The twin cities of Kalgoorlie and Boulder, population 30,000, are still prospering strongly on what they were originally established for, gold mining. More than a century after gold was discovered, the regions gold mines are still running strong. Kalgoorlie/Boulder is still the largest producer of gold in Australia, with 25 gold mines in operation.

 

Kalgoorlie Main Street
Courtesy Kalgoorlie Goldfields Visitor Centre

Kalgoorlie/Boulder offers many attractions for visitors and is a good base to explore other areas in the goldfields region. You can experience the harsh outback landscape of the Great Victoria Desert and the Nullarbor. Visit nearby towns of Norseman and Coolgardie, which offer a range of historic buildings. The town of Kambalda is a good example of a mining town. You can also visit some of the ghost towns in the region, such as Gwalia and Kookynie.

In Kalgoorlie/Boulder you can visit places such as the Australian Prospectors and Miners Hall of Fame, which is a new interactive and educational facility, that highlights the past, present and future of the Australian mining industry. Visit some of the museums like the WA Museum, School of Mines Rock and Minerals Museum or the Goldfields War Museum.

Probably one of the most popular attractions is the Golden Mile Super Pit Lookout. Here you can watch the daily operations of the enormous open cut gold mining project from a platform lookout. There are also many tour operators available in the twin cities, which provide Aboriginal bush tours, 4WD tours, Goldrush tours and Australian Outback tours to name a few.

Kalgoorlie Backpackers 166 Hay St Kalgoorlie, WA 6430 Phone (08) 9091 1482

Golddust Backpackers 192 Hay St Kalgoorlie, WA 6430 Phone (08) 9091 3737