Goldfields and Coolgardie Museum, Coolgardie

Goldfields and Coolgardie Museum, Coolgardie
The Goldfields and Coolgardie Museum is located on Bayley Street adjacent to the Coolgardie Tourist Bureau. Housed within the historic Mining Warden’s Court Building, this fine museum offers an excellent introduction to the early colourful social history of the Coolgardie Goldfields. Excellent photographic displays depict Coolgardie’s early years and the hardships endured on the goldfields. A number of period rooms are on display along with a wide collection of historical memorabilia and aboriginal cultural artefacts. A feature of the collection is the Waghorn bottle and curio collection. Coolgardie’s Goldfield’s Museum is definitely well worth visiting for an hour or 2 and would particularly appeal to family and school groups. Cost of entry was $3-30 for adults at the end of 2001.

Goldfields War Museum, Kalgoorlie

Goldfields War Museum, Kalgoorlie
Military history enthusiasts will definitely find the Goldfields War Museum worth a visit for an hour or two. Exhibits within the museum include a large number of armoured vehicles, weapons, uniforms and an extensive collection of wartime relics and memorabilia. Of particular interest is the photographic collection which documents the widespread participation of the Goldfields community in every campaign from the Boer War to Vietnam. Other displays include a large number of moving letters written by Australian soldiers to their loved ones, with many of the detailing the daily hardships of a soldier’s life. Opening hours for the museum are 10 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday, and 10 am to 2 pm on weekends and public holidays. Co-located with the war museum is the Boulder Branch of the Tourist Information Centre.

Boulder Pharmacy Museum, Kalgoorlie

Boulder Pharmacy Museum, Kalgoorlie
Boulder’s Pharmacy Museum is located within a chemist shop that has been continuously operating for over 100 years. The museum’s collection includes a vast array of medicines and original pharmaceutical bottles dating from the 19th century. Essential medical tools dating from the period are also on display. If you find this display interesting we recommend you pay a visit to Coolgardie’s Pharmacy museum. Boulder’s Pharmacy museum is open from 8-50 am to 5-30 pm Monday to Friday, and 8-50 am to 12-30 pm on Saturdays.

School of Mines Museum – Cassidy Street Kalgoorlie

School of Mines Museum – Cassidy Street Kalgoorlie
The WA School of Mines Museum will definitely appeal to those of you with a keen interest in geology and mineralogy. This museum houses a collection of approximatel 3000 mineral specimens along with replicas of famous gold nuggets. The School of Mines Museum is located on the corner of Cassidy Street and McDonald’s Street in Kalgoorlie. Opening hours are 8-30am to 12-30 pm Monday to Friday. Please note the museum is closed for public and school holidays. Admission is free.
For a short diversion of an hour or so Boulder’s Loopline Tourist Railway might prove to be of interest to travellers. Boulder’s Loopline Railway was established in 1897 and for many years it served as transport for miners who needed to commute between Boulder and the Golden Mile. (more…)

The Super Pit, Kalgoorlie

The Kalgoorlie-Boulder Super Pit is definitely one of the goldfields outstanding attractions. Although really nothing more than a hole in the ground, it is nevertheless a huge and expensive one by any standards. During the past 100 years this goldfield has produced over 1000 tonnes of precious metal, and not for nothing has it been recognized as the richest square mile on earth. In terms of output the “Golden Mile” ranks second only the vastly more extensive Rand Goldfields of South Africa, and Canada’s Porcupine mine. A point to ponder: Nullarbor Net suggests the next time you’re in the market for a wedding ring spare a thought for the guys working in the Super Pit!

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