Goldfields History

The Kalgoorlie-Boulder area was first explored in 1863 by HM Lefroy, with further expeditions led by CC Hunt during 1864-68. Both men were seeking pastoral land and rode over the gold bearing earth oblivious to the riches below.

It was not until the gold rushes of the north-west of the state declined that miners began to explore the tracks established by Hunt. To stimulate searches the Government offered a reward of 500-1000 pounds for the first discovery of payable gold in a new region.

In 1892 Arthur Bayley registered his Reward Claim with a find of 554 ounces of gold from Fly Flat in Coolgardie. The WA Goldfields had been discovered.

In June 1893 three Irish prospectors, Patrick Hannan, Tom Flanagan and Daniel Shea rode out east of Coolgardie in their quest. They were forced to camp overnight at Mt Charlotte, 20km short of their destination, when one of their horses lost a shoe. It was a stroke of luck - in the next few days they collected 100 ounces of alluvial nuggets. Hannan registered the Reward Claim in Coolgardie on June 17 1893 and the Kalgoorlie rush was on. Two other prospectors soon located further large gold deposits 5km south which was the start of the famous "Golden Mile".

The goldrush that followed was staggering in size. Men came in their thousands from all over the world and hundreds of mining companies were floated to speculate on the rich reefs. In the space of a few years, the Goldfields were the economic and political centre of Western Australia.

But the human cost was high. Many were ill prepared for the harsh conditions they encountered with inadequate food and serve lack of water. Living conditions were appalling with most miners living in hessian or canvas huts. There was no sanitation and few medical supplies. Life was incredibly strenuous and lonely. Diseases such as scurvy, dysentery and typhoid were common, claiming the lives of many.

Water soon became more valued than gold and sold for 1 shilling a gallon, equivalent to 50c per litre by todays standards. Many thousands died from thirst or from drinking contaminated water.

Water shortages were finally solved in 1903 with the completion of the Perth-Goldfields Pipeline, planned and supervised by the brilliant State Engineer in Chief CY OConnor. Just months before completion, unable to cope any longer with the widespread criticism of his scheme OConnor tragically took his own life.

His visionary plan of water in the Goldfields came true on January 24, 1903 when having travelled through 557km of pipeline driven by eight steam pumping stations, water overflowed into the Mt Charlotte Reservoir, transforming the quality of life overnight and guaranteeing the survival of the region.

Whilst the early 1900s saw the easy gold being worked out, the big companies soon went deep underground. Headframes sprouted along the Golden Mile and with the tailings and mullock dumps, became the symbols of the Goldfields. Since 1893, the Kalgoorlie gold deposits have produced over 50,000,000 ounces (1400 tonnes) of gold, by far the most to be extracted from any one source in Australia.

In their heyday, the combined population of Kalgoorlie and Boulder reached 30,000 with 93 hotels and 8 breweries. Today, Kalgoorlie-Boulder is living history, with the past conspicuous in every part of the City - the public buildings, the pubs, the cemeteries, the wide street, the houses in the suburbs and the tourist attractions. All providing a segment of the history in Australias gold capital.

Paddy Hannan and C Y O Connor

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