields War Museum worth a visit for an hour or two. Exhibits within the museum include a large number of armoured vehicles, weapons, uniforms and an extensive collection of wartime relics and memorabilia. Of particular interest is the photographic collection which documents the widespread participation of the Goldfields community in every campaign from the Boer War to Vietnam. Other displays include a large number of moving letters written by Australian soldiers to their loved ones, with many of the detailing the daily hardships of a soldier’s life. Opening hours for the museum are 10 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday, and 10 am to 2 pm on weekends and public holidays. Co-located with the war museum is the Boulder Branch of the Tourist Information Centre.
Goldfields and Coolgardie Museum, Coolgardie
The Goldfields and Coolgardie Museum is located on Bayley Street adjacent to the Coolgardie Tourist Bureau. Housed within the historic Mining Warden’s Court Building, this fine museum offers an excellent introduction to the early colourful social history of the Coolgardie Goldfields. Excellent photographic displays depict Coolgardie’s early years and the hardships endured on the goldfields. A number of period rooms are on display along with a wide collection of historical memorabilia and aboriginal cultural artefacts. A feature of the collection is the Waghorn bottle and curio collection. Coolgardie’s Goldfield’s Museum is definitely well worth visiting for an hour or 2 and would particularly appeal to family and school groups. Cost of entry was $3-30 for adults at the end of 2001.
Coolgardie Pharmacy Museum, Coolgardie
Coolgardie’s Pharmacy Museum is surprisingly interesting. Said to be one of the best historical pharmaceutical displays in Australia, Coolgardie’s pharmacy museum houses an extensive collection of 18th and 19th century medicines. Numerous advertisements and antique tools of the chemists trade or on display. A Coolgardie local named Ronnie Potter manages the museum . Ronnie is certainly one of Coolgardie’s characters and he definitely is very knowledgeable about medications and the history of the goldfields. For those of you on prescription medications a short visit to this museum could prove very addictive. Opening hours 7-30 am to 4 pm.
Ben Priors Park, Coolgardie
Ben Prior’s Park is an open air display of old mining equipment, including mining jigs, drills, antiquated boilers and head frames. For those of you with an interest in vintage mining equipment a short visit might well be of some interest. Entry to Ben Prior Park is free and the display is located on Bayley Street – Coolgardie’s main thoroughfare.
Coolgardie Camel Farm, Coolgardie
Coolgardie’s development has been intimately linked with camels and the town’s wide streets are reputed to have been designed to accommodate turning camel trains. Coolgardie’s Camel Farm is located 4 kilometres west of town along the Great Eastern Highway. At the Camel Farm visitors can try their hand at riding camels and overnight camel treks are available by arrangement.
Coolgardie Parklands, Coolgardie
Coolgardie’s Parklands are located on the western end of Bayley Street. These parklands are well shaded and grassed, with an excellent playground. A number of gas barbecues are available along with undercover seating areas. Coolgardie’s Parklands offer travellers an excellent picnic spot and place to let the kids stretch their legs.
Coolgardie Caravan Park, Coolgardie
Coolgardie Caravan Park is located on 99 Bayley Street at the western end of town. chalets, onsite vans, powered sites and tent sites are available. Pets are allowed and the caravan park also hires out metal detectors.
The Haven Caravan Park, Coolgardie
The Haven Caravan Park is located at the western end of Coolgardie on the Great Eastern Highway. Powered sites, onsite vans and camping facilities are available. Pets are permitted on a leash.
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