Page 325 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Australia

THE GOLD FIELDS AND NULLARBOR PLAIN  323

past. Gold was first discovered
here by Irishman Paddy Hannan
in 1893, and, within weeks, the
area was besieged with pros-
pectors. Gold fields in other
areas soon dwindled, but this
field has yielded rich pickings to
this day, bolstered by nickel finds
in the 1960s. Today, gold is
mined in the world’s largest
open-cut mine and more than
150,000 visitors a year come to Baxters Cliff, east of Esperance, on the shores of the Southern Ocean
see historic Kalgoorlie.
A variety of heritage trails and uNorseman iEsperance
tours are available, and details * 1,600. @ n Lot 1781 Roberts St * 10,000. ~ @ n Historic
are at the tourist office. The (08) 9039 1071. Museum Village, Dempster St (08)
Museum of the Goldfields has 9083 1555. ∑ visitesperance.com
an impressive collection of gold At the start of the Eyre Highway,
nuggets and jewellery, as well as Norseman is the gateway to the Although this area was visited
natural history displays and a Nullarbor Plain and the eastern by Europeans as far back as
history of the gold rush. Visitors states beyond. Like Kalgoorlie- 1627, it was not until 1863 that
can ride in a glass lift for magni- Boulder, the town stands on a British colonists established a
ficent views of the gold fields, or gold field, discovered when settlement here. Fronting the
step back in time at a 1930s a horse pawed the ground, Southern Ocean, this part of
miner’s cottage. uncovering gold deposits. the coast is said to have some
The ornate buildings In gratitude, miners named of the most beautiful beaches
hastily erected during the town after the horse, in Australia. Offshore is the
the boom years are best and its statue was erected Recherche Archipelago, with
seen on Hannan Street, in the main street. Many its 110 islands, one of which,
in the York and visitors try fossicking, Woody Island, is a wildlife
Exchange hotels, or learn more about the sanctuary and can be visited.
classic examples history of gold mining In Esperance itself, Historic
of gold rush in the area at the The Museum Village includes
architecture, and Norseman Historical the town’s art gallery, and
Kalgoorlie Town Hall. Museum housed in Esperance Municipal Museum
Around Kalgoorlie- Bronze statue of the old School of Mines. contains local artifacts.
Boulder are ghost Paddy Hannan Nearby, Beacon Hill
towns, such as Ora offers a panoramic
Banda and Broad Arrow, view of the town and oNullarbor Plain
deserted by prospectors in surrounding countryside. £ Kalgoorlie. @ Norseman.
search of new mines.
E The Norseman Historical n Norseman (08) 9039 1071.
E Museum of the Goldfields Museum The Nullarbor Plain stretches
17 Hannan St. Tel 1300 134 081. Open Battery Rd. Tel (08) 9039 0367. across the southeast of the
10am–3pm daily (25 Apr: 1–3pm). Open 10am–1pm Mon–Sat. state and into South Australia
Closed 1 Jan, Good Fri, 25–26 Dec. Closed Good Fri, Easter Mon,
& $5 suggested donation. 7 25 Apr, 25 Dec. & (see p371). “Nullarbor” derives
from the Latin meaning “no
trees”, and this is indeed a vast
treeless plain. Only one road,
the Eyre Highway, leads across
the plain – one of the great
Australian road journeys.
A few tiny settlements
consisting only of roadhouses
lie along the Eyre Hwy. Cockle-
biddy, lying 438 km (270 miles)
east of Norseman, has one of
the world’s longest caves and,
at Eucla, 10 km (6 miles) from
the state border, a telegraph
station’s remains can be seen.
Nearby Eucla National Park
has some fine views of the
The gold rush architecture of the York Hotel in Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie coastal cliffs.
For hotels and restaurants in this area see p490 and pp519–21