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55-594: Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia , located 595 km (370 mi) east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway . It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder , as the surrounding urban area includes the historic townsite of Boulder and the local government area is the City of Kalgoorlie–Boulder . Kalgoorlie–Boulder lies on
110-614: 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 , 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 near Perth, its Hay Street brothels, its two-up school,
165-428: 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 were discovered, but ignored as it was believed at the time that this was a mineral akin to fool's gold . The calaverite was subsequently used for construction in the town, including for buildings and paving. When it
220-477: 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 (61.7 °F) and 4.8 °C (40.6 °F), respectively. Cold, wet days with a maximum below 12.0 °C (53.6 °F) occur about once every winter. The lowest maximum temperature recorded is 7.2 °C (45.0 °F), on 19 July 1961. Overnight temperatures fall below freezing about four times in
275-746: A dynamic and diverse cultural scene. Kalgoorlie–Boulder has many arts organisations and practising artists. Kalgoorlie–Boulder's location, being roughly 600 km from Perth, enjoys high levels of participation in Australian rules football (the Goldfields Football League ), netball , basketball, rugby league , soccer , field hockey , and cricket . Other popular sports in Kalgoorlie include tennis, lawn bowls , roller derby , rugby union , and swimming. Kalgoorlie also has an international squash tournament held every year at
330-476: A fee in return. Kalgoorlie has historical hotels still in operation: Many hotels have been put to private use, including: Hotels that have disappeared from the city include: The Kalgoorlie–Boulder metropolitan area consists of the following 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 1882. It
385-717: 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 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow-gauge Government Eastern Goldfields Railway line reached Kalgoorlie station in 1896, and
440-401: A medical practice, a hotel, tavern and a non-maintained 18-hole golf course. 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. Goldfields%E2%80%93Esperance The Goldfields–Esperance region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia . It
495-455: A narrow to a wider gauge may require enlargement of the structure gauge of the bridges, overpasses and tunnels, embankments and cuts . The minimum curve radius may have a larger radius on broader gauges requiring route deviations to allow the minimum curve radius to be increased. Track centers at stations with multiple tracks may also have to be increased. Conversion from narrow to standard gauge can cause several changes not because of
550-448: A number of captured German 03 class Pacifics locomotives were re-gauged to the 5 ft ( 1524 mm ) Russian gauge . Most diesel and electric rolling stock can undergo gauge conversion by replacement of their bogies . Engines with fixed wheelbases are more difficult to convert. In Australia, diesel locomotives are regularly re-gauged between broad, standard and narrow gauges. Gauge conversion of wagons and coaches involves
605-498: 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. The central business district. Hannan Street, named after Paddy Hannan, is Kalgoorlie's main street and stretches
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#1732772508985660-609: A thriving sex industry, with parts of Hay Street once being considered Kalgoorlie's red-light district . Originally, brothels were only allowed to operate in Hay Street. While there were once a number of brothels in Kalgoorlie, this has since decreased. Prostitutes 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 for "This House"; locally known as
715-540: A typical winter. Such events occur on clear nights following a day of cold southerly winds. Weather Atlas (sun hours) Kalgoorlie–Boulder is a regional centre and has a Chamber of Commerce and a Chamber of Minerals and Energy. Since 1992, Kalgoorlie has been home to the Diggers & Dealers conference, held annually in August. It is Australia's premier international mining conference. The Fimiston Open Pit (Super Pit)
770-442: 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. Kalgoorlie once had
825-461: Is 260 mm (10 in) 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 33.6 °C (92.5 °F), but temperatures above 40.0 °C (104.0 °F) occur nearly once a week when hot, dry, north to northeasterly winds arrive. Such high temperatures are usually followed by
880-464: Is an open-cut gold mine about 3.6 km (2.2 mi) long, 1.6 km (1.0 mi) wide, and over 600 m (1,969 ft) 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
935-475: Is based on the extraction and processing of various mineral resources, primarily gold and nickel . In 2012 the mining of gold, nickel and platinum yielded just under A$ 9 billion. Pastoralism in the northern goldfields commenced in the early 1900s with Yundamindera Station being established by Dr. Laver. In 1923 Yundmindera was purchased along with Mount Celia Station with a combined area of over 1,000,000 acres (4,047 km ) by T. H. Pearse, who stocked
990-620: Is located in the south-eastern corner of Western Australia , and comprises the local government areas of Coolgardie , Dundas , Esperance , Kalgoorlie–Boulder , Laverton , Leonora , Menzies , Ngaanyatjarraku , Ravensthorpe and Wiluna . It also incorporates the area along the Great Australian Bight to the South Australian border known as the Nullarbor Plain . The Goldfields–Esperance region
1045-407: Is mostly hot and dry. Annual rainfall is typically around 250 millimetres (10 in) per year and can be very variable, except in the small area near Esperance and Cape Arid National Park where reliable winter rainfall can give annual totals as high as 635 mm (25 inches) falling mainly in the winter months. Most rainfall is produced by thunderstorms in spring or summer or by cloudbands from
1100-416: 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
1155-546: Is the largest of Western Australia's regions, with an area of 955,276 km (368,834 sq mi). It is mostly a low and flat plateau of extremely ancient Precambrian rocks that have been stable since long before the Paleozoic Era. Because of the extreme geological stability and the absence of glaciation since the Carboniferous , the soils are extremely infertile and generally quite saline. Consequently,
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#17327725089851210-484: The 1668 mm ( 5 ft 5 + 21 ⁄ 32 in ) gauge in Spain pass through an installation which adjusts their variable-gauge axles. This process is known as "gauge change". Goods wagons are still subject to either bogie exchange or wheelset exchange . Some steam locomotives were constructed to be reconfigured to a different gauge: for example, some East African Railways locomotives; Garratts ;
1265-648: The Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail . The nearby Super Pit gold mine was Australia's largest open-cut gold mine for many years. During August 2021, Kalgoorlie–Boulder had an estimated urban population of 29,068, a slight decline from the recent peak of 32,966 in 2013. 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
1320-774: 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 that reached 5.0 on the Richter scale . 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
1375-671: The United States , some 5 ft ( 1524 mm ) broad-gauge locomotives were designed for easy conversion to 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge, and in the United Kingdom some 7 ft 1 ⁄ 4 in ( 2140 mm ) broad-gauge locomotive classes of the Great Western Railway were designed for easy conversion to 1435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge. After World War II ,
1430-717: 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 workers , 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. Kalgoorlie–Boulder has
1485-557: The 1890s the goldfields term was used for country between Southern Cross and Coolgardie ; however, as the gold fields extended to Kalgoorlie and beyond, the term Eastern Goldfields was used for the locations in vicinity of Kalgoorlie at that stage. The Little Sandy Desert and the Gibson Desert are found in the northern part of the region, with the Great Victoria Desert in the south east. The climate
1540-516: The Esperance zone harvested 3,550,000 tonnes of grain. Pastoralism is also common, with both sheep and cattle stations being common in the area. Along the coast fishing and aquaculture are common, with fisheries for abalone , pilchards and sharks . Track gauge conversion Track gauge conversion is the changing of one railway track gauge (the distance between the running rails) to another. In general, requirements depend on whether
1595-561: The Super Pit – is the centre of the area's social life. Of particular interest is the Kalgoorlie–Boulder Racecourse, a horse racing 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 outfits to attract punters and who expect
1650-517: The Tx class on the broad gauge before they were eventually converted back again. Gauge-change in steam locomotives has a long lineage. In about 1860, the Bristol and Exeter Railway converted five 1435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) locomotives to 7 ft 1 ⁄ 4 in ( 2140 mm ) gauge, and later converted them back again. Also in the 19th century, in
1705-711: The YMCA. In a statewide sense, the semiprofessional Goldfields Giants basketball team competes in the State Basketball League , and were league champions in 2007 and 2008. The Goldfields Titans play in the Western Australia Rugby League Harvey Norman Premiership state rugby league competition. Home games are at the Oasis playing fields on Saturday afternoons. Horse racing is also very popular in
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1760-524: The adjacent oceans. The region has a population of just under 60,000 people, about half of whom live in the City of Kalgoorlie–Boulder . Another quarter live in the Shire of Esperance , and the remaining shires are very sparsely populated. Nearly 10% of the region's population are of Aboriginal descent, which is substantially higher than the state as a whole. The economy of the Goldfields sub-region
1815-403: 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. 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
1870-445: The conversion is from a wider gauge to a narrower gauge or vice versa, on how the rail vehicles can be modified to accommodate a track gauge conversion, and on whether the gauge conversion is manual or automated. If tracks are converted to a narrower gauge, the existing timber sleepers (ties) may be used. However, replacement is required if the conversion is to a significantly wider gauge. Some sleepers may be long enough to accommodate
1925-705: The fittings of both existing and alternative gauges. Wooden sleepers are suitable for conversion because they can be drilled for the repositioned rail spikes . Concrete sleepers are unsuitable for conversion. Concrete sleepers may be cast with alternative gauge fittings in place, an example being those used during the conversion of the Melbourne–Adelaide railway from 1600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in ) to 1435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ). Steel sleepers may have alternative gauge fittings cast at production, may be drilled for new fittings or may be welded with new fittings. Conversion from
1980-533: The gauge itself, but in order to be compatible with the structure gauge of standard gauge track, such as height of overpasses so that trains can be exchanged. The choice of train couplers may be a factor as well. Where vehicles move to a different gauge, they must either be prepared for bogie exchange or be prepared for wheelset exchange. For example, passenger trains moving between the 1435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) in France and
2035-670: 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,
2090-612: The large 500 , 600 and 700 class locomotives of the South Australian Railways introduced by William Webb in 1926; and the Victorian Railways J , N and R classes. In the Australian instances, conversion was anticipated from 1600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in ) broad gauge to 1435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) standard gauge. Conversion to a wider gauge
2145-559: 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. 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,
2200-486: The main named railway service from Perth was the overnight sleeper train The Westland , which ran until the 1970s. In 1917, a 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge railway line was completed, connecting Kalgoorlie to Port Augusta , South Australia , across 2,000 kilometres (1,243 mi) of desert, and consequently the rest of the eastern states. The standardisation of
2255-453: The northwest in autumn and winter, but sometimes cyclones from the Pilbara decay into rain depressions and produce heavy rainfall. Climate change has already had a major impact : in the Kalgoorlie – Eucla – Wiluna – Giles area annual rainfall has increased by over 40 percent since 1967 – probably due to lower frequencies of anticyclones located over the interior of Australia instead of
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2310-420: The property with sheep. Between 1925 and 1928 more eastern states pastoralists scores of leases were established, and over £1,500,000 was invested in properties in the northern and eastern goldfields. In three months of 1925 over 40,000 sheep were railed to the area and in one month of 1927 seven trains carrying sheep arrived. By 1934 the goldfields were stocked with over 500,000 sheep and 25,000 cattle. Shearing
2365-521: 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 possible; the Indian Pacific 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
2420-408: The region supports the lowest stocking rates in the world: it is considered that one sheep per square mile is the maximum sustainable rate except in the small wetter area near Esperance. There are no rivers; any rainfall that is not absorbed by the dense rooting systems of the native flora percolates to form extremely saline groundwater , which is very frequently too salty even for adult sheep. In
2475-403: The replacement of the wheelsets or the bogies . In May 1892, wagons and coaches were converted when the 7 ft 1 ⁄ 4 in ( 2140 mm ) gauge of the Great Western Railway was abandoned. During or after gauge conversion work, some stations and branch lines may become "gauge orphans". This occurs especially when it is not considered economically worthwhile to go to
2530-427: The same year produced approximately 11,667 bales of wool valued at £243,600. Further south near Esperance , the economy is based on agriculture , with wheat , canola and barley widely grown and making up about 80% of the area's agricultural economy. These crops require huge inputs of fertilisers because of the sandy nature of the soils and are a major threat to the region's great plant diversity. In 2021–22,
2585-400: 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. See Broadwood. Located in Kalgoorlie's far north. Hannans
2640-699: The traditional lands of the Wangkatja group of peoples. The name "Kalgoorlie" is derived from the Wangai word Karlkurla or Kulgooluh , meaning "place of the silky pears ". The city was established in 1893 during the Western Australian gold rushes . It soon replaced Coolgardie as the largest settlement on the Eastern Goldfields . Kalgoorlie is the ultimate destination of the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme and
2695-477: 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
2750-625: 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. According to the 2016 census , there were 29,873 people in the Kalgoorlie–Boulder Significant Urban Area: Kalgoorlie has a hot semi-arid climate ( BSh ) bordering both a hot desert climate ( BWh ) and a cool semi-arid climate ( BSk ) with hot summers and mild winters. The average annual rainfall
2805-545: 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. A new housing suburb located next to the Kalgoorlie–Boulder Airport , which
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#17327725089852860-410: Was realised in 1896 that calaverite is a compound of tellurium 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 , has been
2915-578: Was recently expanded. 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. Adeline was originally constructed around 1970 by the State Housing Commission. The suburb was built on the " Radburn concept ", with houses facing away from
2970-500: Was similarly anticipated for the large 1067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) narrow-gauge Western Australian Government Railways V class locomotive (to standard gauge). Of these locomotives, only one R class was converted (when in preservation). Two unanticipated conversions to occur were the ten locomotives of the South Australian Railways 740 class (from standard to broad gauge) and five 1067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) narrow-gauge T class locomotives, which became
3025-431: 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
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