Mining gold in the boys town of KalgoorlieNov 28, 2006
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More dirt roads
Machines are really BIG around here
Blasting at the Superpit
After a long drive, setting up camp at Kalgoorlie (Kal as per the local lingo) was a welcome relief from sitting in the car but not from the temp which was still near 40 degrees at 5pm.
First we attempt some schoolwork in the camp kitchen where we have a surprise meeting with some previous clients of Stu's - Peter & Judy Muspratt. We attempt to get the kids to bed early in order to enjoy a bottle of wine with them as we swap the traveling stories. We had last seen them in Kakadu, several months ago & since then only managed some near misses. It was amazing to meet up now as we had both made changes to our travel plans (seeing how we are meeting up with all and sundry you may not believe this....). Anyway it was great to see them again & get the low down on Kal.
Next morning we set off early to the Superpit, Kal's largest & most spectacular open cut gold mine (also largest gold mine in Oz at 3km long, 1 km wide and 300m deep). We get to the viewing platform in time for a blasting that is due to take place at 10am. All goes to plan & we manage a good vantage point for photos. It was quite exciting as there are sirens going off & instructions left & right to stand clear, & you can hear the last minute checks over the loud speakers before the final countdown. The actual blasting itself was very tame. New technology & all that means everything is all very controlled & in order. Still it was worth a look!
Next we head off to the Miner's Hall of fame which caters for everyone & gives a good idea of gold mining from the old days to now. Soli & Jo head underground on a mine tour. Soli is bitterly disappointed when they announce that this particular mine has been cleaned out of gold (he'd been expecting a big find). Still we had to wear hard hats, travel down in a very crowded & SMALL airless cage, listen to loud machines, walk bent over half the time & generally feel quite disorientated after moving through so many tunnels - so it was quite an authentic experience! Above ground we panned for gold, played in the kids section & checked out all the displays - machinery, gold pouring, art gallery, rock/crystal collection etc etc plus enjoyed a café lunch (pretty rare thing these days!!)
Still pretty hot & the CP pool with slide was calling so it was back to camp for the day....
We enjoyed our little sojourn inland, soaking up the warmer temps (can't sit on the beach all the time!!). Kal was great though quite the big boys mining town. Despite this it must be said that it is preferred generally that women are driving the really BIG machines - much better behind the wheel & they take better care of the machines!!!!
