Discovery Parks – Kalgoorlie Goldfields Holiday and Caravan Park – Kalgoorlie Boulder WA

WHO: The Smith Family – Carol, Adam, Logan & Luke @barefoot_and_breastless
VAN: Jayco Journey Outback Pop Top

With our trusty Jayco in tow, G2Gpasses approved and state borders open we headed for the Nullarbor to spend a chunk of the 2021 calendar year exploring the West. The border crossing was simple with quarantine and border police and after farewelling our fruit and vegetables we were on our way! After a couple of long days driving the Nullarbor, we were keen to arrive at our first planned destination of Kalgoorlie! Now to say we were excited to visit Kalgoorlie is an understatement. Our boys keenly watch the ‘Gold Hunters’ television show each week which has featured Kalgoorlie and were very excited to arrive. They couldn’t wait to see the Super Pit and maybe find some gold of their own!

Kalgoorlie is in the Goldfields Esperance region of Western Australia, approximately 180km north of Norseman and 600km east of Perth. Established in 1893, the early gold rush town has developed into a thriving city thanks to the well-known ‘Golden Mile’, a geographical stretch of one of the richest gold deposits found in the world to this day.

We stayed four 4 nights at the Discovery Parks Kalgoorlie Goldfields Holiday and Caravan Park on Burt Street, Kalgoorlie Boulder, which is approximately 5km from the main town hub of Kalgoorlie. The holiday park is a clean and tidy park with a great swimming pool which we all enjoyed. We booked an ensuite site, and although the ensuite was a little dated, it was clean and served its purpose. The amenity blocks and laundry are great and well maintained throughout the day. The park is a mix of cabins, ensuite sites, flat level powered and unpowered sites, and the grounds are all dirt and gravel, with the very little grass there is around the pool and BBQ facilities. Make sure you bring your drill-in guide rope/tent pegs if you want your caravan awning to be tied down. For pet lovers, the park is dog friendly. The cost of the park for us, including the discovery parks membership discount, was $67.50 per night for two adults and two kids at an Ensuite site.

Kalgoorlie is great for the keen gold enthusiast or history buff. With three full days planned to explore we spent the first morning at the Museum of The Goldfields, a must see when visiting Kalgoorlie and it is free entry. The museum has the largest display of the State’s collection of gold bars and nuggets in WA and exhibits original mining equipment and history and photos detailing the families that lived in the early gold rush era. Also on site is what is believed to be the narrowest pub in the Southern hemisphere, the heritage listed ‘British Arms Hotel’.

We then headed north on the Goldfields Highway towards the town of Broad Arrow to check out an old Tavern. On the way, a few kilometres out of town, is the only legalised Two-Up shed in Western Australia which is worth a quick stop. The shed is an original from the late 1800’s still sporting the corrugated iron building and ring, and each Sunday locals turn up to enjoy a game. We continued to Broad Arrow and stopped in at the Tavern, a family run, character filled country pub full of history. The Tavern is all that’s left of the town and is worth the stop for the history alone along with the great pub feed and drinks. A little further down the road and on a bush track littered with old tin cans is the Broad Arrow Cemetery that was surprisingly fascinating given the history of the area. A large notice board is enlisted with the names of those buried in the cemetery and their cause of death, a real eye-opener showing what the early settlers endured during the gold rush days.

Day two consisted of a trip out to Coolgardie which is located 38km southwest of Kalgoorlie. Now a mining ghost town, it was once a thriving town and the grand old buildings that survived from the goldrush era are still standing today. We spent time in the Tourist Information Centre and Museum located in the old courthouse building. For the cost of $4 per adult and $2 per child, you can wander through and check out the display of items from the early 1900s. We did not spend much time in Coolgardie. We recommend you check out the Shire of Coolgardie website which lists a trove of attractions to see in and around town.

Our afternoon on day two led us back into Kalgoorlie to visit the Hannan’s North Tourist Mine which was one of the first registered mines in Kalgoorlie. The museum is open Sunday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm, with entry costing $15 per adult, $8 per child, or $45 per family. This was our favourite museum in Kalgoorlie. Our boys had a great hands-on experience with displays of historical equipment and a large mining dump truck and frontend loader to explore and even sit in the driver’s seat. You are also able to pan for gold and gems, our eldest Logan finding some small specks of gold to take away with him. This made his day!

Each day whilst in Kalgoorlie, we took some time to stop in at the Super Pit Open Cut Mine Lookout which is located at the end of Outram Street. The lookout gives you a birdseye view of the mine and its mind-blowing scale. The lookout has a display describing the timeline and operation of the mine and the roles of those employed as well as a geology lesson and description of the earth that is being mined for gold. If you refer to the Hanna’s North Tourist Mine Facebook page you can keep informed of planned mine blasting which can be viewed from the lookout. In addition to the lookout, you can get on board a 1.5-hour mine tour with Kalgoorlie Tours and Charters giving you an insiders’ view of the mine. We had this tour booked, however unfortunately this was cancelled by the mine which can happen from time to time. The cost of the tour was $145 per family for the 1.5-hour tour duration.

On day three of our stay, we ventured more around the hub of the town itself and had a great pub lunch feed at the Exchange Hotel. Kalgoorlie is littered with pubs and hotels from the gold rush era, with over 90 pubs in the early days. Some still operate today whilst others have been renovated and converted into retail or commercial spaces. The restaurant area in the Exchange Hotel is called Paddy’s and it is one of the best pub feeds we have had in a long time. Great value for money and big servings.

We loved Kalgoorlie but in hindsight, we only scratched the surface. You could really spend some time here exploring the surrounding towns and maybe even do a little prospecting. For our family, the best part of this trip to Kalgoorlie was the history. The kids are still talking about the gold that they found and their current favourite beach game revolves around mining for gold with their trucks! This is a true testament to the education these boys are getting living life on the road.

WHERE: Discovery Parks – Kalgoorlie Goldfields Holiday and Caravan Park – Kalgoorlie Boulder
COST: $67.50 per night – 2A 2C – Ensuite Powered Caravan Site
FACILITIES: BBQ, Playground, WiFi, Camp Kitchen, Restaurant/Takeaway, Dogs allowed, Laundry, Swimming Pool