Description
The goldfields loop heading north from
Coolgardie and finishing at
Kalgoorlie is probably one of the most interesting routes in this region. Travelling over excellent formed gravel roads, you pass through a region that is filled with history, European and Aboriginal culture and the stunning, yet unbelievably dry and harsh environment that is the Eastern goldfields of outback WA.
The discovery of gold in
Coolgardie in 1892 by Arthur Bayley and William Ford, started the gold rush and this was encouraged by further discoveries in
Kalgoorlie (East
Coolgardie at that time) by Patrick "Paddy" Hannan, Tom Flanagan and Dan Shea in 1893. While some found gold, many only found hardship, sickness and death caused by inadequate housing, lack of fresh water and food, insufficient medical attention and supplies. Stories of hardship occurred at
Menzies with a deadly typhoid outbreak and also during the ill-fated
Siberia rush where many prospectors suffered from dehydration due to an extreme lack of water in the area. Towns like
Kunanalling were bustling at one stage only to turn to ghost towns when the gold dried up. This route has many of these old towns now in ruins with cemeteries and mining relics near its midst. They each have a fascinating story to tell and are worth exploring around. Some of the other sites well worth visiting and exploring are:
Lake Ballard with the surreal sculptures by Antony Gormley,
Rowles Lagoon Conservation Park,
Ularring Rock and definitely
Niagara Dam Nature Reserve.
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Goldfields Loop
From: Coolgardie
To: Kalgoorlie-Boulder
Distance: 608.5 km
Direction: 52 °
Average Speed: 68.8 km/hr
Travel Time: 8 hours 50 mins
Using the Map
Our treks have a moving map facility, to take a virtual tour click on the Play button in the Moving map control (see Moving Map help)
Mouse Position:
Moving Map
Speed (5 secs)
Live Tracking
Auto Refresh (1 min, next 60 secs)
Permits
No
permits are needed for the Goldfields Loop trek note.
Things to See & Do
Ularring Rock - WA
Ernest Giles and his exploring party arrived at Ularring Rock on 15 October 1875 on their journey from Beltana in South Australia to Perth and the Swan River. Tommy Oldham was the first to sight it.
Kanowna - WA
Gold was discovered here in 1894, and the area was at first known as "White Feather". When the government decided to declare a townsite H C Prinsep, then Under Secretary for Mines, stated the Aboriginal name of the place was Kanowna, and this was the name given to the townsite. The townsite was gazetted in December 1894. Kanowna is now an abandoned gold mining town.
Kunanalling - WA
Gold was discovered here in 1895, and it was known as the "25 Mile" when the Warden for this area recommended a townsite be declared here the same year. At this time it was referred to as the "25 Mile" or "Coonanalling", but when gazetted in 1896 the Lands Department applied spelling rules that changed it to Kunanalling. The townsite is now abandoned.
Siberia - WA
Gold was discovered here by the prospectors Billy Frost and Bob Bonner in the late 1890's, and the influx of miners into the area soon created demand for a townsite. Siberia derives its name from Siberia Tank, a nearby water supply for the area. Siberia is now an abandoned goldfields townsite.
Mulline - WA
Gold was discovered in this area in the mid 1890s, and the numbers of miners in the area was sufficient for a townsite. Mulline was gazetted in 1897, and takes its name from Mulline Rock, an Aboriginal name recorded by Surveyor Brazier in 1894. Mulline is now an abandoned goldfields townsite, located about 40kms west of Menzies.
Kintore - WA
Gold was discovered here in the late 1890s, and in 1897 the Kintore Progress Committee sought the declaration of a townsite for their rapidly growing community. The townsite was gazetted later the same year. The name is believed to relate to a mining name, but the origin is unknown at present. Kintore is now an abandoned townsite.
Preparation
Fuel Supplies & Usage
Usage is averaged from
TrekFuel (* specific to trek) submissions and calculated based on trek distance.
Best Time To Visit
Closest Climatic Station
Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport
Distance from Trek Mid Point 14.62km NE
| | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Mean Max. °C |
33.6 | 32.1 | 29.5 | 25.1 |
20.6 | 17.5 | 16.7 | 18.5 |
22.2 | 25.7 | 28.9 | 32.0 |
| Mean Min. °C |
18.2 | 17.8 | 16.0 | 12.6 |
8.6 | 6.1 | 4.9 | 5.5 |
8.0 | 10.9 | 14.0 | 16.6 |
| Mean Rain mm |
23.2 | 30.9 | 24.5 | 21.5 |
27.1 | 29.1 | 24.7 | 21.7 |
14.2 | 15.0 | 17.7 | 16.2 |
Best time to travel Ok time to travel Travel NOT recommended
Camp Sites & Accommodation
Environment
The tracks are very well graded with excellent formed gravel roads providing a more authentic outback goldfields tour. The tranquil forests comprises of more than a hundred species of eucalyptus including marble-coloured salmon gums, bronze-barked gimlets, and a variety of blackbutts. This provides a superbly unique and fascinating view contrasting against the rich, red earth and the blue skies. There is nowhere else in
Australia where there are so many different tall trees in such an arid environment.
There are many bird species that flourish here such as the threatened bilby or rabbit-eared bandicoot, chuditch, mallee fowl, scarlet chested parrot, sandhill dunnart and mulgara. The inhabitants of the area include ornate lizards, emus, echidnas, carpet pythons, honey-eaters, yellow-throated miners,
rainbow bee-eaters and budgerigars.
The region is very popular during Spring with the start of the spectacular wildflower season that transforms the normally desolate landscape into a blanket of colour. Flowers such as the emblem of the state - the Kangaroo Paw and wattles, daisies and everlastings are some of the variety of flowers seen for at least five months of the year. Guided wildflower
tours are available so please contact the
Kalgoorlie-Boulder Tourist Centre for wildflower conditions and tour availability.
The Kalgoorlie Goldfields Visitor Centre
250 Hannan Street,
Kalgoorlie and 106 Burt Street, Boulder
Phone: (08) 9021 1966
Email: visitors@
kalgoorlie.com
Distance is GPS recorded driving distance (not straight line), Direction is straight line from start to end, Time is calculated from actual GPS driving data.
