Australia's Golden Outback

Wave Rock, Hyden, WA. Photo credit: Copyright Tourism Western Australia

Australia’s Golden Outback

No, we’re not getting all misty-eyed in our descriptions of this huge part of Western Australia. This area really is known as Australia’s Golden Outback (albeit the result of a fairly recent marketing rebrand) – and with good reason.

It’s the colour of the beaches of Esperance. It’s the glowing wheat fields of Merredin and Hyden. And it’s the precious metal they pull out of the ground in vast quantities. On it and in it, there’s gold in this part of the outback.

It is a vast area covering 54% of the entire state. Within it you’ll find big skies, endless roads, shifting deserts and farms as big as English counties. It may take some time to explore, but it’s worth the effort.

Things to do in Australia’s Golden Outback

Kalgoorlie
It’s a mighty seven hour drive from Perth to Kalgoorlie, although you could catch a plane or train if that amount of time behind the wheel seems rather daunting.

This is the heart of Western Australia’s goldfields – and the largest one too.
The town owes its existence to the gold rush, and is a heritage feast of beautiful turn-of-the-century architecture. It’s somehow pleasing to see that at least some of the riches found underground have been put to use creating riches above it.

Super Pit: Gold mining is still big business. Guided tours of the aptly monikered Super Pit give you a shuddering sense of the sheer scale of the operation. 900,000 ounces of gold are produced each year from the 3.6km long, 1.6km wide and 512m deep pit. It’s one of the largest in the world.
Hannan Street: Kalgoorlie owes its existence to gold, and gold owes its discovery to Paddy Hannan (see sidebar). Hannan Street is where you’ll find the city’s largest collection of cafes and restaurants, bars and nightclubs.
Kalgoorlie-Boulder WA Museum: Find out what life was like for the prospectors and their families who lived here in the early 1900s, learn the practicalities of finding gold, and view the state’s largest collection of gold bars and nuggets.

The world’s longest golf course
Fancy a quick round? Tackle the 18 holes (par 72) of the Nullarbor Links and you’ll travel 1365km. You’ll find one hole in each of the participating towns along the Nullarbor Plain’s Eyre Highway. Technically, hole 1 is in Ceduna, South Australia and hole 18 is in Kalgoorlie, but it doesn’t matter which way you play it as it’s not the busiest of courses.

Tees and greens usually have artificial grass with expanses of natural desert between them, although some holes take advantage of pre-existing courses.

Lake Ballard
In 2003, the Perth International Arts Festival commemorated its 50th anniversary by commissioning the ‘Inside Arts’ exhibition. Antony ‘Angel of the North’ Gormley installed 51 sculptures around Lake Ballard. The humanoid statues are best viewed early morning or late evening, and take your boots as it can get muddy.

To get there, head 180km north of Kalgoorlie. Roads are sealed as far as Menzies, but the final 55km are unsealed. Although the road condition is good, do check the weather before you head out.

Wave Rock
Head east from Perth for 340km (3 to 4 hours’ drive) and you’ll eventually reach Wave Rock. It is, as with so much of Australia’s landscape, unlikely and magnificent all in one go. 110m long, 15m high and 2,700 million years old, the granite cliff really does look as if a powerful tidal wave has been turned to stone mid-tsunami.

Hyden & Mulka’s Cave
You’re deep in wheat belt country here, and just outside Hyden you’ll find wheat and canola fields so vast that sometimes there’s sky, field and seemingly nothing else all the way to the horizon.

In winter, just after rain, wildflowers bloom in huge quantities. While you’re in the area, check out Mulka’s Cave, the site of more than 450 aboriginal rock paintings.

Gascoyne Murchison and Mt Augustus
The north-west of the region is dotted with notable rock formations that puncture the rich, red earth. Mightiest of all is Mt Augustus. At 750m it’s twice the height of Uluru (Ayers Rock) and enjoys selling itself as the world’s largest monolith (despite the fact that there’s all sorts of geological dispute over the claim and many would say it’s actually a monocline – so there).

Visit the area in spring for a glorious display of wildflowers. There’s plenty of indigenous art to explore too, and don’t miss the views from Emu Hill.

Esperance
For beaches, head to the south coast and base yourself in Esperance. South-east of the town, Cape Le Grand National Park has some of Western Australia’s best white, sandy beaches. Lucky Bay, a 40 minute drive from town, is perhaps the most idyllic of all. Stretching for 5kms, there’s more than enough space to ensure you get plenty of room to yourself.

Keep an eye out for wildlife: kangaroos enjoy the beaches, and from July to October you might just glimpse a migrating whale or two.

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Western Australia

Striking it rich

The secret of Paddy Hannan’s success was that before he attempted to strike gold, first he struck water.

Unlike his peers he had the ability to travel light and operate in the harshest, most arid terrains.

His ability to find the water to sustain him and his colleagues meant he could prospect where others couldn’t. And that was how, in 1893, he discovered Australia’s richest goldfield, in Kalgoorlie.

Silky pear land

Kalgoorlie goes by numerous names. Its full title is Kalgoorlie-Boulder, though it’s usually shortened to just Kal.
The name is derived from the Wangai word Karlkurla, meaning ‘place of the silky pears.’ That’s a type of bush tucker, in case you were wondering.

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