Western Australia Goldfields Holidays

This is a huge area of Western Australia that is flanked by the border of South Australia in the east, the Eyre Highway in the south, the Great Victoria Desert to the north and the wheat belt area in the west.

This region consists of inhospitable, dry desert and semi desert with small population centres around the mine sites. Most of the early history of Australia's gold mining rush took place in this area.

It was gold that was the catalyst for bringing settlers to the west regions of Australia. Like most gold rush eras, the region had quite a few short-lived gold mining enterprises, most being around the late 1800's and early 1900's.

The many ghost towns that dot the region bear testimony to those failed ventures. Much of the gold rush history is still evident and gives an insight into the hardships of early settler life in this harsh environment.

Western Australia Goldfields Holidays - Places of Interest

Coolgardie is one of the places where the gold rush era started. Coolgardie declined as the gold ran out although modern gold extraction procedures have given the town a lifeline. The exhibits and history at the Goldfields Exhibition provide a good insight of what the town was like at the height of the gold rush.

Kalgoorlie is the other centre where gold was found and it's still being mined here. Also known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, the town is usually called by just the first part. The town has many fine examples of extravagant gold rush architecture. Kalgoorlie is the major rail station of the Transcontinental Railway as it emerges from the Nullabour Plain.

Tours of underground mining are available at Hannan's North Mine and a railway circuit runs around the original Golden Mile. The Museum of the Goldfields is the place to visit for the history of the Kalgoorlie area.

Kambalda died out as a gold town, but has resurfaced as a major nickel mine in more recent times. There is little by way of local attractions although Lake Lefroy, a salt lake, is a venue for land sailing.

Leonora is a railhead for nickel from the nearby mines. The nearby centre of Gwalia was once a major gold mine but is now virtually a ghost town.

The Ghost Towns - The best known ghost towns are Kanowna and Broad Arrow in the Kalgoorlie area, Gwalia (see above), Kookynie and Niagara in the Leonora area.

Western Australian Goldfields Travel & Holidays
Kalgoorlie Introduction



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Western Australia Goldfields Holidays

- Western Australia Goldfields Holidays Guide -