In the Great Western Woodlands the discovery of Gold in the 1890’s saw a major influx of people into the region. This period known as the gold rush saw people travel from all over the world to try and make a fortune.
These early times were tough as the harsh outback conditions made life difficult. Within a decade, the regions population had exploded to 50,000 people, the worlds longest water pipeline had been constructed, hundreds of mining companies had been floated on the London Stock exchange and many new towns had been built.
Today a total of 1,400 tonnes of gold has been extracted from the ‘greenstone’ ores, and nickel and other resources are also being extracted.
The Eastern Goldfields of WA is one of the richest mineral provinces in the World. Currently approximately 300 mines operate in the Great Western Woodlands and the industry is a major employer in the region. There are more than 5000 existing mineral tenements in the Great Western Woodlands and almost 2,000 more pending. These tenements cover nearly 10 million of the 16 million hectares in the Great Western Woodlands.
In this picture - KCGM Super-pit
KCGM produces up to 800,000 ounces of gold per year and has approximately 1200 people working on site. The Super Pit is currently about 3.7 kilometres long, 1.55 kilometres wide and 460 metres deep. This brings the depth to below sea level at the bottom of the Super Pit. There is a public lookout at the end of Outram Street in Boulder, which allows you to take a look at this enormous mining operation in action.
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