Kalgoorlie is a place we think just about everyone had heard of, but only a handful of people have been to. Due to its location, it’s not really one of those places that you happen to drive through or come across. Coming from Perth, it’s 3 hours east, or from South Australia across the Nullarbor, you need to turn right at Noresman.
Kalgoorlie-Boulder (yeah it’s two towns!) dates back to the 1800s. It has a massive population of 30,000 and all the main shops you would expect anywhere else in suburbia. We think it’s worth the drive!
The economy is based on the gold mines, in particular the Superpit. This massive hole in the ground (the biggest open pit gold mine in Australia) produces a heap of gold and employs all locals. No fly in or fly out workers here, you want to work at the pit, you live in the town. A visit to the pit is one of the main reasons to visit the town.
You can check out the Superpit from a lookout above, or join a daily tour to venture down into the pit. We joined a tour, unfortunately it didn’t work out for us (check out the video to see what happened!). Let us know below if you have done the tour!!!
There are heaps of other places to visit around town. We visited the museum and gallery in town, tip toeing into the vault to see $4 million worth of gold. We watched golden sunsets and checked out a lot of the mining history through multiple museums, some which were very hands on.
A must see for both kids and adults is the Hannons North Tourist mine. Here, you can climb aboard the massive mining trucks that are used in the Superpit (it really gives a different perspective after viewing the put from above), and learn about the history of the are through interactive displays. A hit for the kids is panning for gold and gemstones.
There is a fabulous park, complete with a huge playground, picnic facilities and a range of wildlife, including Joe the cockatoo. No visit to Kalgoorlie is complete with a chat and dance with Joe!
Whilst in town, we were very fortunate to meet Rachel from Madison Studio Photography who showed us around the 2UP shed which is still legally active today! It is one of the only locations that 2UP can be played legally. We captured a few photos to remember the experience.
Kalgoorlie-Boulder is well worth the trip up from Norseman or across from Perth. This town is the heart of the gold mining in the region and has heaps on offer for visitors.