Our time in the Northern Goldfields, stretching from
Kalgoorlie-Boulder northwards through Menzies, Niagara Dam, the ghost towns of
Kookynie and Gwalia, Sandstone, Mt Magnet and Paynes Find, was an amazing
eye-opener, even though we had seen some of this on previous visits.
Our first port of call on this wonderful trip through the
Northern Goldfields was at the twin towns of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. There were
magnificent old buildings that have stood the test of earthquakes while other
buildings have been damaged and are in the process of being restored. There
were, of course, pubs aplenty as was the case with all mining towns.
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| The Australia Hotel, Kalgoorlie |
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| Public Building, Kalgoorlie |
The Super Pit was so amazing.
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| Super Pit, Kalgoorlie |
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| Super Pit, Kalgoorlie |
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| Super Pit, Kalgoorlie |
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| Super Pit, Kalgoorlie |
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| Super Pit, Kalgoorlie |
Boulder
was a different story to Kalgoorlie as the wealth seems to have deserted that
town. It was a tired looking place. Many shop fronts were boarded up and some
people, at least in the main street, seemed to be just hanging around with
nothing to do. What a sad end to a once prosperous business district.
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| Cornwall Hotel, Boulder |
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| Closed Shops, Boulder |
A trip to
the Old Boulder Cemetery was a sad occasion. The following is an extract of the
historical information about this cemetery:
Both neglect and vandalism have
led to the present state of this cemetery, though the council has now erected a
fence around the property to prevent vehicles entering and causing more damage.
The first burial was in the Church of England section on 9th
September, 1899. The first Methodist burial was on 4th October, 1899
and five days later a burial took place in the Roman Catholic section. The
Presbyterian section was first used on 19th December, 1899 and over
the next four and half years there were almost 800 burials, which averages one
burial every second day. Because of the excessive cost of grave digging the
ironstone sections and the inadequate road access, a new cemetery was
established closer to Boulder, with the last burial here being on 30th
May, 1904, when this cemetery was officially declared “closed”. Of the 797
burials the following statistics are available: Methodists 36%, Church of
England 28%, Roman Catholic 24%, Presbyterian 8.5% with the Baptists, Disciples
of Christ and general accounting for 3.5%. An interesting fact is that
following its closure there were 46 removals to other cemeteries. Only 62
graves, which is barely 8%, had any monumental work, which indicates the
economic circumstances of the early Boulder families. In the Methodist section,
Block 21 was opened as a Children’s Section (for still-born babies through to
about 12 years of age) and over the two years from its opening, 73 children
were buried here. The Methodists, with 289 burials, were the largest
denomination and this has been traced back to the early preaching of John
Wesley in the mining districts of Britain where many in Wales and Cornwall were
converted to the truth of Jesus Christ. Though the Presbyterians were the
smallest of the four main Boulder denominations, the Scots brought many of
their traditions with them so that with their Caledonian Societies, the
Highland Pipe Bands and their kilts they were a prominent part of life in both
Boulder and Kalgoorlie. Their Caledonian sports, first run in 1896 and held
annually for many years, drew large crowds to watch events like running and
cycling and the ‘tossing of the caber’. The first Secretary of the Boulder
Cemetery Board was Rev. Stanley S. Read, minister of St George’s Presbyterian
Church in Boulder. Though only arriving in Boulder City in 1899, and quickly
becoming popular with his people, he applied for leave of absence in 1900 so he
could accompany the West Australian contingent to the Boer War. He was granted
permission to go, only to be killed in action in the Transvaal in October 1901.
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| Boulder Pioneer Cemetery |
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| Boulder Pioneer Cemetery |
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| Boulder Pioneer Cemetery |
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| Boulder Pioneer Cemetery |
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| Methodist Children's Section, Boulder Pioneer Cemetery |
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| Boulder Pioneer Cemetery |
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| Boulder Pioneer Cemetery |
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| Boulder Pioneer Cemetery |
A trip to Mt Charlotte Lookout, the end of the Perth to
Kalgoorlie pipeline, was a must. This pipeline, an engineering marvel in its
day, brought fresh water to the city for the mines and nearby residents a
distance of 560 kms from Mundaring Weir. Without it the mines and residents
could not have survived. Mining still takes place in Kalgoorlie as was
evidenced by our visit to the Super Pit Lookout where we stood in awe at the
amazing engineering feat of open cut mining for gold. It was absolutely
staggering in its size, making the dump trucks inching their way up the
inclines look like large ants. But it will soon end and then what will be the
future for Kalgoorlie-Boulder?
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| From Mt Charlotte Lookout, Kalgoorlie |
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| Palace Chambers and Palace Hotel, Kalgoorlie |
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| Paddy Hannan, Kalgoorlie |
Leaving Kalgoorlie we made our way towards Lake Ballard,
which is west of Menzies. Over 100 years ago Menzies had a population of over
10,000 people with thirteen hotels, three banks, a Post Office with a staff of
26, a school with 205 pupils, a public library, 4 churches, breweries and
cordial factories. When gold production faltered the town quickly declined.
While most of the old buildings have long since disappeared there are still a
few and the town has interpretive signs at significant places to tell people
what was originally on that site. But, more importantly for me, there is also a
series of interpretive signs relating the Aboriginal experience in Menzies in
the difficult transition years. Imagine the confusion and inability of aboriginal
people to transit from a traditional indigenous lifestyle to a Western
capitalistic system. Yet they were expected to do so in a short space of time
whereas the Europeans had taken centuries to get to the point they expected our
Indigenous people to adapt to within a few short years. We were able to drive
to Lake Ballard as the road was open and what a spot it was. There are 51
sculptures that are part of a trail on the lake. Each of these sculptures is
derived from laser scans of inhabitants of Menzies. Because of some earlier
rain we began to slip and slide across the clay underneath the salt that had
uncrystallised in the water. Stretching across the lake were the stumps of an
old fence line. There were some large salt crystals lying on the bed of the
lake that had not dissolved. We climbed the hill I had run up yesterday and
admired the stunning view. After a couple of nights here we drove back into
Menzies and I went to inspect the old railway station, though it was fenced
off. It had been “specially designed” by the Public Works Department and
comprised a Station Master’s Office, clerk’s office, ticket office, parcels
room, luggage room, luggage entrance, public and ladies waiting rooms and
toilets. These facilities were criticised was being an “unmindful extravagance”
while the latrines and lamp rooms were considered “far too costly and
extensive”. However, the opening of the railway has been described as the
greatest day in Menzies’ history and freight and men poured through this town
on their way to the far-flung goldfields further north.
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| The old Post Office, Menzies |
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| War Memorial, Menzies |
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| War Memorial Mural, Menzies |
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| Silhouette honouring Underground Miners, Menzies |
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| Silhouette picturing Aboriginal Children taking food to the train for travellers. |
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| Achievable Outback Cafe, formerly the Menzies Hotel |
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| The "Red Light Lady's" Invitation |
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| Originally the "Pioneer Newsagency", Menzies |
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| The old General Store, Menzies |
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| The old General Store, Menzies |
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| Lake Ballard, Menzies |
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| Statue, Lake Ballard, Menzies |
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| Campsite, Lake Ballard, Menzies |
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| Silhouette honouring Railway Workers |
Then it was on to Niagara Dam, which is now nothing but a
free camping area in the middle of what was once a mining community. Yes, the
old dam still exists, showing the need for water for the emerging townships that
rapidly developed when gold was discovered and were just as quickly abandoned
when the gold petered out. We enjoyed our time there as we did both the walk
around the Breakaways and the Dam. We found the Breakaways amazing with their
colours and shapes and enjoyed our wander over and through them. One of the
amazing things about the dam was the Debris Filter that was there to trap dead
animals, logs, trees, boulders, etc that would be swept along with the raging
torrents on those occasions when there had been a solid downpour.
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| Campsite, Niagara Dam |
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| Niagara Dam |
The following day, after I had a fast 10k run, along the
Niagara Dam Road and then towards Kookynie, we took the gravel road to Kookynie
which had a few little slippery patches but nothing that was of concern.
Kookynie is a living ghost town in that it has largely been deserted but some
people still lie there. We stopped on the side of the road to wander through
part of the old township, pausing to read the interpretive panels that
described what had been there. It was all so interesting. I’m sure that there
were more abandoned and rusty old cars lying around than there are inhabitants
of that town today. We could have spent a lot more time there than we did but,
because we had a deadline of being in Mt Magnet for Sunday morning, we cut our
time short and left off our exploring that place.
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| National Hotel, Kookynie |
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| National Hotel, Kookynie |
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| Abandoned Vehicle, Kookynie |
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| Abandoned Vehicle, Kookynie |
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| Cosmopolitan Hotel, Kookynie |
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| Old Building, Kookynie |
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| Death and Decay abounds in Kookynie |
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| Old Building, Kookynie |
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| Abandoned Mine Shaft, Kookynie |
We left the main road at Malcolm to view the town site but
all we could experience were our worst lot of corrugations that shook us around
a bit. So we headed along the road, through Leonora, to the ghost town of
Gwalia. The old State Hotel, now owned by the mining company, stood vacant and
in a bit of disrepair. I did ask Val if they served spirits there. Ha ha ha!
Most of the buildings had disappeared over time but some decades ago an
enterprising woman decided that the history of Gwalia should be preserved and
managed to encourage others in her quest to have the remaining buildings
restored as much as possible to their original condition. The houses the miners
and their families lived in were rough and ready indeed and those inhabitants
put up with so much just for the sake of gold. What a stark rebuke to us in our
easy way of life that expects everything and hates hardships. We had a coffee
in Hoover House, which was the built for the Mine Manager, Herbert Hoover, who
later became the 31st President of the United States. There was some
controversy about its construction because, at £600, it cost six times as much
as other quality houses. He had a lot of materials imported from the States. It
certainly is an impressive building, and in stark contrast to the Miners’
Cottages down the hill (though it has been modernised for accommodation). The
“Leonora Hearse” on display in the Museum was originally a horse drawn buggy that
underwent a number of changes, the most “recent” being when it was fitted onto
the back of a 1927 Chevrolet Four body. Beside it was the electric tram that
ran between Gwalia and Leonora between 1908 and 1921. Again we couldn’t stay to
explore the rest of the town, which was never gazetted as a town so we pushed
on. Each of these places, and those we didn’t visit, would require a full day
to explore and enjoy. I’m certainly loving the Northern Goldfields. Heading
further north towards Leinster we passed a lonely grave but couldn’t stop for
it.
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| State Hotel, Gwalia |
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| Lock Up and Pub, Gwalia |
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| The Pink House, Gwalia |
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| The Pink House, Gwalia |
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| The Pink House, Gwalia |
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| The Pink House, Gwalia |
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| Pub, Gwalia |
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| Miner's Cottage, Gwalia |
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| Miner's Cottage, Gwalia |
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| Miner's Cottage, Gwalia |
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| Miner's Cottage, Gwalia |
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| Newspapered Wall, Miner's Cottage, Gwalia |
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| Sons of Gwalia Mine, Gwalia |
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| The Leonora Hearse, Gwalia |
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| The Leonora Hearse, Gwalia |
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| Electric Tram, Gwalia |
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| Mine Manager's Residence, Gwalia |
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| Mine Manager's Residence, Gwalia |
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| Mine Manager's Residence, Gwalia |
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| Mine Manager's Residence, Gwalia |
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| Newspapered Wall, Miner's Cottage, Gwalia |
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| Floorboards, Miner's Cottage, Gwalia |
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| Laundry, Miner's Cottage, Gwalia |
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| Mechanic's Shed, Gwalia |
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| Hospital, Gwalia |
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| Hospital, Gwalia |
This was followed by a brief stop in Sandstone, another gold
mining town—but one that has continued to exist and which takes great pride in
its buildings.
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| National Hotel, Sandstone |
We stayed for a few days in Mt Magnet so we could spend time
with Surendra and May (Surendra is the minister of the small church there;
chaplain at the local school; and PIM padre following in the steps of Rev John
Flynn). John Flynn, through his commitment to the isolated people of the
Outback, spread a mantle of safety over the interior through the development of
the Australian Inland Mission which sent men out to travel vast areas to take
services and render practical help to those living in these isolated regions.
Through him and those working with him there was the establishment of bush
hospitals and nurses to staff them; the pedal radio which allowed stations to
contact outside help; and the establishment of what later became known as the
Royal Flying Doctor Service.
From there we drove down to the old gold mining township of
Paynes Find. Mining still takes place in the area but there is not much to see
apart from the Road House/Tavern. A couple of the older surviving buildings are
in the grounds of the Road House and up the road is the old Gold Battery, to
which we walked, though it won’t reopen until the school.
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| Caravan Park, Paynes Find |
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| The old Butcher's Shop, Paynes Find |
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