The Golden Earth below Kalgoorlie- Boulder in Western Australia

The golden earth below Kalgoorlie and the surrounding town sites are full of gold and has been for centuries. As a local for more than twelve years to us it was affection ally called Kal for short.  Kalgoorlie is now the major producer of gold in Australia.

Paddy Hannan was the first prospector to discover gold in Kalgoorlie in 1893.  In the early days there were nearly as many pubs and hotels in Kalgoorlie-Boulder as there were prospectors.  These men were all scrambling to file their claim for a little piece of Australia’s Golden History. It was a tragedy than many boys and their fathers lost their lives looking for a dream and dying in the process.

Most of the men finding gold spent the best part of their earnings and the water troughs (pubs). Even to this day I would dare anyone to try doing a pub-crawl from Boulder down the main street to Hannan St Kalgoorlie and visit ALL the pubs in one night, having a drink in each one.  If they did they might not remember it in the morning.  My husband and I tried it a couple of times, oh yes we were doing it on foot too.  Didn’t want to get caught over the limit now would we?

Beware when walking around the old diggings, some of the holes go down hundreds of feet.  If you fall they will probably not find you again.

The Super Pit

The Super is a definite must to see.  It is situated on the famous Golden Mile, and is Australia’s largest Open Cut Gold Mine. Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mine produces over 800,000 ounces of gold each year. And at present would employ approximately 700 employees.  When I last saw it about six months ago it was about three kilometres long and about one and a half kilometres wide.  From the lookout at the top a man and his utility look like virtual ants down at the bottom of this massive hole.

 A visit to this magnificent site will be a memory to last you a lifetime. Take photos to take home to show the families.

Historical Buildings

There are many historical buildings still left in the towns which are well worth a look. Take a ride on the tourist train around the old Golden Mile or you could take a look underground, down the Hannan’s Tourist Mine and get a feel for that kind of life.

The Museum

Take a stroll through the Museum and have a look at a few replicas of the gold nuggets found over the years in the area.  See what a gold bar looks like and dream of what it would be like to own one.

 The Two-up

Your visit won’t be complete unless you go out and have a game at the Bush two-up School.  You can either have a flutter yourself or watch as of course the winners smile while the losers walk away.

 Hay Street

 Then last but definitely no least is The Street, where all the men like to visit the brothels.

More details and things to see in the Goldfields