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Kalgoorlie: A frontier mining town that has refused to lay down and die, Kalgoorlie and its sister city, Boulder, remains one of the most prosperous rural mining cities in Australia. Located about 600 km east of Perth, it is the centre for the Goldfields and the last major town before entering the Western Australian outback. Places, famous or infamous, that Kalgoorlie is noted for include its water pipeline, designed by C. Y. O'Connor, which brings in fresh water from Mundaring Weir near Perth; its Hay Street brothels; its two-up school; the historic goldfields railway loopline and the huge goldmining Super Pit.
Wave Rock: The "Wave" on Hyden Rock is one of Australia's most famous landforms, a 15 metre high giant surf wave of multicoloured granite that appears to be about to crash onto the bush below. It is one of a number of interesting rock formations in the area. Mulka's Cave, which is nearby, is named after an Aboriginal outlaw who made the cave his home. His painted handprints decorate the roof. The sand plainss around the salt lakes of the area are a mass of wildflowers in Spring (August to October).
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Esperance: When the residents of the Eastern Goldfields seek respite from their daily grind, they head for the coast and the town of Esperance. The ocean here is crystal clear, the waters are a deep aqua colour; the coast is lined with stunning pink granite outcrops and offshore there are a myriad islands. Seals, dolphins and whales (in season) abound. Esperance is quite isolated, but is geared towards tourism and has both the services and scenery to justify the effort of getting there.
Coolgardie: Coolgardie was once the third largest town in Western Australia, only Perth and Fremantle were bigger. Today it is almost a ghost town. The dramatic rise of fall of this iconic goldmining town is told series of historical markers placed at various intervals within the township giving a well documented account of Coolgardie's history. Each group of markers described the immediate site as it was when Coolgardie was the capital of the Goldfields and is usually accompanied by a photograph from that period.
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Goldfields Discovery Trail: A self-drive adventure for those ready to experience the Outback and one of the world's most famous gold-producing regions. Running from Coolgardie to Laverton, the trail winds through 25 interpretive sites recording the lively and fascinating history, flora and fauna of the landscape. The trail passes through a number of key contemporary and historical mining towns, the fascinating Gwalia ghost town and visit Lake Ballard with its extraordinary sculptures that rise from the remote salt lake.
Outback Heritage Trails: A series of outback heritage trails criss-cross the vast landscapes of the region, following in the tracks of the early pioneers. These include the Goldfields Pipeline Trail, that follow one of the great engineering feats of a century ago - the water pipeline that brings water from Perth to Kalgoorlie 500km away. For the more adventurous, there are a number of outback four wheel drive trails.
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| Visiting The Region: The Facts |
How To Get There: By road from Perth, take Great Northern Highway via Meekatharra to Port Hedland. Continue north to Broome (2,238 km from Perth) and Derby 92,391 km from Perth). By road from Darwin, travel south on Stuart Highway to Katherine. At Katherine, take the Victoria Highway to Kununurra (830 km from Darwin).
Derby, Broome and Kununurra are connected by daily Greyhound Australia Coach Services.
By air: Broome and Kununurra are connected by daily flights to Perth and Darwin. Broome is also connected by daily flights to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Port Hedland and Karratha.
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The Best Time To Visit: Any time of year is a great time to visit Kalgoorlie but locals will tell you that the best time to visit is in September when the famous Boulder to Kalgoorlie Cup (a horse race) attracts visitors from near and far. The population of the town swells at this time of year and if you are looking for fun this is the place to be.
The mining towns of the eastern Goldfields are well known for their wildflowers which add a vivid splash of colour to the otherwise red and brown landscape. Wildflower season is August to November.
Be aware that the more outlying areas are semi-arid or full desert regions, so expect hot days in summer, cold nights in winter and very little rainfall all year round.
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Regional Centres
Towns, Villages, Ghost Towns
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| Regions of Western Australia |
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