Yalgoo

Yalgoo is a tiny settlement on the road from Geraldton to Mount Magnet. It is the ideal place to start an outback adventure.

A wonderful historic former goldmining town, Yalgoo houses many well preserved buildings from the beginning of the last century. Once located in the Day Dawn townsite near Cue, the Court House was transported in 1921 to Yalgoo and is now a museum with displays of old photographs, gold rush history, memorabilia and artefacts.

It is a great place to view native flora and fauna. Wildflowers such as white, cream, yellow and pink everlastings can be viewed in the area from late July to September

Thje Dominican Chapel of St Hyacinth was designed and built in 1920 by the famous priest and architect Monsignor John Hawes for the Dominican Sisters when he brought them to Yalgoo to run the school.


Dalgaranga crater

This small meteorite impact crater located on Dalgaranga pastoral station 75 km west of Mount Magnet (or north of Yalgoo). It is only 24 m in diameter and 3 m deep, making it Australia's smallest impact crater (with exception of the smallest members of the Henbury crater field). The discovery of fragments of mesosiderite stony-iron meteorite around the crater confirms an impact origin, making this crater unique as the only one known to have been produced by a mesosiderite projectile. Asymmetries in the crater structure and the ejecta blanket imply that the projectile impacted at low angle from the south-southeast. The age is not accurately constrained but must be young because it is so well preserved for its small size, and the meteorite fragments have not weathered away; some authors suggest an age of as young as 3000 years.


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Where is it?

497 km north of Perth.


Jokers Tunnel

(10 km south) Carved through 100 metres of solid rock by early gold prospectors in their quest for gold. The tunnel was named Jokers Mining lease and after discovering little gold in the hill. it certainly lived up to its name!


Gold prospecting

Though the gold rush days are well and truly over,there is still plenty of gold in the ground throughout the Goldfields region, which is renowned for prospecting and fossicking. To prospect in WA each person requires a Miners Right. Kalgoorlie Tours and Charters has a tour that will show the visitor how to prospect for Gold. For up to date information and assistance on gold prospecting contact: The Department of Mines and Petroleum Kalgoorlie Office Ph. (08)  9021 9499.


History

The town was founded in the 1890s with the discovery of alluvial gold. The Court House, which was moved from Day Dawn near Cue in 1921, is now a museum with displays about the gold rush and some interesting Aboriginal artefacts from the local area.

Yalgoo is derived from the Aboriginal word meaning blood.

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