How a lucky horseshoe sparked golden dreams 

~~~

Who likes a top-drawer good-luck story? Here's one!!

Just imagine that you are somewhere off the beaten track and your car gets a flat tyre.

As you change it, muttering about 'why did it have to happen here?', your friends start to yell and dance about. They have discovered money, everywhere - just lying on the ground!!

 Although that anecdote is not true, read on for a real-life miracle!

Once upon a time, in inland Western Australia, it went like this.

Just on 130 years ago, three Irishmen, Patrick Hannan, Tom Flanagan and Daniel O'Shea, down-on-their-luck, but with a dream of finding treasure in a wild and empty land, had an unbelievably lucky find.

Their horse - the only mode of transport for them - began to limp, so they stopped to fix a new shoe on its hoof.

To their surprise, amongst the dry orange dust and pebbles at their feet, lay an amazing discovery. The men were standing on a treasure trove. That day they picked up over 100 ounces of alluvial nuggets which, in today's money, would be worth around a cool $200,000.

The three immediately realised that their lives (and those of thousands to follow) had changed forever.

Of course once word got out, this area, later to be known as 'the Goldfields', drew a multitude of miners, each eager for another such bonanza. The WA gold rush, Australia's greatest, was soon in full swing.

From that chance find in 1893 to Kalgoorlie's Super Pit today - the change is enormous. In the picture above, you can just see roads, cut into the rock-face, spiralling down to the base where massive trucks are only just visible as specks so far below. The best way to see it is on a tour.

Gold is still being mined here, with an expectation of continuing until at least 2035. Other rare earth minerals have also been discovered, and nearby Kambalda also mines nickel.

Massive road-trains rumble across the Nullarbor, keeping remote Western Australia in touch with the entire country.

Our visit to the Goldfields was the final leg of our 'crossing the continent' mega-trip that we took a few years ago. On this we encountered many of these behemoths, some even longer than the one above! Overtaking one has to be considered carefully, even though traffic is sparse. 

Perhaps even more dangerous are the kangaroos which can startle and make a mad dash across the road - even in daytime. Take care, and watch out for them grazing on the side of the road, especially at dusk.

~~~

The Outback has many surprises

Kalgoorlie-Boulder the epicentre for the area, and is Australia's largest Outback City. The two cities amalgamated in 1989.

If you need to know anything about the area, head for the Kalgoorlie Boulder Pure Gold Visitor Centre in the Town Hall on Hannan Street.

Something you will notice immediately in this city is the number of hotels. Gold-fossicking, especially in the pick-and-shovel era, was thirsty work - and the trend continues.

Many buildings have been proudly retained, including those from the Art Deco era, such as this theatre on Burt Street, the main street of Boulder (above) although now it is used as a recreation centre.

In Australia, you can always pick a city which originated in a gold rush era. The city buildings are strong, usually built from local stone, and there is a sense of permanence and wealth. Virtually thief-proof, too! 

It is worth taking a walk, admiring the old buildings, many built from local sandstone. There are organised walking tours, too, for those who would like to know more. Check at the Information Centre.

This house has special relevance to me. I was born in Kalgoorlie, but did not grow up there. Much later we rented this house which, at the time carried the legend that it had been built in the late 1800s for Herbert Hoover, who later became US President. 

Sadly (for me) this was a myth, but there is now a Hoover House near the ghost town of Gwalia, 236 kilometres north.

Why there?

Read more about Hoover's involvement with the early days of that mine...

Kalgoorlie-Boulder is a city of engineering: heavy machinery, and lifts that will take you a kilometre down into the bowels of the earth. A mine tour is well worth doing.

Communication and news was greatly important in the early days, and the aptly name Kalgoorlie Miner newspaper, which began in 1895, was vital to local residents.

During the gold rush there were dozens of newspapers throughout the area.

~~~

Meet you at the local 

News was one thing, but pubs were the life-blood of the goldfields, providing mateship and the tallest stories ever told!

Pubs began almost immediately, as the gold-hungry hordes started to arrive. After all, mining is hot work and created a serious thirst! At the peak of the gold rush there were around 100 pubs and hotels in the region.

Here are just some that remain. The Palace Hotel built in 1897, is just across the road from the York Hotel (foreground).

Here are a few more...

The Australia Hotel, opened in 1898.

~~

The Exchange Hotel, built in 1900.

~~

The York Hotel (above) was begun in 1900.

~~

The Grand Hotel, Boulder, was opened in 1897.

Here's the man - Paddy Hannan, one of those three who began the gold-rush in Kalgoorlie.

Gold-mining is hot work, so Paddy's waterbag is essential, and even now it is still useful, as the spout has a water bubbler from which anyone can drink.

Of course the one thing everyone wants to know is: could we still find gold here ourselves?

The answer is Yes - and No. Yes there is still the possibility of discovering a nugget but you must abide by the law and first obtain a Miner's Right permit and only prospect on vacant Crown Land. The Mining Registrar's office will explain all the finer points you need to know.

Mining in the area has progressed far beyond the picks and shovels used by early miners.

Massive buckets are used...

...and you may have all your questions answered if you take a Super Pit Tour.

If you want to see it from above, book a helicopter or plane tour and watch how the trucks travel endlessly down the road to the bottom of the Super Pit.

Boulder, originally the Great Boulder Mine, was gazetted in 1896.

Once considered the richest square mile on Earth, the Golden Mile has produced more than 60 million ounces of gold...and still counting!

 Read more HERE...

~~~

It soon became apparent that if more and more miners were to press on to places like Kalgoorlie, 600 kilometres from the main settlement south-west, on the coast in Perth, then fresh, clean water was desperately needed. And lots of it. 

Originally there was a makeshift solution, and some of my ancestors were involved with it. Along the route to Kalgoorlie, a number of huge condensers had been installed. To remove the saltiness from the brackish water harvested from local salt lakes, heat was needed, and my great-grandfather and some of his sons and nephews were among those who camped along the line, cutting timber and burning it, so that the condensers could work effectively. 

It was hot, heavy and demanding labour - and soon it became obvious that something better and more efficient was needed.

See the solution...

Despite much nay-saying and criticism, ultimately the massive project was completed and opened in 1903, becoming the longest freshwater pipe-line in the world, at that time.

~~~

Away from the mines...

While I have links to Kalgoorlie, this popular family park is not related to me. 

When we lived in Kalgoorlie, this park, within walking distance of our home, was popular with our children. For old times' sake we had to make a visit on our latest trip through Kalgoorlie.

Hammond Park is home to a number of rare birds and animals...

... some of whom are very proud of themselves!

There is plenty more to explore, and much of it at child-level.

~~~

Mother of the Goldfields

When gold was discovered at Fly Flat in 1892, the area experienced the greatest movement of people in Australian history as eager miners rushed to the area.

Coolgardie is 38 kilometres south of Kalgoorlie, or as the locals abbreviate it, 'Kal'.

This man is the true father of the Goldfields, as he and his co-discoverer, Arthur Bayley, made their find nine months earlier than Paddy Hannan and his friends.

Here too, many of the historic buildings have been proudly retained. There is much to see, and it is worth staying a couple of days and taking a tour or two, such as a daytrip to a local nature reserve, a gorge with the remains of a volcano, or simply checking out the museum and the Pioneer Cemetery.

Much of the main street still has original buildings, some with a proud bit of history, too!

And here is the other half of the discovery party. Many prospectors had come to Western Australia, after working in gold-rich areas in other states such as New South Wales and Victoria. It gave them understanding of the sort of terrain and geology that they would need to work in, and certainly helped them know what they were looking for.

Human nature being what it is, of course a building like this (above) was needed. The main reason for being locked up here was drunkenness or unruly behaviour, theft, and on occasion assault or even murder.

It was used as a gaol until 1973, but has now closed.

Camels soon became a useful beast of burden for people coming to the goldfields. Originally brought to Australia from India, camels were first introduced in the 1840's to assist in the exploration of the inland. Their strength was welcome, as well as their hardiness that was suited this country's hot dry conditions.

It is easy to think of gold-rushes as being all about digging for gold, but the miners needed backup, and so people with other skills such as assembling and servicing machinery, were welcomed.

As time progressed, mechanics were needed even more, as these old museums in the main street prove.

These 'signs from the past' have been assembled by a local resident...

...and make interesting reading.

Main roads in the outback were made wide. Originally planned for the use of massive bullock trains, now they can accommodate road trains - and little traffic. The upside is that there is always room for parking!

Spare a thought for those hardy individuals who pushed their barrows and humped their packs, day after sweltering day, hoping and dreaming of making a fortune with their picks and shovels, their muscles and sweat - and a dream of treasure.

~~~

Leaving the Goldfields

We felt that these should be included, as for us this was the final part of our trip, crossing Australia. 

Almost five hours further south, after passing through the wheatbelt, and heading for our final destination of Perth, we stop briefly at the country town of Northam.

We had been tipped off about their exciting silo-art...

...and were not disappointed. 

Silo-art has popped up all over Australia in recent years. Find out more about these - and many other places throughout the country that have made stunning artistic use of these hitherto blank canvases of grain silos in rural areas.

And here, finally, is my personal favourite view of the trip. It's not because of its clever photography (through-the-windscreen pics are rarely memorable) but this is our first glimpse of Perth on the horizon, just as the sun sets. It's from a distance, but this underlines for me that I have finally reached my home state.

What's more we have done it! 

We have safely crossed this majestic, wonderful country that we call home. We have learned and experienced so much, and perhaps reached an even better understanding of this ancient land and all it contains and stands for.

Words and photos: ©Sally Hammond

Video: ©Gordon Hammond

~~~

Gordon and Sally Hammond travelled independently on this trip. All opinions are their own.