Five unexpected finds in WA’s Goldfields
Australia operates in extremes: scorching temperatures, deadly animals, foul language.
The same goes for vacation. Only in WA’s Goldfields can you find a rare and priceless work of art, the world’s longest golf course and Australia’s oldest working brothel.
If you, like many Australians, are looking for a new and exciting adventure, you’re likely to find it here in WA’s Golden Outback, where the weird and wonderful intertwine. One minute you’re starting Nullarbor Links; the next you wander around a salt lake and discover human-like statues scattered across Lake Ballard.
All you have to do is dig a little deeper and you’ll find unexpected riches in Goldfields that are rarer than gold. Here are some of them.
Test your swing on Nullarbor Links
Nullarbor Connections It is the longest golf course in the world, stretching over 1,300 kilometers from Kalgoorlie to Ceduna in South Australia. If you’re not traveling all the way, you can tee off six holes between Kalgoorlie and Norseman, which include the pristine greens of Kalgoorlie Golf Club and bush holes next to the Great Western Woodlands.
To play the course, purchase a scorecard from the Ceduna, Norseman or Kalgoorlie visitor centre. Get your card stamped at service stations or visitor centers along the way. Once you complete the course you will receive a certificate of completion.
See one of the world’s most extraordinary works of art
Artwork Goat Curtain He lives in the center of the heritage district on Burt Street. Named after its creator, the famous British theater artist Philip Goatcher, the 6.25 meters high and 8.44 meters wide mural, painted in 1908, is the last remaining working stage curtain of its kind in the world and depicts red velvet curtains and white satin curtains half-drawn. “Curtains” surround an elaborate gold frame that reveals a window onto Italy’s Bay of Naples: a dreamy summer tableau with fishing boats separated by the blue sea and Mount Vesuvius.
To view Boulder piece of resistanceTake a one-hour guided tour of Boulder City Hall (Tuesdays or Thursdays); The ropes of the theatre’s original pulley system, which is still in use today, will also be shown (literally).
Australia’s oldest working brothel
Questa Casa, Australia’s oldest operating brothelIt has become a symbol of Kalgoorlie since it opened its doors (and lots of them) in the late 1890s. Known as the Pink House, the white corrugated iron shack built in 1904 features 11 pale pink doors known as “starting stalls” where women could find work. Today, Questa Casa still welcomes visitors by serving as an unusual tourist attraction offering tours. An unforgettable, one-hour tour led by the brothel’s mistress goes beyond the pink doors and shows everyone.
Ghosts of WA’s past
A once thriving town Gwalia is a ghostly reminder of Western Australia’s golden age. When mining operations stopped suddenly in 1963, Gwalia was hastily abandoned, leaving miners’ huts filled with furniture and household goods to rust. Fortunately, thirty-one buildings of the formerly prosperous town have been preserved, including cottages, a windmill, and attractions still in use today, such as the Gwalia Museum and the Hoover House, named for Gwalia’s first mine manager, Herbert Hoover, who would later serve as the thirty-first President of the United States. Although President Hoover never lived in the house, it now operates as a bed and breakfast overlooking the old mine site and ghost town. Spooky!
Visit the world’s most remote art installation
There is no other lake like Lake Ballard. Fifty-one human-like statues stand along the dried salt lake, designed by renowned British artist Sir Antony Gormley for his 2003 exhibition “Inside Australia.” Spanning 10 square kilometers, the life-size metal artworks were modeled after residents of Menzies, fifty-one kilometers east of Lake Ballard.
We weren’t kidding when we said it was weird and wonderful.
For those who have yet to explore the extraordinary riches of the Goldfields, consider this your invitation to pack up the car and explore a part of Western Australia full of unexpected stories and unexpected experiences.
Feeling inspired? For more information about your adventure, visit the website.
