Kalgoorlie
We decided to make Kalgoorlie our base for three days to enjoy some well earned rest in a place where they have well stocked and reasonably priced supermarkets as well as mobile phone reception! The only problem is that we (not the kids) haven't quite adjusted to the time difference and we keep waking up at about 4.30am. Here in Kalgoorlie the trucks drive in and out of the mine 24 hours a day so at 4.30am they seem particularly loud when you are trying to fall back to sleep!
This whole place was developed for gold mining and in order to keep it going water is pumped in all the way from Perth (the main water sources here otherwise are salt lakes and underground water which is only enough for a very small population).
Liam asked why they don't stop mining at night so people can sleep. We found out that the mine processes about $70 000 worth of gold every hour. The kids did the maths and figured out how much per day and year. Then Liam understood why the trucks are always driving!
If you like old buildings and are interested in mining / mining history Kalgoorlie is the place to be. The Mining Museum is worth a look too. The "super pit" is pretty impressive but we decided to just see it from the lookout for free rather than take the tour which costs $70 per person!
It is pretty cold here at night time, despite around 30 degree temps during the day, so the winter pyjamas have been dug out of the bottom of bags.
The Super Pit
Apparently this is the biggest open cut mine in the southern hemisphere...
There are massive trucks driving up and down the roads in and out of the mine here. They are pretty hard to see as they look like toys from up on the viewing platform.
This was sitting up near the viewing platform. It gives you a bit of perspective as to how big the diggers are!
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