Historical Australian Towns: Coolgardie, WA: Travel Back in Time

Coolgardie is located in Western Australia, 558 kilometres east of Perth. Today, Coolgardie is a small historic town, but in its heyday (1897-8), Coolgardie was the third-largest town in Western Australia.

The Wongi People

The Wongi (Wangkatha) people are a very culturally diverse group, who hunted and gathered and travelled over the land that is now called Coolgardie, located in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields.

The name Coolgardie is derived from the Aboriginal name “Kurl-Kurti”, which is a type of Mulga tree which grew near a waterhole.

There are various important Aboriginal sites in the Eastern Goldfields, which are related to mythological stories of the Wongi people. One important story concerns two mythic beings, the Yina KutJara, who brought law and religion to the region; travelling from Coolgardie through Ora Banda, Broad Arrow and Menzies towards Lake Carey.

Aboriginal lore and practices were and are, passed on through the generations through songs, stories and dance. Punishment for infringing cultural norms is viewed as injuring the spirit world and the land. Breaches were mostly related to wrong interactions with the land, kinship and community and punishment may have included a verbal warning, a physical beating or spearing, the withdrawal of secret knowledge or rights, banishment from the local or tribal group, becoming the subject of sorcery or capital punishment (Berndt & Berndt, 1980).

Tribal rules were mostly uncompromising and strict, as was the requirement to follow spiritual practices and perform cultural ceremonies.

A man named David McDonald, who arrived at a now-abandoned Eastern Goldfields town, called Murrin Murrin, in the 1890s, recalled that: "Wongi … was the name of the native tribe who roamed this area, their home ground being Pindinnie [a permanent soak south of Mount Margaret] … The various tribes such as roamed the goldfields areas … each had there [sic] own section of country mapped out".

Aboriginal people camped near Coolgardie, circa1896. State Library of Western Australia

Western Australian Shields and Spear Throwers. Aboriginals of Australia, August 1914

1850s

The explorer Henry Lefroy led an expedition through the area that is today's Coolgardie in 1853. Lake Lefroy, near Kambalda, is named after him.

Alluvial Gold

The semi-arid Eastern Goldfields around Coolgardie are dominated by a diverse species of eucalyptus and drought-tolerant shrubs. This barren territory was also the site of major gold deposits that sparked the gold rushes, which began in 1892.

It was when Arthur Bayley and William Ford found a rich field of alluvial gold at Fly Flat, that the settlement, which was to become Coolgardie, took off and a gold rush was sparked.

Bayley and Ford made their way to Southern Cross and showed the warden, J. M. Finnerty, the 554 ounces of gold, worth £2,200 (or more than A$300,000 in 2015), they had found. The pair were then granted 20 acres (81,000 m²) on 20 September 1892 and the goldfield was open.

The development of Coolgardie was rapid, with the settlement proclaimed a town on 25th of August 1893. At first, hopeful diggers who rushed to the area were living in shacks and tents, but within a year, two-story dwellings were being constructed.

Coolgardie streetscape, possibly Ford street from corner of Woodward Street, WA, 1894. SLWA

Coolgardie, WA, circa 1894. State Library of Western Australia

Caption in original album: Store room. Structure made of bush logs, probably a "cool room". Covered by bushy objects, probably as insulation. Coolgardie, WA, SLWA

Alexander Forrest, grub-staked John Dunn in 1894, in the discovery of the Wealth of Nations mine north-west of Coolgardie.

Alexander Forrest and John Dunn at Coolgardie after returning from the Wealth of Nations find, 1894, SLWA

The Lady Forrest Mine, Coolgardie, WA, Western Australian Goldfields Courier (Coolgardie, WA : 1894 - 1898), Saturday 23 October 1897

Rapid Growth

Not only was getting to Coolgardie hazardous but once there, little water was available, sanitation was primitive and disease was rife. From 1894 to 1899, over 100 people died from typhoid fever alone. Despite this, the population boomed.

Typhoid Hospital

No. 9 Ward, Government Hospital, Coolgardie, WA, ca. 1897. SLWA

Water Shortage

The lack of water and the lack of sanitation at Coolgardie unleashed typhoid. This led to Coolgardie Hospital becoming the first tuberculosis hospital in Western Australia's. Most of the patients were miners, however, the nurses who were all women, also became infected . Miss Margaret O'Brien, was the first Matron of the Government Hospital in Coolgardie 1893.

From the beginning, various methods were tried to overcome the water problem. Condensers were one method used, to distill water from the salt lakes and flooded mines. This water was boiled and the steam produced was condensed. The cost of the water fluctuated, but methods improved over time.

This pictuie shows Mills and Innes's condenser in Coolgardie in 1894. Water was sold at 0d. per gallon. Norseman-Esperance News (WA : 1936 - 1954), Friday 28 January 1938

Vegetable garden near Government condenser, Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Saturday 19 July 1902

Growing

Bayley Street, Coologardie. Visible are the premises of Power & McCabe's Billiard Saloon; Friedland & Co., importer & general storekeeper; Davis & Co., butchers; the Western Hotel; the Bank of Australasia; F.A. Hoare, chemist; Dixon Henochsberg & Co., auctioneers, mining & commission agents; the Cobb & Co. booking office; the Union Bank of Australia; Askin & Nicholson; Smith & Smith, auctioneers and sharebrokers; J.L. Smith, chemist.Bayley Street, Coolgardie, 1894. SLWA

Escort loading gold in Coolgardie from the “Wealth of Nations Mine, WA (circa 1894)

Great Fire

The Great Fire of Coolgardie, 10 October 1895, wiped out a large part of the town, with about thirty shops destroyed by the fire.

Coolgardie Miner (WA : 1894 - 1911), Friday 24 May 1895

The Carnegie Expedition of 1896

The Carnegie expedition was funded by David Carnegie, who planned to travel over 2,000 km (1,200 mi) from Coolgardie to Halls Creek, as most of this area was unexplored by Europeans and unmapped. Carnegie hoped to find good pastoral or gold-bearing land and make a name for himself as an explorer. The party left Coolgardie on 9 July 1896.

This image shows a photograph of David Carnegie and three other members of his exploring expedition, circa 1897. Carnegie's party consisted of five men. His traveling companions were the prospectors Charles Stansmore and Godfrey Massie, bushman Joe Breaden, and Breaden's Aboriginal companion Warri

Cricket

WA cricket teams, Western Australian Goldfields Courier (Coolgardie, WA : 1894 - 1898), Saturday 5 February 1898

Brewery

Coolgardie Brewery, WA, Menzies Miner (WA : 1896 - 1901), Saturday 25 December 1897

Theatre Royal

Coolgardie's Theatre Royal opened in 1897 on the north side of Woodward St, between Hunt and Ford Streets. However, the theatre may have only operated until 1899.

Refreshment room of Theatre Royal, Coolgardie, WA, Coolgardie Pioneer (WA : 1895 - 1901), Saturday 19 December 1896

Coolgardie Views

Cobb and Co. booking office, Hayley St Coolgardie, WA

A house in the wilderness near Coolgardie, WA, circa 1897

Shepherd and shepherdess, Coolgardie, WA, approximately 1897, SLWA

Coolgardie, WA, circa 1898, British Library

Coolgardie, WA, circa 1897

Booming Population

By 1898, Coolgardie had a population of 15,000 residents, with more than 10,000 more living in the wider area.

It was no easy matter getting to Coolgardie, however. Most people wanting to make their way to the isolated spot walked 192 km from Southern Cross, along a bush track. An unknown person wrote these lines about the experience of travelling to Coolgardie.

Damn Coolgardie, damn the track
Damn it there and damn it back
Damn the country, damn the weather
Damn the goldfields altogether.

Getting There and Views

Prospector riding "Misery", a famous camel that travelled a record 600 mi without water, circa 1895

Coolgardie, WA, circa 1898, Helen and Alan2011

East end of Sylvester Street, Coolgardie, WA, 1898, Helen and Alan2011

Old Mine Shaft near Coolgardie, WA, Helen and Alan2011

Arrival of the Cob and Co. Coolgardie, WA, Leader (Melbourne, Vic. : 1862 - 1918, 1935), Saturday 30 May 1896

Going Well

Large crowd outside public exhibition building, Coolgardie, WA, circa 1899

In July 1897, the Lady Charlotte Gold Mines Ltd was floated in London for 100 000 pounds capital. The 10 head battery opened by the Premier, Sir John Forrest, in April 1899.Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Friday 19 May 1899

Coolgardie Pioneer (WA : 1895 - 1901), Saturday 12 August 1899

The Coolgardie safe

The Coolgardie safe was invented in the late 1890s by Arthur Patrick McCormick, who used the same principle as explorers and travellers in the Outback used to cool their canvas water bags.

The safe was made of wire mesh, hessian, a wooden frame, with a hot-dip galvanised iron tray on top, filled with water. The hessian bag was hung over the side with one of the ends in the tray to soak up the water. Gradually the hessian bag, acting as a wick, would draw water from the tray by the process of capillary action.

Northern Star (Lismore, NSW : 1876 - 1954), Friday 13 October 1933

Heyday

The rough town of Coolgardie transformed, as the settlement grew. Hotels, banks and many shops were built and flourished. Then, in 1896, the rail system reached Coolgardie and a pipeline of fresh-water arrived in 1902.

With 23 hotels, three breweries, six banks, a hospital, two stock exchanges, and many small businesses and three daily and four weekly newspapers, in the early 1900s, Coolgardie was a vibrant place to be.

Bayley Street, Coolgardie, WA, circa 1900-1935. State Library of Western Australia

Coolgardie prospector, WA, circa 1900.

Railway

The Eastern Goldfields Railway was built in the 1890s by the Western Australian Government Railways to connect Perth with the Eastern Goldfields at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. The first train arrived at Coolgardie 23 march 1896.

Aboriginal people participating in a performance to mark the opening of the Coolgardie Railway Line, 23rd of March 1896. SLWA

Arrival of the first train March 23 1896, Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954), Sunday 18 September 1932

Views

Group of people, Darling, William F.; Darling, Ethel; Darling, Charles, sitting amongst bush huts, circa 1896, Museums Victoria https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/770238

Post Office and Police Station, Coolgardie, W.A. - early 1900s. Kaye

Afghan Cameleers

Camels were first used for in Australia during the Burke and Wills' expedition in 1860. Two years later, camels were brought from South Australia to the Western Australian goldfields. The handlers of these camels, the so-called Afghan cameleers, actually came from a variety of countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt.

The Mahomet brothers who came to Western Australia in 1892, operated camel stations and sold supplies and water. In January 1896, Tagh Mahomet was shot in the back while praying in the Coolgardie Mosque, by Goulah Mahomet, who was hanged for the murder. (more information)

Jamadar Faiz Mahomet and son, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 10 September 1898

Faiz & Tagh Mahomet Coolgardie, Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 10 September 1898

Goulburn Evening Penny Post (NSW : 1881 - 1940), Thursday 16 January 1896

Football

A group of Coolgardie footballers, WA, Coolgardie Pioneer (WA : 1895 - 1901), Saturday 12 June 1897

Murder and Passion

In 1898, widow Elizabeth Gold was working as a nurse at the Coolgardie Government Hospital and supposedly, engaging in an affair with her neighbour, Kenneth Snodgrass. Then one night, Ms Gold attended a local ball and danced with various gentlemen there. This enraged Mr Snodgrass and he shot Ms Gold, as she was on her way to another ball.

Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Friday 3 June 1898

Coolgardie People

Aboriginal people from North Coolgardie, WA, very early 1900s, Aussie~mobs

A Coolgardie Gold Prosperctor, Western Australia - very early 1900s, S.P.G. Missionary postcard - S.P.G. stands for Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, Aussie~mobs

Dry blowing is a method to extract gold particles from dry soil without the use of water. Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Saturday 22 December 1900

Coolgardie Hospital, W.A. - circa 1900, Aussie~mobs

Aboriginal person from the Eastern Goldfields, Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Saturday 19 July 1902

THE MALE WARDS AT THE COOLGARDIE CONSUMPTIVE HOME, WA, Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Saturday 1 February 1908

Trapped in a Mine

An Italian miner, Modesto Varischetti became trapped in a gold mine for nine days after a thunderstorm flooded it in March 1907. Varischetti survived in an air pocket until he was rescued. The gold mine was located at Bonnievale, near Coolgardie.

Group of helpers who assisted with the rescue of Modesto Varischetti, Kalgoorlie Western Argus (WA : 1896 - 1916), Tuesday 9 April 1907

Divers who rescued Modesto Varischetti, Kalgoorlie Western Argus (WA : 1896 - 1916), Tuesday 9 April 1907

Modesto Varischetti in hospital after the rescue, Kalgoorlie Western Argus (WA : 1896 - 1916), Tuesday 9 April 1907

Two nurses at Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie Western Argus (WA : 1896 - 1916), Tuesday 21 July 1908

WW1

Captain Arthur Thomas Rogers Australian Infantry, A.I.F. was born on 3 June 1889 in Coolgardie, the son of Edward and Mary Rogers. He enlisted on 16 August 1915 as a Lieutenant in 32nd Battalion, D Company. His unit embarked from Adelaide, South Australia on board HMAT A2 Geelong on 18 November 1915 (or possibly HMAT A13 Katuna on 24 November 1915). He was promoted to Captain on 29 January 1917 and was awarded the Military Cross for his actions on 27-29 August 1918. Captain Rogers was killed in action on 29 September 1918, AWM

1920s

Two well -known native identities from the goldfields, WA, Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930), Tuesday 22 May 1923

1930s

With the turn of the twentieth century, the surface gold was depleted and Coolgardie began to decline. Many of the diggers left to seek their fortunes elsewhere and by 1930, Coolgardie was almost a ghost town with a population of 100.

Names here, Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 22 September 1932, page 3

The first aeroplane in Western Australia in Bayley Stret, Coolgardie, Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 5 January 1933

A Long Walk

"Two Melbourne women, who walked
from Fremantle to Coolgardie during the
gold rush days, have come to Western
Australia for the "Back to the Goldfields"
celebrations. They are Mrs. A. Tedge
and Mrs. E. Nicholls, daughters of the
late Mr. John Colling. On Thursday they
told the story of how they trudged from
Fremantle to Coolgardie behind the wag
gonette which carried the family chattels."

West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Saturday 3 September 1938

Coolgardie Miner (WA : 1935 - 1954), Thursday 27 January 1938

This old picture, published in "The Sun" at the klne shows the remarkable feat el a retnsm&n of Cobb and Co., who, for a bet, turned a coach drawn by 11 horses in Bayley street, which weald be little more in width than the length of coach and team. The buildings in the background are the Coolgardie Post Office (still standing) and the Victoria Hotel (long since disappeared) v on which can be seen an advertisement for the product of the Coolgardie Lion Brewer y (also long disappeared). Sun (Kalgoorlie, WA : 1939), Sunday 23 July 1939

Visitors to Coolgardie for a Corroboree, WA Sun (Kalgoorlie, WA : 1939), Sunday 19 February 1939

WWII

"KILO 89. PTE. F.H. HILT 2/11 SHAKES HANDS WITH SIG. F. SHAW, PTE. R.R. DOMNEY ALL FROM COOLGARDIE WHO WERE COBBERS BEFORE." 2/11th Australian Infantry Battalion, Second World War, 1939-1945AWM

The inter-town fire brigades. The Coolgardie team, WA. Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Thursday 30 January 1941

1950s

"A WONGKAI tribesman takes a last look at the totem boards that tell of the dawn of his people's
history." Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Wednesday 11 July 1951

1960s

Coolgardie, WA, circa 1969, gcosserat

Coolgardie, WA, 1960-70s, brett jordan

1970s

Coolgardie, WA, 1970s, RobethK

1990s

On way to Coolgardie, WA, about 1995 Verfain

Coolgardie was once the third-largest town in Western Australia after Perth and Fremantle, boasting a population of 30,000 people. Today, however, Coolgardie only has about 850 residents, but it welcomes many tourists attracted by its goldrush-era buildings and mining history.

New mining methods revitalised the town briefly, as did the discovery of nickel deposits. Today Coolgardie is mostly a tourist destination for those who wish to gain an insight into the heyday of the gold rush.

Visitors visiting Coolgardie can wander around the streets of charming, grand heritage buildings and meander through the historic cemetery, where the graves of several Afghan camel drivers can be found.

Around Coolgardie