Kalgoorlie, The Wild, Wild West in WA!
Matt and I had discussed a trip to Kalgoorlie, a famous
gold-mining town in the middle of Western Australia – literally the middle of
nowhere. Matt wanted to see the KCGM Super Pit open pit mine, and I always want
to go anywhere. After our three-day driving trip to the Pinnacles, New Norcia,
and Wave Rock a couple months ago, Matt agreed that taking the train for the
7-hour journey was a good idea. Suddenly having a lot of flexible time on our
hands, we began looking into it. I mentioned this to Peter and Galina during a
tutoring session and they were very interested in joining us. Galina had
already visited Kalgoorlie a couple of years ago for a mining conference. She
was working for Barrick in Tanzania at the time and had a very rushed trip to
Perth and then Kalgoorlie.
So it was settled, we would go by train and spend two nights
in Kalgoorlie, giving us one afternoon and then one full day to sight see.
On Thursday, July 18th, we met Peter and Galina
at Midland train station and boarded the Prospector at 7:20 AM. The train was
very comfortable and modern with personal TVs, power outlets, and a buffet
service. Unfortunately, my headset, along with Peter and Galina’s would not
work. There was a lot to see out the window though, for the first few hours as
we passed through Toodyay, Northam, and other Avon Valley towns.
We arrived in Kalgoorlie at 2 PM, Matt and I checked into
our hostel (we booked a private room, and then found out it was the only one
available) while Peter and Galina checked into the York Hotel on Hannan Street,
the main drag. The hotel was very old by WA standards and really interesting
inside. The only defect Galina and Peter found: the only access to the tiny
women’s shared bathroom was outside via a balcony. Seeing as it is winter here
and about 35 degrees at night, this is a bit inconvenient!
That afternoon we headed up Hannan Street, taking photos and
visiting the WA Museum, Kalgoorlie. There was an interesting display on gold
mining and the history of gold, and exhibits on the history of the area
including aborigines and early gold prospectors. There was also a special
exhibit on Antarctica, but Matt and I didn’t make it to that.
On the advice of
a Barrick co-worker, we also searched for and found the “world’s tallest
bin.” Apparently it was a tidy
town award or something back in the 1990’s. We all tried to throw rocks in…only
Peter got one.
We then headed to Paddy’s Pub for something to eat and
drink. After that we stopped into the Exchange Wild West Saloon next door, one
of the several bars in Kalgoorlie with “skimpys, ” or barmaids in bikinis. Over
the course of the night they collect tips and then become topless barmaids when
they get enough money. We didn’t witness this on the first night as we were
tired and left the bar at about 10 PM.
The next morning we met Peter and Galina and caught a public
bus to take us to Boulder, so we could walk to the SuperPit lookout. There is a
tour bus that runs but it was fully booked and it cost $50 each…not really how
we planned to spend our money. We walked up the side of the Superpit to the
lookout. It was pretty amazing.
All of the huge “jumbos” and trucks they use to
excavate and work the mine looked like little toys since they were so far down.
Seeing as I was with three geologists, they used a lot of terms I wasn’t
familiar with, but I can tell you they located a dike, several stopes, and some
other things. It is the largest open pit mine in Australia.
Open pit mines are
very economical, but not ecological at all. There is a lot of debate over what
will be done with the pit when it closes in 2021.
As it was starting to sprinkle, we headed back into Boulder.
We took the bus back to Kalgoorlie and had lunch at Hoover’s Café in The Palace
Chambers. It is called Hoover’s because the Hotel received a mirror from
President Hoover as a gift. This is because after being born in West Branch,
Iowa, Hoover worked as a mine engineer and geologist in the goldfields of WA.
How crazy, two Iowans hanging out in Kalgoorlie. Maybe I will send them a
mirror someday.
After lunch, and a quick stop back at the hostel, we took a
taxi to what was the Mining Hall of Fame, now the Institute of Tech (or
something like that).
It is also the KCGM shop with souvenirs and posters of
the Superpit. We toured the museum, which used to have interpreters and guides,
but due to a lack of interest is no longer running. You can still wander the
displays and see the big machinery.
It was pretty sad, really, as it must have
been a pretty cool museum before, with gold-pouring shows and underground
tours.
After rushing through the museum, we took a taxi back to
town and onto Hay Street, a block away from the Gold Dust Backpackers YHA Matt
and I were staying at, to Questa Casa Brothel, where we took a brothel tour. It
is over 100 years old and still operational. I wont go into any details as kids
may be reading this, but the tour consisted of the madam telling us about the
history of the brothel, Hay Street, which was once full of them, and the
history if the industry in Kalgoorlie. We then saw a few rooms. The most
startling aspect was when the madam’s dog scrambled out from under a bed,
scaring me to death. It was a pretty interesting tour, probably not worth the
money we paid, but I bet a lot of people visiting the brothel say that :).
After the tour, we returned to our respective hostel/hotels
and had a rest before meeting up for dinner at the Balcony Bar, right next to
Hoover’s. We had a lovely meal and then decided to stop in quickly at the
Palace downstairs. Skimpys was in full force this night. I guess I am happy to
say it made Matt and Peter a bit uncomfortable and we left after a drink, to go
across the street to The Exchange and enjoy the people watching that Kalgoorlie
provides. No need for topless waitresses when there is this to watch…
Saturday morning we were up early and on the Prospector at 7
AM to head home, tired and with a new perspective making us appreciate the
civilization that is Perth.
To see more of my photos from Kalgoorlie, click here.
To see Matt's photos from Kalgoorlie, click here.
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