Kalgoorlie–Boulder
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Kalgoorlie-Boulder (or just Kalgoorlie) is a city in the
Goldfields–Esperance The Goldfields–Esperance region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the south-eastern corner of Western Australia, and comprises the local government areas of Coolgardie, Dundas, Esperance, Kalgoorlie–Boul ...
region of
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
, located east-northeast of
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
at the end of the
Great Eastern Highway Great Eastern Highway is a road that links the Western Australian capital of Perth with the city of Kalgoorlie. A key route for road vehicles accessing the eastern Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatbelt and the Goldfields-Esperance, Goldfie ...
. It is referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder as the surrounding urban area includes the historic townsite of
Boulder In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In ...
and the
local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
is the
City of Kalgoorlie–Boulder The City of Kalgoorlie–Boulder is a local government area in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, about east of the state capital, Perth. Its seat of government is the town of Kalgoorlie; all but 244 of the city's popula ...
. Kalgoorlie–Boulder lies on the traditional lands of the Wangkatja group of peoples. The name "Kalgoorlie" is derived from the
Wangai Wangkatha, otherwise written Wongatha, Wongutha, Wangkatja, Wongi or Wangai, is a language and the identity of eight Aboriginal Australian peoples of the Goldfields-Esperance, Eastern Goldfields region. The Wangkatja language groups cover the fol ...
word ''Karlkurla'' or ''Kulgooluh'', meaning "place of the silky pears". The city was established in 1893 during the
Western Australian gold rushes In the latter part of the nineteenth century, discoveries of gold at a number of locations in Western Australia caused large influxes of prospectors from overseas and interstate, and classic gold rushes. Significant finds included: * Halls C ...
. It soon replaced Coolgardie as the largest settlement on the
Eastern Goldfields The Eastern Goldfields is part of the Western Australian Goldfields in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, covering the present and former gold-mining area east of Perth. Extent and name origin The region encompasses the to ...
. Kalgoorlie is the ultimate destination of the
Goldfields Water Supply Scheme The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme is a pipeline and dam project that delivers drinking water, potable water from Mundaring Weir in Perth to communities in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields, particularly Coolgardie, Western Australia, Coo ...
and the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail. The nearby
Super Pit gold mine The Fimiston Open Pit, colloquially known as the Super Pit, is an open-pit mine in Australia. It was Australia's largest open cut gold mine until 2016, when it was surpassed by the Newmont Boddington gold mine, also in Western Australia. The ...
was Australia's largest
open-cut In civil engineering, a cut or cutting is where soil or rock from a relative rise is removed. Cuts are typically used in road, rail, and canal construction to reduce a route's length and grade. Cut and fill construction uses the spoils from cu ...
gold mine for many years. During August 2021, Kalgoorlie–Boulder had an estimated urban population of 29,072, a slight decline from the recent peak of 32,966 in 2013. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.


History

Kalgoorlie–Boulder lies on the traditional lands of the Wangkatja people. Languages including Wangkatja, part of the Wati language family, continue to be spoken there today. In the winter of 1893, prospectors Patrick (Paddy) Hannan, Tom Flanagan, and Dan Shea were travelling to Mount Youle, when one of their horses cast a shoe. During the halt in their journey, the men noticed signs of gold in the area around the foot of what is now the Mount Charlotte gold mine, located on a small hill north of the current city, and decided to stay and investigate. On 17 June 1893, Hannan filed a Reward Claim, leading to hundreds of men swarming to the area in search of gold, and Kalgoorlie, originally called Hannan's Find, was born. During the ensuing gold rush, significant deposits of
calaverite Calaverite, or gold telluride, is an uncommon telluride (chemistry), telluride of gold, a metallic mineral with the chemical formula AuTe2, with approximately 3% of the gold Silver telluride, replaced by silver. It was first discovered in Calave ...
were discovered, but ignored as it was believed at the time that this was a mineral akin to
fool's gold The mineral pyrite ( ), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Iron, FeSulfur, S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral. Pyrite's metallic Lustre (mineralogy), lu ...
. The calaverite was subsequently used for construction in the town, including for buildings and paving. When it was realised in 1896 that calaverite is a compound of
tellurium Tellurium is a chemical element; it has symbol Te and atomic number 52. It is a brittle, mildly toxic, rare, silver-white metalloid. Tellurium is chemically related to selenium and sulfur, all three of which are chalcogens. It is occasionally fou ...
with actual gold, there was a rush to demolish any such structures in order to extract the gold therein. Nearly every structure created in the previous three years was scrapped in the process. The population of the town was 2,018 (1,516 males and 502 females) in 1898. The mining of gold, along with other metals such as
nickel Nickel is a chemical element; it has symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive, but large pieces are slo ...
, has been a major industry in Kalgoorlie ever since, and today employs about one-quarter of Kalgoorlie's workforce and generates a significant proportion of its income. The concentrated area of large gold mines surrounding the original Hannan's find is often referred to as the Golden Mile, and was sometimes referred to as the world's richest square mile of earth.In 1901, the population of Kalgoorlie was 4,793 (3,087 males and 1,706 females) which increased to 6,790 (3,904 males and 2,886 females) by 1903. The narrow-gauge
Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
Eastern Goldfields Railway The Eastern Goldfields Railway, was built in the 1890s by the Western Australian Government Railways to connect Perth with the Eastern Goldfields at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. It is a part of the interstate standard gauge railway between Per ...
line reached Kalgoorlie station in 1896, and the main named railway service from Perth was the overnight sleeper train ''
The Westland ''The Westland'' was the name given in 1938 to the overnight train operated by the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) with sitting and sleeping cars between Perth and Kalgoorlie railway station, Kalgoorlie, where it connected with ...
'', which ran until the 1970s. In 1917, a
railway line Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...
was completed, connecting Kalgoorlie to
Port Augusta Port Augusta (''Goordnada'' in the revived indigenous Barngarla language) is a coastal city in South Australia about by road from the state capital, Adelaide. Most of the city is on the eastern shores of Spencer Gulf, immediately south of the ...
,
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
, across of desert, and consequently the rest of the eastern states. The
standardisation Standardization (American English) or standardisation (British English) is the process of implementing and developing technical standards based on the consensus of different parties that include firms, users, interest groups, standards organiza ...
of the railway connecting Perth (which changed route from the narrow-gauge route) in 1968 completed the Sydney–Perth railway, making rail travel from Perth to
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
possible; the ''
Indian Pacific The ''Indian Pacific'' is a weekly experiential tourism-oriented passenger train service that runs in Australia's east–west rail corridor between Sydney, on the shore of the Pacific Ocean, and Perth, on the shore of the Indian Ocean – ...
'' rail service commenced soon after. During the 1890s, the Goldfields area boomed as a whole, with an area population exceeding 200,000, composed mainly of prospectors. The area gained a reputation for being a "wild west", notorious for its bandits and prostitutes. This rapid increase in population and claims of neglect by the state government in Perth led to the proposition of the new state of
Auralia Auralia was a proposed colony that would have been formed out of the south-eastern portion of the colony of Western Australia in the early twentieth century, and would have joined the newly formed Commonwealth of Australia. The name, meaning 'go ...
, but with the sudden diaspora after the Gold Rush, these plans fell through. Places, famous or infamous, for which Kalgoorlie is noted include its water pipeline, designed by C. Y. O'Connor and bringing in fresh water from
Mundaring Weir Mundaring Weir is a concrete gravity dam (and historically the adjoining locality) located from Perth, Western Australia in the Darling Scarp. The dam and reservoir form the boundary between the suburbs of Reservoir and Sawyers Valley. The ...
near Perth, its Hay Street brothels, its
two-up Two-up is a traditional Australian gambling game, involving a designated "spinner" throwing two coins, usually Australian pennies, into the air. Players bet on whether the coins will both fall with heads (obverse) up, both with tails (re ...
school, the goldfields railway loopline, the Kalgoorlie Town Hall, the Paddy Hannan statue/drinking fountain, the Super Pit, and Mount Charlotte lookout. Its main street is Hannan Street, named after the town's founder. One of the infamous brothels also serves as a museum and is a major national attraction. Kalgoorlie and the surrounding district were served by an extensive collection of suburban railways and tramways, providing for both passenger and freight traffic. In 1989, the Town of Kalgoorlie and Shire of Boulder formally amalgamated to create the City of Kalgoorlie–Boulder, adjoining the two towns into what is now the fifth most populous city in Western Australia. On 20 April 2010, Kalgoorlie was shaken by an
earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
that reached 5.0 on the
Richter scale The Richter scale (), also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale, is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Richter in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg, and pr ...
. The epicentre was 30 km north east of the town. The quake caused damage to a number of commercial hotels and historic buildings along Burt Street in Boulder. The entire Burt St. precinct was evacuated until 23 April. Work in the Superpit and many other mines around Kalgoorlie was stopped. Two people suffered minor injuries as a result of the quake.


Population

According to the 2021 census, there were 29,072 people in the Kalgoorlie–Boulder Significant Urban Area: * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 7.7% of the population. * 66.6% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were New Zealand (7.0%), Philippines (2.6%), England (2.2%), South Africa (1.8%) and India (1.3%). * 76.2% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Afrikaans (1.1%), Tagalog (1.1%), Filipino (1.0%), Mandarin (0.7%) and Shona (0.6%). * The most common responses for religion were No Religion (44.3%) and Catholic (18.1%).


Geography


Climate

Kalgoorlie has a
hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...
('' BSh'') bordering both a
hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
(''BWh'') and a
cool semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi- ...
(''BSk'') with hot summers and mild winters. The average annual rainfall is on an average of 68 days and, while the average rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, there is considerable variation from year to year. January is the hottest month, with an average maximum temperature of , but temperatures above occur nearly once a week when hot, dry, north to northeasterly winds arrive. Such high temperatures are usually followed by a cool change from the south, and occasionally with a thunderstorm. By contrast, winters are cool, with July average maximum and minimum temperatures being and , respectively. Cold, wet days with a maximum below occur about once every winter. The lowest maximum temperature recorded is , on 19 July 1961. Overnight temperatures fall below freezing about four times in a typical winter. Such events occur on clear nights following a day of cold southerly winds.


Industry and commerce

Kalgoorlie–Boulder is a regional centre and has a Chamber of Commerce and a Chamber of Minerals and Energy.


Mining

Since 1992, Kalgoorlie has been home to the Diggers & Dealers conference, held annually in August. It is Australia's premier international mining conference.Diggers and Dealers 2010 – The Song Remains The Same
''
ABC Rural ABC Rural was a department of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that produced news, business, and entertainment programs targeted at audiences in regional Australia. The department employed 70 staff and reporters around the country. In 2015, ...
'', author: Babs McHugh , published: 2 August 2010, accessed: 26 October 2010
The Fimiston Open Pit (Super Pit) is an
open-cut In civil engineering, a cut or cutting is where soil or rock from a relative rise is removed. Cuts are typically used in road, rail, and canal construction to reduce a route's length and grade. Cut and fill construction uses the spoils from cu ...
gold mine about long, wide, and over deep. Originally consisting of a large number of underground mines, including the Paringa, Oroya, Brown Hill, Chaffers, and Hainault mines, they were consolidated into a single open pit mine in 1989. A visitor centre overlooks the mine, which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The mine blasts at 1:00 pm every day, unless winds would carry dust over the town. Each of the massive trucks carries 225 tonnes of rock and the round trip takes about 35 minutes, most of that time being the slow uphill haul. Employees must live in Kalgoorlie; there's no fly-in, fly-out operation. The current life of mine plan covers operation until 2035, with investigations for mine extension ongoing. File:Gold mines Kalgoorlie 2.svg, Gold mines in the Kalgoorlie region Image:Super Pit Mine, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.jpg, The Super Pit that gives the mine its name appears in the centre of this image.


Sex work

Kalgoorlie once had a thriving sex industry, with parts of Hay Street once being considered Kalgoorlie's
red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex industry, sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light district ...
. Originally,
brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...
s were only allowed to operate in Hay Street. While there were once a number of brothels in Kalgoorlie, this has since decreased.
Prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...
s from all over the world moved to Kalgoorlie for employment in the town's sex work industry. Today, only one brothel remains in Kalgoorlie: Questa Casa (
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
for "This House"; locally known as the "Pink House"). Questa Casa claims to be Australia's oldest operating brothel, having begun operations in 1904. Questa Casa now only employs two
sex worker A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is ...
s, but also serves as an adult tourist attraction. The demise of the red light district has largely been attributed to the rescinding of the ''Containment Policy'' in 1994. The ''Containment Policy'' was an informal policy that restricted all sex work in Kalgoorlie to one street: Hay Street. Nevertheless, "skimpy barmaids" (female bartenders who wear sexually provocative clothing, usually flying into Kalgoorlie from elsewhere) are known to occasionally sell sex.


Culture

Kalgoorlie–Boulder has a dynamic and diverse cultural scene.


Arts

Kalgoorlie–Boulder has many arts organisations and practising artists.


Sports

Kalgoorlie–Boulder's location, being roughly 600 km from Perth, enjoys high levels of participation in
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
(the
Goldfields Football League The Goldfields Football League is an Australian rules football league based in the Goldfields-Esperance, Goldfields region of Western Australia. Founded in 1896 as Hannans District Football Association, the league enjoyed a seat and full voting ...
),
netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...
, basketball,
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
,
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
,
field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...
, and
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
. Other popular sports in Kalgoorlie include tennis,
lawn bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which players try to roll their ball (called a bowl) closest to a smaller ball (known as a "jack" or sometimes a "kitty"). The bowls are shaped (biased), so that they follow a curve ...
,
roller derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played on an oval track by two teams of five skaters. It is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leaguesA Roller Derby league is synonymous with an individual club or team in other team sports, as ...
,
rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
, and swimming. Kalgoorlie also has an international squash tournament held every year at the YMCA. In a statewide sense, the semiprofessional
Goldfields Giants Goldfields Giants is an NBL1 West club based in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is owned by the Goldfields Basketball Association (GBA), the major administrative basketball ...
basketball team competes in the
State Basketball League NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball L ...
, and were league champions in 2007 and 2008. The Goldfields Titans play in the
Western Australia Rugby League NRL Western Australia (abbreviated as NRLWA, and formerly the Western Australian Rugby League) is responsible for administering the game of rugby league football in the state of Western Australia. The NRLWA administers all forms of the game in ...
Harvey Norman Premiership state rugby league competition. Home games are at the Oasis playing fields on Saturday afternoons.
Horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
is also very popular in the city, and Kalgoorlie–Boulder is home to the internationally recognised annual "Race Round". Every year the annual Kalgoorlie Desert Race is held. It is a gruelling off-road race.


Attractions

Given the wealth of its yesteryear, Kalgoorlie features many elaborate heritage buildings that have been retained. Kalgoorlie–Boulder – the largest settlement for many hundreds of kilometres, with many employees at the Super Pit – is the centre of the area's social life. Of particular interest is the Kalgoorlie–Boulder Racecourse, a
horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
venue. Two grass sports ovals and a cinema showing recent international releases are in the area. Well known in the area are the Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Perth, and Albany skimpy barmaids, mostly flown in, employed by pubs like Exchange Hotel, who walk around "scantily clad" in bikini, lingerie or
burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.
outfits to attract punters and who expect a fee in return.


Historic hotels

Kalgoorlie has historical hotels still in operation: * Broken Hill Hotel – iconic venue in Boulder *
Exchange Hotel, Kalgoorlie ''For other hotels named Exchange Hotel, see Exchange Hotel.'' The Exchange Hotel is a historic landmark hotel in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. Location The hotel is located on the corner of Hannan Street and Maritana Street in Kalgoorlie.
– situated at Kalgoorlie's main intersection * Kalgoorlie Hotel – opposite the Kalgoorlie town hall * Palace Hotel – also situated at Kalgoorlie's main intersection * Piccadilly Hotel – suburban pub north of the Kalgoorlie CBD * Recreation Hotel – a two-storied hotel in Boulder * York Hotel – a state heritage listed hotel on Hannan Street Many hotels have been put to private use, including: * Cornwall Hotel, Boulder, extensively damaged during 1934 riots * Mount Lyell (refurbished as a restaurant 2004, currently a Nando's restaurant) Hotels that have disappeared from the city include: * Boulder Block (demolished 1991) (Removed due to Super Pit expansion. This pub had a mine shaft so underground workers could access it.) * Commercial Hotel (burnt down 3 November 1978) * Fimiston Hotel (demolished February 1980) * Foundry Hotel (closed 2005 – damaged by fire 3 July 2008, deliberately lit on fire in 2009, Burnt to the ground 2012) * Glendevon Hotel (burnt down 1986) * Golden Eagle (The collapsed balcony of the Golden Eagle hotel on the corner of Lane and Wittenoom St in Boulder.) Damaged by fire then demolished in 2012 * Home from Home Family hotel (burnt in the riots of 1934) * Oriental Hotel (demolished July 1972)


Suburbs

The Kalgoorlie–Boulder metropolitan area consists of the following suburbs: * Boulder Known as the home of the Super Pit, it is one of Kalgoorlie–Boulder's historical suburbs featuring many buildings and landmarks dating as far back as 1882. It was once the central business district for the Town of Boulder, but since amalgamation with Kalgoorlie, it is now more of a historical local centre. Boulder has its own post office, town hall and many hotels along its main thoroughfare, Burt Street. A significant refurbishment has been commenced as part of the 'Royalties for Regions' initiative. * Broadwood (aka – Hampton Heights) A new housing suburb located next to the Kalgoorlie–Boulder Airport, which was recently expanded. * Fairways This area derives its name from the golf course that once occupied the area. It was released to provide affordable property to a growing population in Kalgoorlie–Boulder. Fairways features a private primary school, church, caravan park and small business. * Golden Grove (formerly Adeline) Adeline was originally constructed around 1970 by the State Housing Commission. The suburb was built on the " Radburn concept", with houses facing away from the street and common pathways linking homes. The area has been plagued by antisocial problems. In 2003, a significant urban renewal project was commenced, including the renaming of the suburb to ''Golden Grove'' and re-aligning of homes. The project has seen some success but has yet to fully eliminate antisocial problems within the area. * Hampton Heights See Broadwood. * Hannans Located in Kalgoorlie's far north. Hannans was the first suburb to have its own independent shopping centre ("Hannans Boulevard") which includes a IGA SuperMarket (formally Coles supermarket). The area also has a primary school and an 18-hole golf course. The original course was not formally grassed but was recently refurbished. Several surrounding golf clubs joined together to form one club known as 'The Goldfields Golf Club'. A dam has been constructed to service what is now a luxury desert golf course and club. Alongside the golf course project has been the development and release of Greenview estate. It lies on the western border of Hannans. This ongoing project has been designed as an environmentally friendly estate, and will eventually consist of over 2000 homes, apartments and facilities such as parks and schools. As one of Kalgoorlie's highest growth areas there has been a proposal for a new alternative route, out of the suburb onto the Kalgoorlie Bypass, to avoid traffic problems on the already heavily used Graeme Street which is a direct route to the city centre. Other developments include 'Karkurla Rise' and 'Karkurla View' which have added an additional 400 homes to the area. * Kalgoorlie The central business district. Hannan Street, named after Paddy Hannan, is Kalgoorlie's main street and stretches the length of the suburb. The western side of the suburb consists of housing and some light industry. The eastern side contains retail chains, banks, the police station, court house, restaurants, hotels, tourist attractions, schools, university, and a TAFE. * Lamington One of Kalgoorlie's oldest suburbs. Much like other older suburbs, almost every street is parallel with Hannan Street in Central Kalgoorlie. Streets are noticeably wide. It houses North Kalgoorlie Primary School, small businesses, a medical practice, a hotel, tavern and a non-maintained 18-hole golf course. * Mullingar Much smaller today than it originally was before the Super Pit expansion, Mullingar is located at the far east end of Lamington, between the northern Goldfields railway and Goldfields Highway. * O'Connor Officially O'Connor is the south-east section of the suburb of Somerville. Much of the area is increasingly now known as O'Connor. It is home to a primary school (O'Connor Primary School), a private high school (Goldfields Baptist College), and shopping facilities. It also houses the city's only recreation centre. * Piccadilly A narrow suburb following Piccadilly street between Central Kalgoorlie and Lamington. It features the city's regional hospital, small businesses, a hotel, sporting arena and two grassed ovals. * Somerville Somerville marks the end of Great Eastern Highway that stretches between Kalgoorlie–Boulder and Perth. Much of the area is now referred to locally as O'Connor. Somerville contains a residential area, schools, retail shops, light industry and some horse stables. In the past it also contained market gardens. * South Kalgoorlie Stretching from Boundary Street, Kalgoorlie to Holmes Street, Golden Grove and bordering with Central Kalgoorlie, O'Connor and Golden Grove, South Kalgoorlie is mostly residential but also contains the Kalgoorlie–Boulder Racecourse, schools, some light industrial and small businesses. The suburb was expanded in the mid-1990s to include a sub-division named "Sport of Kings" on Maxwell Street, using a surplus of land from the racecourse. * Victory Heights A residential-only subdivision within Fairways estate along Burt Street. * West Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie's main industrial area, it is the first suburb as you approach Kalgoorlie on the Great Eastern Highway. It features the city's airport, as well as small, medium, and heavy industrial areas. Currently under expansion further west (ANZAC Drive Industrial Estate). * West Lamington The western tip of Lamington was built in the 1980s. It includes one shop, sporting facilities and an
arboretum An arboretum (: arboreta) is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees and shrubs of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, many modern arbor ...
nature reserve. * Williamstown This small existing area features mostly housing with one small primary school. It is also home to the Mount Charlotte gold mine (past production of about 5,000,000 ounces of gold), the Cassidy Shaft and Nanny Goat Hill (Mt Gleddon). Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines, owner of the Super Pit to the south on the Golden Mile, from 2015 mined the ''Hidden Secret'' orebody, between and below the surface of Williamstown, using Mount Charlotte's Cassidy Shaft as access.


Transport


Rail

The town is located on the main
East-West rail corridor East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...
across Australia. The '' Transwa Prospector'' operates once to twice daily passenger train services from Kalgoorlie to Perth. The ''
Indian Pacific The ''Indian Pacific'' is a weekly experiential tourism-oriented passenger train service that runs in Australia's east–west rail corridor between Sydney, on the shore of the Pacific Ocean, and Perth, on the shore of the Indian Ocean – ...
'' train also stops here, operating weekly in each direction.


Buses

Town bus services are provided by TransGoldfields, there are three town routes as well as school services.
Transwa Transwa is Western Australia's regional public transport provider, linking 240 destinations, from Kalbarri in the north to Augusta in the south west to Esperance in the south east. The Transwa system provides transport between Perth and the ...
also operates road coaches that service the town.


Air

Commercial air services connect Kalgoorlie–Boulder with Melbourne and Perth, operating out of the Kalgoorlie–Boulder Airport. Airlines that provide regular flights include
Alliance Airlines Alliance Airlines Pty Limited is an Australian airline based at Brisbane Airport in Brisbane, Queensland, with operational bases in Adelaide Airport, Adelaide, Cairns Airport, Cairns, Perth Airport, Perth, Townsville Airport, Townsville, Darwi ...
,
Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...
,
QantasLink QantasLink is a full-service, Regional airline, regional brand of Australian flag carrier airline Qantas. As of 2024, QantasLink provides over 2,000 flights each week to 65 metropolitan, regional and remote destinations across Australia, as wel ...
and
Virgin Australia Virgin Australia, formerly known as Virgin Blue, is an Australian airline based in Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of two active airlines (the other being Virgin Atlantic) to use the Virgin Group, Virgin brand, as well as the larger by fleet ...
. There is a locally owned and operated charter company with a flight school, Goldfields Air Services.


Road

Kalgoorlie is linked to Perth by the
Great Eastern Highway Great Eastern Highway is a road that links the Western Australian capital of Perth with the city of Kalgoorlie. A key route for road vehicles accessing the eastern Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatbelt and the Goldfields-Esperance, Goldfie ...
, and is also on the
Goldfields Highway Goldfields Highway is a generally northwest–southeast highway in central Western Australia which links the Great Northern Highway at Meekatharra with Coolgardie-Esperance Highway south of Kalgoorlie. The highway is approximately in length, ...
.


Media

Radio Radio Services available in Kalgoorlie: * ABC Goldfields–Esperance: 6GF 648 AM \ 94.3 FM (Part of the
ABC Local Radio ABC Local Radio is a network of publicly owned radio stations in Australia, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC Local Radio stations broadcast across the continent using terrestrial transmitters and satellites. Its programm ...
network) *
ABC Classic FM ABC Classic, formerly ABC-FM (also ABC Fine Music), and then ABC Classic FM, is an Australian classical music radio station available in Australia and internationally. Its website features classical music news, features and listening guides. I ...
: 6ABCFM 95.5 FM; *
ABC Radio National ABC Radio National, more commonly known as Radio National or simply RN, is an Australian nationwide public service radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. ...
: 6ABCRN 97.1 FM * ABC Triple J: 6JJJ 93.5 FM \ 98.7 FM *
ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...
: 6PNN 100.3 FM * Hit 97.9 (Commercial Station) 6KAR: 91.9 \ 97.9 FM –
Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...
format *
Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 45 radio stations with flagship stations broadcasting a mainstream/classic rock music format in Sydney, Melbourne, and B ...
(Commercial Station) 6KG: 981 AM \ 92.7 FM – Adult Contemporary / Classic Hits / Talk radio format *
Vision Radio Network Vision Christian Radio is an Australian narrowcast radio station owned and operated by Vision Christian Media, an affiliate of United Christian Broadcasters. It broadcasts a Christian radio format of music and talk from studios in the Brisban ...
1431 AM: Community Narrowcast Station – Christian praise, worship music and talk. *Tjuma Pulka (Media) Aboriginal Corporation: 96.3 FM (Aboriginal Community radio service) *6TAB Racing Radio – 88FM (Live broadcasts of Horse Racing, Greyhound Racing and Harness Racing, with talkback and music played at other times). Television Television services available include: *The
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...
(ABC) – ABC TV, ABC Family/ABC Kids, ABC Entertains, ABC News (digital channels) *The
Special Broadcasting Service The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public broadcasting, public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from tax revenue. SBS operates six TV channels (SBS (Australian TV chann ...
(SBS) – SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World Movies, SBS Food, NITV (digital channels) * Seven Regional, an owned and operated affiliate station of the
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
*
WIN Television WIN Television is an Australian television broadcasting, Australian television network owned and operated by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television stat ...
, an affiliate station of the
Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
*
West Digital Television West Digital Television is an Australian digital television network jointly owned by Seven West Media and WIN Corporation. It broadcasts free-to-air on a number of digital terrestrial transmitters in regional and remote areas of Western Aust ...
, an affiliate station of the
Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...
(provided jointly by Seven West Media and WIN Television) The programming schedule is mainly the same as the Seven, Nine and Ten stations in Perth with variations for news bulletins, sport telecasts such as the
Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...
and
National Rugby League The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
, children's and lifestyle programs and infomercials or ''paid programming''. Seven maintains a newsroom in the city. The Seven bureau provides coverage of the surrounding area for the station's nightly 30-minute local news program, ''Seven News'', at 5:30pm on weeknights. A
Foxtel NXE Australia Pty Ltd, trading as the Foxtel Group, is an Australian pay television company that operates cable television, direct-broadcast satellite, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April ...
subscription television service is available via satellite. Newspapers The local newspaper for the Kalgoorlie–Boulder and Goldfields region is '' The Kalgoorlie Miner''. Newspapers from Perth, including ''
The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...
'' and ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'', are also available, as well as national newspapers such as ''
The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of b ...
'' and the ''
Australian Financial Review The ''Australian Financial Review'' (''AFR'') is an Australian compact daily newspaper with a focus on business, politics and economic affairs. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and has been published continuously since its foun ...
''.


Education

There are 10 primary schools, four high schools and one university in the Kalgoorlie–Boulder area.


Primary schools

* Boulder Primary School * East Kalgoorlie Primary School * Goldfields Baptist College ''(private)'' * Hannans Primary School * Kalgoorlie Primary School * Kalgoorlie School of the Air * North Kalgoorlie Primary School * O'Connor Primary School * O'Connor Education Support Centre * Saint Joseph's Primary School ''(private)'' * Saint Mary's Primary School (Kalgoorlie Catholic Primary School) ''(private)'' * South Kalgoorlie Primary School


High schools

* Eastern Goldfields College (formerly the Eastern Goldfields Senior High School Senior Campus) * Eastern Goldfields Education Support Centre * John Paul College (formerly Prendiville College & Christian Brothers College (amalgamated)) ''(private)'' * Kalgoorlie–Boulder Community High School (formerly the Eastern Goldfields Senior High School Middle School Campus) * Goldfields Baptist College (Year K–10) (private)


Universities

* Curtin University of Technology – Kalgoorlie Campus (includes th
Western Australian School of Mines
an
Curtin VTEC
formerly Kalgoorlie College) * University of Western Australia and University of Notre Dame Australia – Rural Clinical School of Western Australi


Notable people

Notable people from or who have lived in Kalgoorlie include: * Kate Atkinson (actress), Kate Atkinson, actress, voice artist, theatre actor * Thomas Axford, VC, First World War recipient of the Victoria Cross * Matt Birney, former WA Leader of the Opposition * John Bowler, Australian politician from Western Australia * Graeme Campbell, Australian politician, represented the seat of
Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie-Boulder (or just Kalgoorlie) is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder as the surroundi ...
from 1980 to 1998 * John Carroll, VC, First World War recipient of the Victoria Cross * Leonard Casley, founder of the Hutt River Province. * Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard, basketball player *
John Cornell John Cornell (2 March 1941 – 23 July 2021) was an Australian actor, director, producer, writer, and businessman. He was best known for his role as "Strop" on '' The Paul Hogan Show'', and he was instrumental in the introduction of World Seri ...
, actor and movie producer, best known for playing Strop on ''
The Paul Hogan Show ''The Paul Hogan Show'' was a popular Australian comedy show which aired on Australian television from 1973 until 1984 for a total of 12 seasons and 60 episodes. It made a star of Paul Hogan, who later appeared in ''Crocodile Dundee.'' Hogan's ...
'' *
Wendy Duncan Wendy Maxine Duncan (née Tonkin; born 7 October 1954) is an Australian politician who was a National Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 2013 to 2017, representing the seat of Kalgoorlie. She was previously a me ...
, Australian politician from Western Australia * Rica Erickson, historian, botanist and author *
Dean Fiore Dean Fiore (born 1 December 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver. Fiore competed in the 2022 Bathurst 1000 for Brad Jones Racing as a co-driver alongside Bryce Fullwood in the No. 14 Holden Commodore (ZB). Racing career Fiore i ...
, V8 supercar driver * Brian Hayes, British radio personality * Royce Hunt, rugby league player * Sophie Garbin, Netball player for the Australian Diamonds and
Collingwood Magpies The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. ...
* Steve Johnston, speedway rider *
Eileen Joyce Eileen Alannah Joyce CMG (1908–1991) was an Australian pianist whose career spanned more than 30 years. She lived in England in her adult years. Her recordings made her popular in the 1930s and 1940s, particularly during World War II. At h ...
, pianist * Dean Kemp, former
Australian rules Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
footballer * Wallace Kyle, Air Marshall, last leader of
RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the Strategic bombing during World War II#Europe, strategic bombing of Germany in W ...
*
Walter Lindrum Walter Albert Lindrum, Order of the British Empire, OBE (29 August 1898 – 30 July 1960), often known as Wally Lindrum, was an Australian professional player of English billiards who held the World Professional Billiards Championship from 1933 ...
, champion professional billiards player * Ron Manners, prominent ex–local businessperson *
Barry Marshall Barry James Marshall (born 30 September 1951) is an Australian physician, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, Professor of Clinical Microbiology and Co-Director of the Marshall Centre at the University of Western Australia. Marshall and ...
,
Nobel Prize winner Nobel often refers to: *Nobel Prize, awarded annually since 1901, from the bequest of Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel *The Nobel family, a prominent Swedish and Russian family; see there for the list of people with the surname Nobel may also refe ...
* Bob Marshall, champion billiards player * Anthony Martin, racing driver * Zaneta Mascarenhas,
Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...
member for
Swan Swans are birds of the genus ''Cygnus'' within the family Anatidae. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe (biology) ...
*
Fleur McIntyre Fleur McIntyre (born 24 October 1979) is an Australian basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant general manager of the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played 15 seasons in the S ...
, basketball coach with the Sydney Kings in the NBL * Bert Nankiville, swimmer * Gladys Agness Newton (1901–1988) was born here at Paddington. Founded the Slow Learning Children’s Group of Western Australia. *
Michael Patrizi Michael Tony Patrizi (born 4 May 1984) is an Australian racing driver. Biography Starting off in karts in his native Western Australia, he moved to Formula Ford in 2004, then to Formula BMW in Asia 2005, then UK in 2006. In 2007 he joined the c ...
, V8 supercar driver *
James del Piano James Andrew del Piano (1916–1981) was an Australian businessman and civic leader. Early life He was born Giacomo del Piano on 17 November 1916 in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. His parents were Giovanni and Maria (née Mazzina). After prim ...
, businessman, Italian diaspora aficionado * William Pike, jockey * Melissa Price, Liberal member for Durack * Tim Rogers, singer/songwriter * Dom Sheed, Australian rules footballer * Grant Stewart, cricketer * Jenny Talia, singer/songwriter * Ian Taylor,
Deputy Premier of Western Australia The deputy premier of Western Australia is a role in the Government of Western Australia assigned to a Individual ministerial responsibility, responsible Minister in the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. ...
1990–1993 * Elizabeth Truswell, former Chief Scientist at the
Australian Geological Survey Organisation Geoscience Australia is a List of Australian government entities, statutory agency of the Government of Australia that carries out geoscience, geoscientific research. The agency is the government's technical adviser on aspects of geoscience, and ...
*
Christian de Vietri Christian de Vietri (born 14 July 1981) is an Australian artist known for his large-scale public sculptures and traditional artwork based in Śilpaśāstra. In 2024, he published ''Trika Maṇḍala Prakāśa'', the first comprehensive exposit ...
, artist * Terry Walsh, field hockey striker and coach *
Kevin Bloody Wilson Kevin Bloody Wilson (born Dennis Bryant; 13 February 1947) is an Australian musical comedian who performs comical songs with his heavy Australian English accent and often including sexual themes. He has won one ARIA Music Award. Early career ...
, singer and comedian * Lydia Williams, Australian soccer player


Images

Image:Kalgoorlie Exchange Hotel DSC04484.JPG, Exchange Hotel. File:Kalgoorlie Gold Mine.JPG, Mt Charlotte Mine and Cassidy Shaft, Williamstown. Image:York Hotel, Kalgoorlie.jpg, York Hotel. Image:Kalgoorlie The Big Pit DSC04498.JPG, The Super Pit, Australia's largest open-cut gold mine until 2016. Image:Kalgoorlie Post Office Clock.jpg, The Kalgoorlie Courthouse, previously the Post Office. Image:Kalgoorlie Judds Pub.jpg, The Kalgoorlie Hotel/Judds Pub.


See also

*
Auralia Auralia was a proposed colony that would have been formed out of the south-eastern portion of the colony of Western Australia in the early twentieth century, and would have joined the newly formed Commonwealth of Australia. The name, meaning 'go ...
(proposed Australian state with its capital in Kalgoorlie) * Yilgarn craton


References


References

* Casey, Gavin and Mayman, Ted.(1964) ''The Mile That Midas Touched'' Rigby, Adelaide..


Further reading

* 100th anniversary of rail link (History of the Eastern Goldfields railway, officially completed on 1 January 1897, to the present, including introduction of the
Prospector Prospector may refer to: Space exploration * Prospector (spacecraft), a planned lunar probe, canceled in 1962 * ''Lunar Prospector'', a NASA spacecraft Trains * Prospector (train), a passenger train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western ra ...
train on 29 November 1971) Kalgoorlie Miner 1 January 1997, p. 2 * Early Railways in the Kalgoorlie Area, Shepley, W.H.
Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin ''Australian Railway History'' is a monthly magazine covering railway history in Australia, published by the New South Wales Division of the Australian Railway Historical Society on behalf of its state and territory Divisions. History and pro ...
, November 1965


External links


City of Kalgoorlie–Boulder official website

Kalgoorlie official tourism website
{{Authority control 1893 establishments in Australia Populated places established in 1893 Mining towns in Western Australia Towns in Western Australia Cities in Western Australia Australian gold rushes Goldfields–Esperance Suburbs of Kalgoorlie–Boulder City of Kalgoorlie–Boulder Goldfields Water Supply Scheme