Kookynie to Gwalia

A lazy start to the day as Kookynie was only a 10km drive.   For a special reason the plan was to arrive at noon.

Kookynie is known as "A Living Ghost Town". It was first discovered by prospectors in 1895, one of whom was WA Miller, who took up the lease on the 25th June 1895.  Miller sold the lease to the Cosmopolitan Proprietary Ltd in 1897. This resulted in the virtual existence of Kookynie. In 1907, Kookynie had a population of 3,500, yet a hundred years later fewer than 20 people lived there.  The town used to have 11 hotels and numerous businesses.  There was a brewery and seven brass bands. It had the regions first public swimming pool with water pumped from the underground gold mine.  Flooding in the mine was an ongoing issue.

Today there is only one hotel and the major attraction is the horse that daily waits at the pub door around opening time.

Visitors are warned not to stand behind the horse as it has been known to kick!

The hotel has a dress standard

We continue north to the town of Leonora.  Europeans first explored this area around 1869 and in 1897 gold was found.  The town grew rapidly and by 1903 was linked to Kalgoorlie by a railway.   The town was our last opportunity to refuel and resupply before our final destination, Cue

Nearby is the ghost town of Gwalia.  Gold was discovered here in 1896 and the London based company, Bewick & Moreing sent 23 year old mining engineer Herbert Hoover to inspect the site.   He identified the site potential and the company bought the site appointing Hoover as its first mine manager.  Hoover didn’t endear himself to the company shareholders when he had the company pay for the mine managers house at a cost of £600.  A significant sum at the time.   This is the same Herbert Hoover who was later elected the 31st President of the United States of America.

The mine was named The Sons of Gwalia.   Initially gold production soared but by the mid 1960’s it was operating at a loss and the decision was made to close it.  Within a few weeks to population fell from 1500 to 40.   Gwalia became a ghost town.

The abandoned State Hotel

Hoover’s cottage.   Now a café and B&B

More modern mining technology enabled to mine to reopen in the mid 1980’s.   The original mine had been underground.  However the re-opening was initially opencast.

Although the pit looks deep it’s only the ‘tip of the iceberg’.  The modern mine extends a further 2km down with numerous shafts.   A crushing plant was installed 1km down which allows the first stage of gold extraction to be completed thereby reducing the amount of material needed to be transported to the surface.  The tailings from the crusher and ground to a find powder and mixed into a slurry with cement before being pumped back into the exhausted mine shafts.

The original mine machinery and pit head have been converted into a tourist attraction and museum.

Miners were lowered into the mine and ore removed using a large winch powered by a steam engine.

 

The highest paid worker in the mine operated the winch sitting at the controls in a seat positioned immediately behind the two winch drums.

He knew when to stop the winch by looking at the markings on a rotating counterweight showing the various level

Since being first established Gwalia has produced more than 6 million ounces of high grade gold.   Moreover recent geological surveys indicate there are many more years of life in the mine.