![]() About the region: The vast open spaces of Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields and the remnants of mines and mining towns scattered across it make it one of the country’s most unique regions. The Eastern Goldfields region is one of contrasts with gold and nickel mining in the north and agriculture and fishing in the south.
The Eastern Goldfields is fast becoming one of Australia's most popular self drive destinations, offering a unique holiday experience. The area's attractions are wide and varied - the exploits of the early prospectors in pursuit of gold, the magnificent turn of the century architecture throughout the region, the amazing Super Pit at Kalgoorlie, abandoned ghost towns.
For those who seek a touch of adventure in the outback, the Golden Quest Discovery Trail, a 965 km interpretive trail is an ideal opportunity to explore the region and see a fascinating part of the real Australia. This trail runs from Coolgardie in the south to Laverton in the north and passes many sites that are special to indigenous and non-indigenous people, as well as many linked to the early gold rush days.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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| Canning Stock Route |
Kalgoorlie super pit |
Natural arch near Sandstone |
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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 |
Eastern Goldfields Touring routes
The Eastern Route - Eyre Highway: Visitors from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia can start their adventure travelling one of the great highways of the world - the Eyre Highway. This excellent sealed road surface provides easy driving from the South Australian border through to Kalgoorlie-Boulder, passing through Eucla, Mundrabilla, Madura, Cocklebiddy, Caiguna, Balladonia, Norseman and Kambalda.
The North West Route - Goldfields Highway: The completed sealing of the road linking Geraldton in the Mid-West with Leonora through Mullewa, Yalgoo, Mt. Magnet, Leinster and Sandstone, has resulted in an increase in visitor traffic to the North East Goldfields. The township of Leonora, 235km north of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is the hub between the west coast, the North East Goldfields and the region south.
The Western Route - Great Eastern Highway: drive from Perth to Kalgoorlie-Boulder is a comfortable and relaxing run through the Perth foothills, past Northam into the Heartlands and the towns of Meckering, Cunderdin, Tammin, Kellerberrin and Merredin. There are ample places to refuel, stretch your legs or buy some refreshments during the drive and a new and interesting diversion is the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail which runs from Mundaring in the Perth foothills to Mt. Charlotte at Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
The North East Route - Outback Highway: The Outback Highway is the third of Australia's great highways linking the east coast with the west through Laverton in WA's north eastern Goldfields to Alice Springs in the Northern Territory and Boulia in Western Queensland and on through to Winton. The total length of the highway is 2,800 km, however by cutting through the centre of the country the highway actually reduces the trip from WA to Queensland by 1,600km.
Golden Quest Discovery Trail: Running from Coolgardie to Laverton, the trail winds through 25 interpretive sites recording the lively and fascinating history, flora and fauna of the landscape. You will journey through a number of key contemporary and historical mining towns, legendary country pubs, the fascinating Gwalia ghost town and visit Lake Ballard with its extraordinary Antony Gormley sculptures that rise from the remote salt lake. More ...
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