Goldfields

In Norseman, after discussions with the kind lass in the Norseman Information Centre I planned a circuit up to Kalgoorlie & Coolgardie, traveling east & south to Hyden to see Wave Rock and then return to Norseman via the Granite & Woodlands Discovery Track.  So north to the Goldfields!

Gold was discovered at Coolgardie in 1892 and Kalgoorlie in 1893 resulting in the Gold Fever which went on to develop the area:  Of course, a substantial amount of gold helped keep the fever alive.  It is a formidably dry area so water was actually more valuable than gold, the local saying "You can live without gold but not water" being very true.  A pipeline supplying water from Perth to Kalgoorlie was established in 1903, the long distance requiring pumping stations along the way .  The result of water and gold resulted in quite a boom, as evidenced by some very grand buildings in Kalgoorlie/Boulder (Boulder was a separate town close by and today is virtually amalgamated with Kalgoorlie) and to a lesser extent in Coolgardie, where gold ran out a while back.  In Kalgoorlie/Boulder is the Superpit, a large open cut gold mine, but before 1985 the situation was many underground mines competing with each other, with profitability suffering.  Alan Bond started buying up mines to lead to the formation of  the Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines -  http://www.goldfieldstourism.com.au/Destinations/KalgoorlieBoulder.aspx?gclid=CMa-1Ymk-bYCFSZdpgodZxEARw  -  which was able to implement  the more efficient open cut system.

A tour of the main streets of Kalgoorlie, Boulder and Coolgardie reveals some fascinating architecture, especially those buildings surviving from the boom times.  Mine views were also a must, although the Superpit guided tour wasn't available the few days I was there.  There are very interesting museums and I visited one in Calgoorlie which had a world class bottle collection as well as other topical dispalys of the area:  The iconic Coolgardie safe was displayed, of course!  The National Heritage Warden Finnerty's Residence  - http://www.nationaltrust.org.au/wa/warden-finnertys-residence  - is another worthwhile visit, having been built in 1903 by the contracting firm Bunnings, the fore runner of the national Bunnings chain today.  While driving about Coolgardie, I went into the local Health Centre to inquire about a flu shot:  They aplogised, as I would have to wait about 15 minutes as the Dr was seeing a patient at the moment!  I was expecting to have to make an appointment, IF I could get the vaccination at all. 

Leaving for Wave Rock I headed east and as the Wheatbelt was only slightly further east, I decided to travel through it a bit also.