#goldfields

The Super Pit, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia

Helen Avaient

Mar 7, 2021
3 min

The Super Pit, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia

On the Golden Quest Discovery Trail, Site 25 is the Super pit at Kalgoorlie. The lookout is open from 7am to 7pm daily, and there is no charge. It is a great opportunity to see a working open pit mine and marvel at the sheer bloody size of it. The pit is ginormous (very large) and the machinery used there is huge! The pit is 3.5 kms (2.2 miles) long 1.5kms (0.95 miles) wide with a depth of about 800 metres (2,624 feet) deep. KCGM is also exploring under the pit to test minera

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Helen Avaient

Feb 6, 2021
2 min

Coolgardie, Western Australia

The town of Coolgardie is referred to as the Mother of the Western Australian Goldfields. It was here in 1892 that Arthur Bayley and William Ford discovered gold. Coolgardie pays homage to the camels and their Afghan owners who helped pioneer this land. Without the camels transporting goods, people and water to this barren land people would not have been able to survive here. The town makes the most of its history and has information plaques in many places in town. Ben Prior

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Warden Finnertys House, Coolgardie, Western Australia

Helen Avaient

Feb 4, 2021
2 min

Warden Finnertys House, Coolgardie, Western Australia

When visiting the town of Coolgardie in the Eastern Goldfields of WA, make sure you visit Warden Finnertys House. Step back into history when you wander through this stunning historical home. Then sit on the verandah and enjoy a delicious Devonshire tea (coffee or tea and scones with jam and cream) while overlooking the tidy well kept gardens and out beyond into the bush. The caretaker was a sheer delight and sat with me to tell me more about herself and her love of this coun

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A great Goldfields museum in the small town of Coolgardie, Western Australia

Helen Avaient

Feb 2, 2021
3 min

A great Goldfields museum in the small town of Coolgardie, Western Australia

The Coolgardie Goldfields Exhibition Museum is housed in the historical 1898 built Warden’s Court building. This is a must-see museum when you are travelling in the goldfields. For a small $4 donation, just to see inside the beautifully restored building is worth the entry fee. Walking around the many rooms and exhibits can take you back in time, so that you don’t even realise two or three hours has passed by. There is so much to see and occupy your attention. I enjoyed the v

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The INSIDE AUSTRALIA statues at Lake Ballard, Western Australia

Helen Avaient

Jan 26, 2021
3 min

The INSIDE AUSTRALIA statues at Lake Ballard, Western Australia

Many people had told me that I really, really should go to Lake Ballard when I was in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. They raved so much about it, I was afraid that it might be a letdown when I actually got there. However, this was not to be, it was amazing! Getting to Lake Ballard is a 2 hour drive north from Kalgoorlie-Boulder, 51kms from the town of Menzies. Once you leave Menzies be prepared to be travelling over 30kms of unsealed roads. I did this easily in

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Museum of the Goldfields, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia

Helen Avaient

Jan 22, 2021
4 min

Museum of the Goldfields, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia

One of the treasures of Kalgoorlie is their Museum of the Goldfields. I visited at Christmas time and was immediately greeted by an amazing Christmas tree in the courtyard. Made of miner’s safety hats, it is a tribute to the workers of the area – past, present and future. Located at the top end of Hannan St, Museum entry is free and a $5 donation per person is encouraged. The staff warmly greeted me as soon I entered and were very helpful. They handed out a brochure and advic

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10 awesome things to see and do at Hannans North Tourist Mine, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia

Helen Avaient

Jan 18, 2021
4 min

10 awesome things to see and do at Hannans North Tourist Mine, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia

1. Big machines Wow! Machines are big at the Hannans North Tourist Mine. Huge working machines that dwarf a human. Below are a 793C Haul Truck and a 994 loader. It is a bit like Where's Wally to even find me in these pictures. This flattened utility resulted from a 2005 safety demonstration in the Super Pit. A 793 haul truck was driven over the utility to show how difficult it is for a truck driver to see a vehicle. The driver did not even feel the utility under his truck. Th

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Herbert Hoover & Sons of Gwalia mine, Western Australia

Helen Avaient

Jan 14, 2021
3 min

Herbert Hoover & Sons of Gwalia mine, Western Australia

On 21 December 1963 the Sons of Gwalia mine closed and the 1500 residents of Gwalia left town for ever. Trains were dispatched from Kalgoorlie 230kms (143 miles) south, and people took only what they could carry, leaving the place a virtual ghost town. Most of the workers were immigrants from Italy and Yugoslavia, searching for a better way of life. Many living in simple cottages made up of corrugated iron, timber from the surrounding bushland, and hessian bags. One resourcef

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De Bonales is Kalgoorlie's favourite restaurant, Western Australia

Helen Avaient

Jan 10, 2021
3 min

De Bonales is Kalgoorlie's favourite restaurant, Western Australia

I asked several locals which one of the many hotels and restaurants in Kalgoorlie-Boulder was the best one to visit. The almost unanimous answer was De Bernales, or De Bonos as the locals call it. In the past the venue has had previous reincarnations. It was once a hotel, then a pub/restaurant and then a nightclub before it was vacant for a while. Recently celebrating their first birthday I was enchanted to meet the owner Luciano Vecchio. Debonair yet down to earth, a handso

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The phoenix of Ora Banda, Western Australia

Helen Avaient

Jan 8, 2021
2 min

The phoenix of Ora Banda, Western Australia

The abandoned ghost town of Ora Banda is 66kms (41 miles) from Kalgoorlie, and known by many for the infamous and notorious hotel that had been standing there since 1911. Three times the pub has been devastated, and plans are underway for the third reconstruction to happen sometime in 2021. Like the mythical phoenix, it keeps rising from the ashes. Australia is full of country pubs like this, each with their own unique personality and stories that we love to hear and share. M

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The town tales of Menzies, Western Australia

Helen Avaient

Jan 6, 2021
3 min

The town tales of Menzies, Western Australia

1 and a half hours drive north of Kalgoorlie (8 hours north north east of Perth) lies the small town of Menzies. The town is named after Leslie Menzies, a Canadian born prospector, who took up a mining lease here in 1894. Menzies today has a population of just over 100, down from its 10,000 during the Gold rush days of 1894 – 1910. The Shire of Menzies spans over 128,000 square kilometres (larger than Tasmania!) with just 400 people living in the entire Shire. Before the Euro

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CONTACT

Perth, Western Australia

helen@maturesolotraveler.com