KALGOORLIE-
BOULDER
Kalgoorlie is the other
half of the Kalgoorlie, Boulder twin city title. The big sister that
is. Kalgoorlie is the next major town encounted when heading east
towards Perth. The name Kalgoorlie is derived from the Wangai word
Karlkurla, meaning "place of the silky pears".
Kalgoorlie is a mining town, but unlike
its Broken Hill (NSW) its mining city comparator, Kalgoorlie is a
somewhat reckless young person’s place of ‘entertainment’. Boulder on
the other hand, though only a minute away is conservative by
comparison.
Kalgoorlie is also a very rich city,
and to this day the Golden Mile is intact. Gold is quite an
aphrodisiac.
The town was founded in 1893 during the Yilgarn-Goldfields gold rush,
and is located close to the so-called "Golden Mile".
In January 1893,
prospectors Patrick (Paddy) Hannan,
Tom Flanagan, and Dan O'Shea were traveling to Mount Youle when one of
their horses cast a shoe. During the halt in their journey, the men
noticed signs of gold in the area, and decided to stay put. The mining
of gold, along with other metals such as nickel, has been a major
industry in Kalgoorlie ever since. The concentrated area of large gold
mines surrounding the original Hannan find is often referred to as the
Golden Mile, and is considered by some to be the richest square mile
of earth on the planet.

Kalgoorlie once boasted 30
Hotels.
Nowadays the number is about half that. All over 100 years old.            
The Catholic
and Anglican 
Churches are both century old grand classics. The United likewise is
100 old.
The Kalgoorlie War Memorial
is located next to the Railway Station.
The Vietnam Memorial and gardens are quite something.
Be sure to do the Rotary Kokoda Walk. 
The Kalgoorlie Museum gives
a really great insight into the cities rich history. The Museum is a
must visit.
The Racing Museum could not be located on a Sunday.
The Nullarbor Golf Links
concludes ( or starts) in Kalgoolie.
Allow a few days when
visiting this quite dynamic city and region.
Heritage diary    
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