Kalgoorlie, Western Australia

Kalgoorlie-Boulder
Western Australia
Kalgoorlie locator-MJC.png
Population: 28,242 (2006 census)[1] (42nd)
• Density: 273.9/km² (709.4/sq mi)
Established: 1893
Elevation: 468 m (1,535 ft)
Area: 103.1 km² (39.8 sq mi)
Time zone: AWST (UTC+8)
Location: 595 km (370 mi) E of Perth
LGA: City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder
State District: Kalgoorlie, Eyre
Federal Division: Kalgoorlie
Mean Max Temp Mean Min Temp Annual Rainfall
25.2 °C
77 °F		 11.6 °C
53 °F		 265.6 mm
10.5 in

Kalgoorlie-Boulder is a Western Australian city located 595 kilometres (370 mi) east-northeast of Perth located in the Eastern Goldfields.The city was founded in 1893 during the Yilgarn-Goldfields gold rush, and is located close to the so-called "Golden Mile".

Kalgoorlie-Boulder officially became a city with the amalgamation of the Town of Kalgoorlie and the Shire of Boulder in 1989. It has a population of 28,246[1], making it the largest urban centre in the Goldfields-Esperance region and the fifth-largest in Western Australia. However these figures are quite regularly disputed by the local city council who claim the population is well in excess of 30,000, and that census figures generally do not take into account the transient nature of the population.

Contents

History

The name Kalgoorlie is derived from the Wangai word Karlkurla, meaning "place of the silky pears".

In June 1893, prospectors Patrick (Paddy) Hannan, Tom Flanagan, and Dan O'Shea were travelling to Mt Youle when one of their horses cast a shoe. During the resultant halt in their journey, the men noticed signs of gold in the area, and decided to stay put. 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, was born.[2] The mining of gold, along with other metals such as nickel, 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 find is often referred to as the Golden Mile, and is considered by some to be the richest square mile of earth on the planet. The town's population was about 30,000 people in 1903 and began to grow into nearby Boulder.

Kalgoorlie after the 1934 race riots

The narrow gauge Government railway line reached Kalgoorlie in 1896, and the main named railway service from Perth was the overnight sleeper train The Westland which ran until the 1970s. In 1917, a standard gauge railway line was completed, connecting Kalgoorlie to the city of Port Augusta, South Australia across 2,000 kilometres (1,243 mi) of desert, and consequently the rest of the eastern states. The standardisation of the railway connecting Perth (which changed route from the narrow gauge route) in 1968 completed the Sydney-Perth railway, making it possible for rail travel from Perth to Sydney—and the Indian Pacific rail service commenced soon after. The Goldfields area boomed as a whole, with an area population exceeding 200,000, mainly prospectors. The area gained a notorious reputation for being a wild west with bandits and prostitutes. This rapid increase in population led to a proposed new state of Auralia but with the sudden diaspora after the Gold Rush led to plans falling through.

Places, famous or infamous, that Kalgoorlie is noted for include its water pipeline, designed by C. Y. O'Connor, which brings in fresh water from Mundaring Weir near Perth; its Hay Street brothels (the street itself was apparently named after Hay Street, Perth); its two-up school; the goldfields railway loopline; the Kalgoorlie Town Hall; the Paddy Hannan statue/drinking fountain; the Super Pit; and Mt 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 was serviced by an extensive collection of suburban railways and tramways, providing for both passenger and freight traffic[3].

Mining

The Super Pit

The Super Pit is an open-cut gold mine approximately 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long, 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mi) wide and 512 metres (1,680 ft) deep.[4] It was created by Alan Bond, who bought up a number of old mine leases in order to get the land area needed for the Super Pit. Every now and again the digging reveals an old shaft containing abandoned equipment and vehicles from the earlier mines.

The mine operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and a visitor centre overlooks it. The mine blasts at 1:00 pm every day, unless the prevailing 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; it is not a fly-in fly-out operation. The mine is expected to be productive until about 2017. At that point, it is planned to abandon it and allow the groundwater to seep in and fill it. It is estimated it will take about 50 years to fill completely.

Attractions

Kalgoorlie Post Office, Hannan Street.

Accommodation

There are 25 historical hotels and pubs in Kalgoorlie which are still operating today;

Map showing the proposed boundaries of Auralia (of which Kalgoorlie would have been the state capital)

There are also some hotels that no longer exist in the city;

In addition, Kalgoorlie has modern accommodation facilities, including;

And Previously

Suburbs

Amy Johnson, the famous aviator bravely flew to Kalgoorlie in July 1930.
Amy Johnson at the Kalgoorlie War Memorial, July 1930.

The Kalgoorlie-Boulder metropolitan area consists of a number of suburbs:

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 1880. 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 new housing suburb located next to the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport which was recently expanded and is enjoying healthy growth.

A recent housing suburb built on old golf course land. Fairways also features a primary school, church, caravan park and small business. A popular choice for young families.

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. In 2003, a significant urban renewal project, including the renaming of the suburb to Golden Grove and re-aligning of homes was commenced.[5]

See Broadwood.

Located in Kalgoorlie's far north. It was once the city's richest part of town, and the first suburb to have its own independent shopping centre (Hannans Boulevarde). A school and an 18 hole golf course are featured as well.

The central business district. Hannan Street, named after Paddy Hannan, is the city's most major street and stretches from the western side of the suburb (mainly housing and some light industrial) to the eastern side (national retail chains, banks, law enforcement, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs and tourist attractions).

The name of the eastern extension to Hannans. Proving popular due to adjacent nature reserve (Karlkurla Park) and good location.

One of Kalgoorlie's oldest and largest housing suburbs. Much like other older suburbs, almost every street is parallel with Hannan Street in Central Kalgoorlie. It houses North Kalgoorlie primary and pre primary schools, many small businesses and medical practices, a hotel and a tavern and an 18 hole golf course.

Much smaller today than it originally was before the Super Pit expansion. It's located at the far east end of Lamington between the northern Goldfields railway and Goldfields Highway.

The south-east section of high-class housing suburb Somerville. O'Connor is home to its own primary and Catholic high schools and shopping facilities, and it also houses the city's only recreation centre.

A narrow suburb following Piccadilly street between Central Kalgoorlie and Lamington. Features the city's regional hospital, some small business, a hotel, a sporting arena and two grassed ovals.

Reputed as Kalgoorlie-Boulder's richest suburb, with unique design and high-class housing and parks. It's located between West Kalgoorlie, Central Kalgoorlie and O'Connor.

Stretching from Boundary Street, Kalgoorlie to Holmes Street, Golden Grove and bordering with Central Kalgoorlie, O'Connor, Golden Grove and Sport O' Kings. Mostly housing occupies South Kalgoorlie, however three high schools and one primary school, some medium industrial and small to medium businesses are also here.

A small recent extension to the western side of South Kalgoorlie between Maxwell Street and the Kalgoorlie race course.

A housing-only suburb located on the opposite side of Fairways on Burt Street. Bordering with Golden Grove, O'Connor, Fairways and Boulder.

Kalgoorlie's main industrial area. It is the first suburb as you approach Kalgoorlie on the Great Eastern Highway. Features the city's airport and small, medium and heavy industrial. Currently under expansion further west (ANZAC Drive Industrial Estate.)

The western tip of Lamington built in the eighties. Mostly housing with one shop, sporting facilities and an arboretum nature reserve.

The small remains of East Kalgoorlie before being swallowed up by the Super Pit. Still existing area features mostly housing with one primary school, and is home to the Mt. Charlotte mine shaft and Nanny Goat Hill.

Transport

The town is located on the main East-West rail corridor across Australia, and was once a break-of-gauge between the Western Australian Government Railways's narrow gauge Eastern Goldfields Railway and the Trans-Australian Railway towards the Eastern states of Australia. For eastward train travellers, on the trans-continental "Indian Pacific" service, Kalgoorlie is the last town encountered for hundreds of kilometres before entering the vast expanse of the Nullarbor Plain. The "Prospector" train run by Transwa also provides daily services to Perth.

Daily commercial air services connect Kalgoorlie-Boulder with Perth, operating out of the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport. Airlines that provide regular flights include Qantas, QantasLink and Skywest.

Kalgoorlie is linked to Perth by the Great Eastern Highway, and is also on the Goldfields Highway.

Notable people from Kalgoorlie

  • Matt Birney, former WA Leader of the Opposition[6]
  • John Cornell, actor and movie producer
  • Rica Erickson, historian, botanist and author[7]
  • Brian Hayes, U.K. radio personality[8]
  • Dean Kemp, Australian rules footballer[6]
  • Walter Lindrum, champion professional billiards player[9]

Geography

Climate

Kalgoorlie has a dry climate with hot summers and cool winters. The average annual rainfall is 260mm on an average of 65 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 33.6°C, but temperatures above 40.0°C 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 16.5°C and 4.8°C respectively. Cold wet days with a maximum below 12.0°C occur about once every winter. The lowest maximum temperature recorded is 7.2°C on 19 July 1961. Overnight temperatures fall below freezing about 4 times in a typical winter. Such events occur on clear nights following a day of cold southerly winds.

Climate Table
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum temperature (°C) 33.6 32.0 29.5 25.1 20.5 17.5 16.7 18.4 22.2 25.6 28.9 31.9 25.2
Mean daily minimum temperature (°C) 18.2 17.8 16.0 12.6 8.6 6.2 4.9 5.5 7.9 10.9 14.0 16.5 11.6
Mean total rainfall (mm) 22.8 31.5 23.6 22.1 27.8 29.6 25.4 21.7 14.5 15.1 18.2 16.1 268.4
Mean number of rain days 3.7 4.1 4.3 5.4 7.1 8.2 8.4 7.1 5.5 4.3 3.9 3.6 65.6
Source: Bureau of Meteorology

Schools

There are currently 10 primary schools, 4 high schools and 1 university in the Kalgoorlie-Boulder area.

Primary schools

High schools

Universities

Sport

Kalgoorlie-Boulder's location, being approximately 600km from Perth, contributes to high levels of participation in Australian rules football, netball, basketball, soccer, hockey and cricket. Other popular sports in Kalgoorlie include tennis, lawn bowls, rugby league, rugby union and swimming.

In a statewide sense, the semi-professional Goldfields Giants basketball team competes in the State Basketball League (SBL), and has won the past two SBL championships. Also, the Kalgoorlie Brothers play in the WARL Tooheys Cup rugby league competition.

Horse racing is also very popular in the city, and Kalgoorlie-Boulder is home to the internationally recognized annual 'Race Round'.

Images

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Kalgoorlie/Boulder (WA) (Statistical District)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
  2. ↑ Raymond Radclyffe, Wealth and Wildcats, Carlisle, Western Australia: Hesperian (1898, reprinted 2004), p.15.
  3. ↑ Railways and Tramways of Kalgoorlie Singleton, C.C. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, Marcvh/April 1954 pp33-36/40-44
  4. ↑ Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (2007). "The Super Pit - Frequently Asked Questions". Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
  5. ↑ "Launch of the new Golden Grove project, Kalgoorlie", Department of Housing and Works (2003-03-05). Retrieved on 2008-02-17. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "KEMP, MR DEAN, RETIREMENT". Western Australia Hansard (23 August 2001). Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  7. ↑ "Rica Erickson". State Library of Western Australia (1 September 2001). Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  8. ↑ "Brian Hayes". BBC Press Office (1 June 2004). Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  9. ↑ "Lindrum, Walter Albert (1898 - 1960)". Australian Dictionary of Biography:Online. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  10. ↑ Helen Wolfenden (4 October 2005). "From Kalgoorlie ward to Nobel award". ABC Radio Goldfields Esperance WA. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  11. ↑ "George Negus Tonight:Tim Rogers". ABC.net.au. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  12. ↑ "Olympic Landcare Project". Kalgoorlie-Boulder Urban Landcare Group. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.
  13. ↑ "WTF is Kev??". Kevin Bloody Wilson official site. Retrieved on 2008-02-17.

References

Further reading

External links

Preceding station   Transwa Trains network   Following station
Bonnie Vale
towards East Perth
 Prospector Terminus
Great Southern Railway
Southern Cross
towards East Perth
 Indian Pacific
Rawlinna
towards Sydney