At the final stop on Kalgoorlie’s #heartofgold Discovery Trail, trailblazers are excited to finish their golden journey and eager to claim their #heartofgold commemorative medallion, however the Museum of the Goldfields is just the beginning of another golden adventure.
The Museum of the Goldfields’ Ivanhoe Headframe provides a 360 degree view over the City of Kalgoorlie-Boudler.
Enter ‘The Gold Vault’ to uncover a veritable treasure trove of shining artefacts!
Kalgoorlie #heartofgold Discovery Trail walkers can collect their commemorative medallion from the Museum of the Goldfields’ staff.
At the final stop on Kalgoorlie’s #heartofgold Discovery Trail trailblazers enter the Museum of the Goldfields to discover the hidden gold nugget in the Gold Vault using augmented reality and spot the gold destinations from the top of the Ivanhoe Headframe using the 360 panorama on the Heart of Gold Australia app.
But once you have completed the trail, there is much more to discover, so stay a while and visit their 11 unique exhibits, including an authentic Miner’s Cottage, replicas of mining entrepreneur Claude DeBernale’s opulent Kalgoorlie and Perth office and boardrooms, and the spectacular Gold Vault.
Located at the top of historic Hannan Street in the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, the Museum of the Goldfields is a veritable treasure trove of historic artefacts and stories that tell the tale of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
The Museum provides a tangible account of how important gold mining was and how large a role it played in the region’s ongoing development, since the first discovery in 1897.
Uncover the hardships faced by those trying to strike it rich during the gold rush, learn how early prospectors hunted for the precious metal, and bask in the shine of the largest display of Western Australian gold bars and nuggets.
One of the Museum’s long-term exhibits, an authentic Miner’s Cottage, provides visitors with insight into the living conditions and social lives of early goldfields settlers.
In comparison, the opulent Kalgoorlie and Perth office and boardrooms of Claude De Bernales - a successful mining entrepreneur who made his fortunes on the Kalgoorlie-Boulder goldfields - stand in stark contrast to the typical Miner’s Cottage, and shows the divide between those who struck it rich and those who were less fortunate.
The Gold Vault features a spectacular collection of gold, jewellery, a unique Geological Survey collection of nuggets, decorative miners’ brooches, the first gold bar refined in Kalgoorlie-Boulder and other historical items. The Gold Vault is also the most secure public access vault in Australia, housing half of the State's gold collection! Tip: Download the free Heart of Gold Australia app to find the elusive gold nugget!
An icon that is easily spotted from anywhere in town, the Museum’s Ivanhoe Headframe makes for a picturesque souvenir. Simply take the Museum’s lift to the top and step out onto a platform with a view!
Not only providing visitors with a birds-eye view of the Museum’s courtyard and outdoor exhibits, the headframe’s 360-degree view of Kalgoorlie-Boulder provides a unique opportunity to spot some other notable sites including: the enormous expanse of The Super Pit, the golden dome of the Kalgoorlie Courthouse, the striking pink walls of the Kalgoorlie Town Hall and much more. Tip: Download the free Heart of Gold Australia app to discover the locations in the distance using interactive panorama!
The Museum of the Goldfields is free to enter and open from 10am to 3pm daily, with tours beginning at 10:30am. For more information and to plan your visit, see the website.
Visit the Musuem of the Goldfields and other iconic gold tourism locations on the Kalgoorlie #heartofgold Discovery trail - available on the Heart of Gold Australia app, free to download from iTunes or Google Play.