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Attractions in Kalgoorlie

 

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Museum of the Goldfields

The Museum of the Goldfields showcases the rich history of the Eastern Goldfields and the city’s mining heritage.

Discover the unique role the town has played in WA’s development, both as a centre of mining and its place at the edge of the Nullarbor Plain.

Explore the largest display of the State’s collection of gold bars and nuggets. Step back in time to see how prospectors searched for this precious metal. Learn about the life and hardships faced by mining families during the early 1900s.

The building below is an authentic miner’s cottage relocated Piccadilly St, Kalgoorlie in 1998. The building illustrates the living conditions and social lives of early goldfields settlers.

The Goldminer's Cottage - at the

Visitors are invited to stroll through the Museum grounds, including the ethnobotanical garden at the front of the museum, and the scenic courtyard at the rear, to view the miner’s cottage, the Woodline Office, the Police Wagon and a replica West Australian Bank building (closed to the public).

Where: 17 Hannan St, Kalgoorlie WA 6430

Hannans North Tourist Mine

The Super Pit in Kalgoorlie
The Kalgoorlie Super Pit

In June 1893, Paddy Hannan, Thomas Flanagan and Dan Shea found close to 100 ounces of alluvial gold. The find was near Mt Charlotte, a short distance from what is now the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

The beginning of the great Gold Rush

This find sparked the Western Australian gold rush and unearthed one of the richest goldfields in the world, the famous Golden Mile. By 1903 the Golden Mile was home to 49 operating mines, 88 roasters, 100 headframes and more than 3,500 kilometres of underground development.

For nearly 100 years, small, individual operations worked and controlled the Golden Mile. In the 1980’s, Western Australian businessman, Alan Bond began purchasing the individual leases in a bid to gain control of the area and create one giant mine. Bond’s company was unable to complete the takeover.

However, in 1989 the dream was realised when Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines Pty Ltd (KCGM) was created to manage and operate the mines, which were now the assets of joint venture partners, Normandy Australia and Homestake Gold of Australia Limited.

Creation of the Kalgoorlie Super Pit

Almost immediately, work began joining together the existing mines to create the Fimiston Open Pit. This pit was initially nicknamed the Big Pit and is now known across the world as the Super Pit.

During this time, all underground operations were phased out except Mt Charlotte. KCGM’s Mt Charlotte Underground Mine continues to be a strong gold producer, currently extracting approximately 750,000 tonnes of ore, yielding around 54,000 ounces, or 1.6 tonnes of gold per year.

Address: 130 Goldfields Hwy, Mullingar, WA
Phone: (08) 9022 1664