Kalgoorlie-Boulder: Goldfields history and bushland

Kalgoorlie-Boulder combines the history of the Eastern Goldfields and mining with cultural attractions and extensive bushland. The Museum of the Goldfields presents the history of the Eastern Goldfields and Kalgoorlie’s mining heritage. It’s a fitting way to begin a visit with the theme that most shapes the character of the place: Goldfields history.

Goldfields History and Culture

A look at local traditions is also part of the story: the first St. Barbara’s Festival was held in Kalgoorlie in 1999. Along with the museum, this date shows that the town’s history is not limited to buildings and landscape, but is also connected with events. Kalgoorlie Town Hall is a heritage-listed building and a significant landmark of the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

The Goldfields Arts Centre Gallery complements these themes with changing exhibitions and public programs. Throughout the year, the gallery presents works by local artists as well as touring exhibitions from Australia and the state. For visitors, this offers another cultural dimension alongside the museum’s historical focus: contemporary art and programs sit alongside the Goldfields’ heritage.

If you’re interested in the Town Hall, you can plan to join a tour run by the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder Heritage Services. Tours of the building take place on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. and last about an hour. Since this is a specific scheduled tour, check the tour schedule before your trip. This lets you include it in your day’s plans without having to build the rest of your visit around a fixed itinerary.

The history of the Heartwalk Festival is another example of public art. At the week-long festivals held by Artgold in May 2017 and 2018, more than 60 contemporary murals were installed in the Kalgoorlie CBD. The works were created by visiting and local artists on building walls and in vacant shop windows. This historical look at the festivals adds another format for cultural events to the insights offered by the museum, gallery and Town Hall.

Bushland and trails at Karlkurla Bushland Park

Karlkurla Bushland Park shows another side of Kalgoorlie: it covers 200 hectares of naturally regenerated bushland. Alongside the town’s cultural attractions, it offers a natural setting to explore on its network of trails. The park’s winding walking and cycling trails total 7 kilometres.

The same park also has the 4-kilometre Doug Krepp Walking Trail, a named circuit that begins at a boardwalk. The figures describe two different scales: the entire trail network on the one hand, and this individual walking trail on the other. When planning your time, you can distinguish between the wider choice of trails and the specific distance of the Doug Krepp Trail. Which trails you choose depends on how you’d like to spend your visit.

Plan your arrival and stay

Getting there also offers a practical starting point for planning: the Transwa Prospector train service and road coach services stop at Kalgoorlie Railway Station. Check the timetables before you travel if you plan to use these services. This adds a practical arrival consideration to your plans without assuming any particular onward journey or connection to the individual attractions.

These highlights offer different interests to consider when planning your trip, but there’s no set order to follow. If a particular activity matters to you, such as a tour at a fixed time, you can take it into account first when planning your schedule. Then you can search for hotels or other accommodation to suit the kind of stay you want.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Benger, Newman, Chidlow, Cannington, Northampton, North Boyanup, Yallingup, Kelmscott.

For the broader travel guide: Western Australia.