Kalgoorlie

We spent four days in Kalgoorlie, learning much about this golden gateway township and enjoying some warm weather for a change. There is literally a pub on every corner, some of them beautifully restored with more than a story or two to tell and all, other than two, are known for their skimpy service. One pub has a tunnel leading to the nearby gold mine - workers would pinch a nugget, nip through the tunnel at lunchtime, sell the nugget to the publican and be back at work without raising suspicion.

We did a tour of the "Super Pit"(no, not Hay St), a fascinating opportunity to get access to the mine site. It's known as the "Golden Mile", the richest square mile in the entire world! They only process 30 Tonne of rock a day but stockpile 160 tonne. So, even when the mine closes- possibly 2021, they will still have enough rock to keep them processing for many, many years! The size of the pit itself is breathtaking as was the sight of those gargantuan haul trucks (worth 4.4million each) like soldier ants making their way back and forth between the bottom of the pit and the rock crusher.

We now head south toward Esperance for a bit of a look before turning our attentions toward the Nullarbor.Read more