Nearby
Australian Prospectors and Miners Hall of Fame Tour a historic underground mine, watch a gold pour or visit the Exploration Zone, which is designed specifically for young people. You will find interactive exhibits on exploration, mineral discoveries and surface and underground mining, including panning for gold. The Environmental Garden details the stages and techniques involved in mine-site rehabilitation. At Hannan's North Tourist Mine, historic buildings re-create an early gold-rush town and visitors can take a first-hand look at the cramped and difficult working conditions of the miners. Eastern Bypass Rd; (08) 9026 2700; 7 km N.
Bush 2-Up: visit the original corrugated iron shack and bush ring where Australia's only legal bush 2-up school used to operate; off Goldfields Hwy; 8 km E. Kanowna Belle Gold Mine lookouts: wander the ghost town remains of Kanowna and see day-to-day mining activities from two lookouts over a previously mined open pit and processing plant; 20 km E. Broad Arrow: see the pub where scenes from the Googie Withers movie Nickel Queen were shot in the 1970s. Every wall is autographed by visitors; 38 km N. Ora Banda: recently restored inn; 54 km NW. Kambalda: nickel-mining town on Lake Lefroy (salt). Head to Red Hill Lookout for views across the expanse; 55 km S. Prospecting: visitors to the area may obtain a miner's right from the Dept of Mineral and Petroleum Resources in Brookman St; strict conditions apply; details from the visitor centre. Golden Quest Discovery Trail: 965 km drive that traces the gold rushes of the 1890s through Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie–Boulder, Menzies, Kookynie, Gwalia, Leonora and Laverton; pick up the map, book and CD at the visitor centre. Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail: when it began operating in 1903 the pipeline opened up vast inland areas for settlement. Follow the course of the pipeline from Mundaring Weir to Mt Charlotte. Finding a reliable water supply to support the eastern goldfields’ booming population became imperative after the 1890s gold rush. O’Connor's solution was radically brilliant: the construction of a reservoir at Mundaring in the hills outside Perth and a 556 km water pipeline to Kalgoorlie. His project was criticised relentlessly by the press and public, which affected O’Connor deeply. On March 19, 1902 he went for his usual morning ride along the beach in Fremantle. As he neared Robb Jetty, he rode his horse into the sea and shot himself. The pipeline was a success, delivering as promised 22 million litres of water a day to Kalgoorlie, and continues to operate today. On the coast just south of Freemantle, a half-submerged statue of a man on a horse is a poignant tribute to this man of genius; guidebook available at visitor centre. Tours: self-drive or guided 4WD tours available to many attractions. Also fossicking, prospecting, camping and museum tours, and self-guide wildflower tours; details at visitor centre. Scenic flights: flights over Coolgardie, the Superpit, Lake Lefroy; details at visitor centre.
