Kalgoorlie & The Goldfields

Kalgoorlie / Karlkurla-Boulder and the Goldfields offer a real Australian outback adventure and a fascinating insight into the region’s colourful gold rush history.

The towns and small communities of the Goldfields were built on the hopes and dreams of fortune-seekers who flocked to Western Australia following the discovery of gold in the 1890s. Life was tough for these early gold diggers, who bravely faced the challenges of the living in the outback. But while multimillion-dollar mining corporations have replaced the smaller gold prospecting operators and Kalgoorlie-Boulder has been transformed into a modern cosmopolitan town, reminders of the wild and vibrant early days are everywhere you look.

Historic buildings, character pubs and even the brothels of Kalgoorlie-Boulder are remnants of more than a century of gold rush history. While across the Western Australian outback, the ghost towns of Leonora and Gwalia tell the story of early gold prospecting dreams that have long been abandoned.

You can still try your luck at gold prospecting and fossicking here, or you can discover the region’s diverse natural riches found in the tranquil eucalyptus forests, wide sweeping plains, dry lake beds, low lying scrub land and spinifex fields. As well as being home to a huge number and wide variety of bird species, the threatened bilby, chuditch, mallee fowl and dunnart thrive here.

This natural bounty, combined with its striking landscapes, gold rush heritage and Aboriginal history, make the Goldfields a truly unique Australian outback getaway and there are plenty of roadtrips to enjoy, to and from the region.

Why not start your journey of discovery at the Hannans North Tourist Mine or Museum of the Goldfields and follow the Golden Quest Discovery Trail, leading you through Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Coolgardie, Menzies, Leonora and Laverton and deep into the Goldfields.