Kalgoorlie Things to Do

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All you wanted to know about mining - and particularly gold mining - and more, the Australian Prospector and Mining Hall of Fame is a great place to see it all and get down and dirty underground and see the way it was done before the days of open cut mining.

Comprises theatrette, cafeteria, gift shop, historic buildings, ever-changing displays, miners hall of fame where there is a fascinating array of memorabilia, minerals gallery where many different minerals are displayed, prospecting gallery, money and law gallery, exploration zone for kids of all ages, old mine buildings, gold melting and pouring display and the highlight is an underground tour with an ex-miner - which takes about an hour and hard hats must be worn (supplied). We got to hear how some miners were able to smuggle nuggets out of the mine in the dunny (loo if you don't understand Aussie slang).

Suggest you allow a full day to experience all that the Australian Prospector and Mining Hall of Fame has to offer - and it is very well done.

Open 7 days a week 9am - 4.30pm

Cost - Adult $30, Child $15, Concession $25

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Imagine standing on the edge of a cliff and looking straight down some 350 metres (about 1150 feet) or the height of a 100 story sky scraper, then gazing across the width of 1.5km (1 mile) and the length of 3.5 km (2.2 miles) and you get some idea of the scale of one of the largest open cut mines in the world. The hole is so large it would swallow whole entire central business districts of major world cities and still have room to add a few more city cores to the maw of the pit.

The Super Pit is the result of the combining of a number of gold leases into one single entity. Work goes on 24 hours a day 7 days a week. There are 34 monster dump trucks working around the clock hauling the gold bearing ore to the processing plant. Each truck (all driven by women) carries 225 tonnes of ore, which on average will produce a gold ball sized blob of gold weighing about 500 grams (about 17.5 ounces or $US16,650)

One hour tours of the Super Pit are only available every 3rd Sunday (coinciding with market day), but there is the Super Pit Shop at

2 Burt Street (Crn Hamilton)
Boulder
Western Australia 6432
Ph: 08 90933 488
Fax: 08 90932 488
A/H: 08 9022 1100
Email: superpit@kalgold.com.au

This old hotel was built in 1900 in a mix of Federation and Anglo Dutch style. The hotel was run by Paddy Whelan who was a well known storyteller, poet and politician. The hotel also was know for a world record drinking record being set there in 1953 when ‘Shorty’ Western managed to thrown down 12 pots of beer while the clock at the Post office struck 12.

The hotel is now Sylvester’s Nightclub.

Built in 1902 and is listed as a heritage site. It was designed in a Federation Gothic style in a cruciform layout and built from Coolgardie brick. Inside the church has timber floorboards and pews and is highly decorated.

This building has had a few hotel names such as Savoy Hotel and Great Western Hotel. It was built between 1890 and 1915 on the site of the old Club Hotel which was destroyed by fire. Part of the new Cohns building was used as the Tattersalls hotel. The owner was once the Mayor of Southern Cross and also the Magistrate of Coolgardie

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Outside the museum is a set uup of a prospectors’ camp. On display is the accommodation which was used in the way of a canvas tent and hut of corrugated iron. Other implements such as tools and dryblowers which were often used in the Eastern Goldfields by the early prospectors.

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There are two Visitors Centres. One in Kalgoorlie and the other one is in nearby Boulder. The one in Kalgoorlie is on Hannan Street and is open from 8.30am to 5.00pm Mon – Fri and from 9.00am to 5.00pm on the weekends. They offer a very good map and guide to all things of interest in both places. The Boulder office is found on Burt Street. Be sure to ask when the Super Pit are having their blasting.

This old hotel sits vacant now behind the WA Museum. It was built in early 1900’s and was a key hotel in Kalgoorlie. In the 1920’s the hotel was turned into a boarding house until a fire destroyed most of the building in the 1980’s. It was sold and the new owner attempted to restore it with the idea of turning the old hotel into a residence. The project was never finished and just sits deteriorating.