Western Australia, Kalgoorlie-Boulder - - Pictures
Kalgoorlie-Boulder, gold-rush town in southwestern Australia, in the state of Western Australia, formed in 1989 by the amalgamation of the towns of Kalgoorlie and Boulder. Kalgoorlie-Boulder lies at the southwestern edge of the Great Victoria Desert in the East Coolgardie goldfields. The town is a mining and processing center for nickel ore. With one operating gold mine in the area, Kalgoorlie-Boulder is one of the few gold-rush towns still producing gold, although in smaller amounts than it did at its 1903 peak. The town also relies on tourism and brewing. Kalgoorlie-Boulder is on the Trans-Australian Railway and lies at the eastern end of a major highway to Perth. It is also served by an airport. Large elegant hotels, shops, and offices, built in the town's boom period in the early 1900s, line the town's streets. Kalgoorlie-Boulder is the seat of the Western Australian School of Mines (established in 1902), which has been a branch of the Curtin University of Technology since 1969, as well as two mining museums.
Gold was discovered in the nearby “Golden Mile” fields in 1893 by Paddy Hannan, who, according to legend, stopped in the region because of an injured horse. Miners were soon attracted from nearby Coolgardie. By the 1920s the gold reserves were mostly depleted, but the economy of the area revived when nickel began to be mined nearby in 1966. Today a statue of Hannan stands outside the town hall (1908). Population 28,087 (1996).
