Coolgardie

Coolgardie lies on the Great Eastern Highway, about 40 km south-west of Kalgoorlie-Boulder and some 560 km east of Perth. Gold was discovered here in 1892 by prospectors Arthur Bayley and William Ford, and the rush that followed transformed the region. Within a few years Coolgardie had become one of the largest towns in Western Australia, with hotels, banks, newspapers and grand public buildings. As richer gold was found at Kalgoorlie, the population drifted away. Today Coolgardie is a small town with a remarkable streetscape and a strong sense of history.

Things to do in Coolgardie

• Goldfields Exhibition Museum. Housed in the grand Warden's Court building, the museum covers the gold rush, prospecting, daily life and the town's boom years.
• Warden Finnerty's Residence. A National Trust property built for the first mining warden, showing how officials lived on the goldfields.
• Heritage walk. The wide main street is lined with historic buildings. Interpretive markers explain their stories.
• Coolgardie Railway Station Museum. A restored railway station with displays on rail history.
• Coolgardie Cemetery. The graves of prospectors, children and families reflect the harsh conditions of the gold rush.
• The Coolgardie safe. Learn about this ingenious evaporative food cooler, invented in the town in the 1890s.

Water and the Golden Pipeline

Water was more precious than gold on the early goldfields. Typhoid and other diseases spread quickly. The answer was C. Y. O'Connor's Goldfields Water Supply Scheme, which pumped water about 530 km from Mundaring Weir near Perth to the goldfields, reaching Kalgoorlie in 1903. The Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail follows the route, with stops at pump stations and towns. It is one of the great engineering stories of Australian history.

Day trips

• Kalgoorlie-Boulder. The Super Pit lookout, museums and heritage streets.
• Kambalda and Lake Lefroy. South of Coolgardie, a vast salt lake used for land sailing.
• Gnarlbine Rock. A granite rock with a soak used by Aboriginal people and early prospectors, south of town.
• Lake Ballard. Further north via Menzies, Antony Gormley's sculptures on a salt lake. See Leonora and Gwalia.

Getting there

Coolgardie is on the sealed Great Eastern Highway between Perth and Kalgoorlie, where the Coolgardie–Esperance Highway heads south. It is a natural stop on a Goldfields loop or on the way to the Nullarbor via Norseman.

Where to stay

Coolgardie has a caravan park, motel and hotel accommodation. Kalgoorlie has a wider choice.

Suggested day

Start at the Goldfields Exhibition Museum, walk the main street, visit Warden Finnerty's Residence and the railway museum, then explore the cemetery in the late afternoon. Drive to Kalgoorlie for dinner and the Super Pit lookout.

Aboriginal Country

The Goldfields region is the Country of several Aboriginal peoples whose knowledge of water sources, such as rock holes and soaks, was vital to early prospectors. Many of those water sources are still significant today.

When to visit

April to October is the most comfortable time. Summers are hot and dry.

Tips

• Check museum opening hours before you go.
• Never enter old mine shafts. The goldfields are full of abandoned workings.
• Carry water on all Goldfields drives.

The gold rush story

When Bayley and Ford rode into Southern Cross in 1892 with hundreds of ounces of gold, word spread fast. Thousands of prospectors walked or rode out from the railhead, often pushing wheelbarrows across hundreds of kilometres of dry country. Camel trains, many run by cameleers, carried water and supplies. Typhoid and dysentery killed many people. Coolgardie quickly grew into a town of stone and brick buildings, with its own stock exchange and many hotels. The discovery of richer reefs at Kalgoorlie in 1893 eventually drew people away, but Coolgardie's buildings remain as evidence of those boom years.

Coolgardie and the wider Goldfields

Coolgardie makes an ideal first stop on a Goldfields trip from Perth. Travellers often spend a morning here before continuing to Kalgoorlie-Boulder, then loop north through Menzies, Lake Ballard and Leonora, or head south to Kambalda and Norseman on the way to Esperance or the Nullarbor. The region's roads are mostly sealed, but distances are long, and summer heat is extreme. Plan fuel stops, carry water and travel in daylight to avoid wildlife on the roads.

Fuel, phones and medical help

Coolgardie Health Centre, on the corner of Wilkie and Hunt streets, provides primary care and emergency services on weekdays. The nearest hospital is Kalgoorlie Health Campus, about 38 km east, according to the Shire of Coolgardie's town map.

Fuel is available in town on the Great Eastern Highway.

The Golden Quest Discovery Trail

Coolgardie is one end of the Golden Quest Discovery Trail, a self-drive heritage route of roughly 965 km. It links the goldfields towns and ghost towns of Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Menzies, Kookynie, Leonora, Gwalia and Laverton. Interpretive sites along the way tell stories of the 1890s gold rushes. Some sections are unsealed, so check road conditions with the local shires before you go.

Goldfields Exhibition Museum and Visitor Centre

The Coolgardie Shire Council says the Coolgardie Goldfields Exhibition Museum and Visitor Centre is in the historic Warden's Court on Bayley Street. It has local information, merchandise and brochures, and it offers a local and family history research service (fees apply).

• Open Monday to Sunday, 10 am to 3 pm. Closed on public holidays.
• Museum entry is listed as $6 for adults, and $3 for seniors and children aged 17 and under.
• Phone 08 9026 6090.

Check current hours and prices with the centre before you visit.

Warden Finnerty's Residence, managed by the National Trust of Western Australia, is on McKenzie Street. Check the National Trust website for current opening days. See Kalgoorlie-Boulder for the wider Goldfields story, and Lake Ballard for a day trip north.

Is Coolgardie worth a stop?

Yes, especially if you're interested in gold-rush history. Coolgardie was the scene of the 1892 gold rush that opened up the Eastern Goldfields, and its grand stone buildings and museum make a rewarding half-day stop on the way to or from Kalgoorlie, about 40 km east.

Practical information

• Distance: about 40 km from Kalgoorlie-Boulder; about 560 km from Perth.
• Best time: April to October.
• Related: Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Leonora and Gwalia, Outback WA, Outback history.

Day trip north: Lake Ballard, west of Menzies.