We were planning to start our drive across the Nullarbor once we left Esperance but decided to detour north to see the gold mining twin towns of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. The Goldrush began in 1893 after three down on their luck Irishmen stumbled upon some gold nuggets and registered a claim. You can see the incredible wealth of the towns at the height of the gold rush in the architecture of the main streets.
At the museum, local man Geoff does an excellent tour at 10.30am, bringing alive the history of the area and the people. Hear tales of famous gold nugget finds and see a display worth millions of dollars kept behind bullet proof glass in The Vault.
See the pub where the death of a local miner in 1934 sparked the worst riot on the goldfields. Look out for the ghost of a woman who fell down the stairs in the museum building in the early 1900s. Find out how a young miner was rescued by early divers after being trapped in a flooded mine for 9 days in 1907.
Jonathan went on a 2 1/2 hour tour of the Fimiston Open Pit, known as ‘The Super Pit’ a working gold mine. The tour bus goes down into the mine and drives amongst the huge trucks and mine workings. The daily blasts can be viewed from the lookout. The pit is approximately 3.5 kilometres long, 1.5 kilometres wide and over 600 metres deep.