595km (369 miles) E of Perth
The twin city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder is a wonderful repository of gloriously extravagant 100-year-old buildings, cheek-by-jowl with the scale and innovation of 21st-century mining. After Paddy Hannan struck gold in 1893 in WA's vast Outback, a "Gold Rush" of almost biblical proportions ensued, leading to the development of dozens of mines, and creation of the cities of Kalgoorlie and Boulder. The area between the two became known as the "Golden Mile," the richest square mile of gold-bearing earth in the world. Today Kalgoorlie (pop. 32,000) is once again a boomtown, with nickel as well as gold dominating exploration and conversation. The city has retained most of its original, gold-fuelled architectural extravagances with wrought-iron lace verandas, which now contrast with 21st-century hustle and bustle, for which the broad streets (designed to turn a camel train) are entirely suitable. It's like stumbling onto a Western movie set, and countless bars still enjoy the roaring trade they did in the 1890s, serving young miners with often more money than they know what to do with.
Kalgoorlie is semi-desert (260 millimeters/10 in. annual rainfall) though you wouldn't know it, given the vast and unique woodland (salmon gums up to 25m/82 ft. high) that surrounds the town. But the lack of water was a serious problem, both for the population and the mining processes, until one of the world's great engineering projects pumped water from the hills outside Perth some 600km (372 miles) to Kalgoorlie. The Goldfields Pipeline still supplies water to the city and to a vast area of the state.
Where dozens of head frames and chimneys were once starkly silhouetted against the skyline there is now an enormous, terraced hole. Roads, mines, processing sheds, and slag heaps have all been moved to make way for the mining of the 21st century; from Golden Mile to Super Pit in 100 years. The Super Pit, the world's biggest open-cut gold mine, is unbelievably big: 3.5km (2 1/4 miles) long, 1.5km (1 mile) wide, and 360m (1,181 ft.) deep. That's large enough to totally hide the Perth CBD.
Not all the old mining centers are still vibrant. Just 39km (24 miles) down the road is Coolgardie (pop. 1,100), another 1890s boomtown whose gold ran out in 1963. The town's semi-abandoned air is a sad foil to Kalgoorlie's energy. Much of the lovely architecture remains, and you can wander the gracious streets and a few museums for a pleasant nostalgia buzz.
