20150930 WA Kalgoorlie

30-09-2015 The outback mining city of Kalgoorlie is famous for two things – goldmining and the red light district on Hay Street, in fact, the two go pretty much hand in hand.  It was because of the miners who settled the town that a demand for the second profession arose, with men vastly outnumbering the woman in the early days of the town’s history.  Some of the old ‘tin shed’ brothels still stand, and even though they double as a tourist attraction these days, they are still utilised by the locals and visitors to escape the hardships of living a miners life.

Des walking Hay Street (dream on) the home of the WORLDS oldest working brothel, Questa Casa, is at least 111 years old and is the only original brothel remaining from Kalgoorlie’s famous gold rush and the only brother that has the famous “STARTING DOORS” (where the ladies first talk to the men) still operating, the girls throw open these doors nightly.  The same tin rooms that have been used since the house was established, the rooms are cramped, freezing in winter and stifling hot in summer.  The brothels are pretty much an everyday part of the culture here, and while prostitution is illegal in Western Australia, the brothels are tolerated by police so long as they stay out of trouble.  This relationship between the law and the brothels has existed since the beginning and was solidified in the early 1900.  Eager to keep their wives and children from being exposed to such trade, complaints were made about what was then known as Brookman St.  The name was strategically changed at this time to Hay St, so that when a good law abiding citizen reported a brothel operating on a premises out of Brookman St, the police could kindly inform them that no such address existed.

Come fuck me boots which are custom made for the person wearing them as they go right up to her thighs.  These are used in the bondage room where the men pay a pretty price for each item used, they even have to pay for the mirror, or a bag is placed over his head.  Some men have paid anything up to $2000 to have all the items used, the dirty little pricks.

York Hotel 1901
This hotel is one of the more photographed buildings in Kalgoorlie due to it's Federation Dutch style.

 Patrick Hannan (Paddy), who discovered gold on the 19^th June 1893, this was the first claim in what would soon become, Kalgoorlie.

The Exchange Hotel, is such an impressive looking hotel overlooking the main street in all its splendor, I just love the old Queenslander look of this hotel.

01-10-2015  The town has a lot to offer and we were told to check out the museum, apparently it is well worth a look along with and we the open Gold Mine.

The mining lift, stands at the entrance of the Museum but unfortunately it wasn’t operating.

A longed-beaked echidna which was around during the Pleistocene ere (2.6 million to 10,000 years ago).  The bones were found in 1914 at a mammoth cave in the Margaret River area.  Related to the Short-beaked echidna or commonly known as the Spiny Anteater.  It was the largest monotreme (primitive mammal) in the world, about the same size as a sheep.

Mulga Bill reputedly pushed the bicycle from Southern Cross to Mt Barker.

Dromedary Camel Skull: Truly a ‘Ship in the Desert,’ in Australia the one-humped camel assisted in the exploration and expanding trades through the barren interior of the continent during the late 1800.  Most were later released and became the forebears of the largest wild camel population in the world that now numbers nearly a million.

Man Trap Reputedly used by miners to stop trespassing on his gold show.  When sprung, the trap’s jaw would have closed suddenly with considerable force causing serious injury or even death.

Gross, but true: They fly into your mouth, promenade all over your face, buzz into your ears, & keep rushing into your eyes until you nearly go mad.  Nothing keeps them off & some will even stop in the corner of your eye until death ensures. They are simply maddening & never give you a moment peace from daylight till dark.  The only decent time of the day is, the cool of the evening when the flies have gone to roost.

Who remembers the old outdoor dunny and phenyl and sawdust was used to help with the smell, which was not pleasant.

Gold Bar, on the 18 February, 1991 the London Bullion Market Association granted accreditation of goods delivery status to 400 ounce bars of gold refined by the Australian Gold Refineries Kalgoorlie plant.  This is the first of those bars to reach the world’s bullion markets bearing its own Kalgoorlie stamp and number K00001.

“Show Me the Money” say no more.

Lead Knuckle Bones
Real knuckle bones were from sheep's legs joint bones, were more commonly used.  There were many game variations, including the popular '1-2-3-4-5 pick up', and don't forget the good old Marbles made from stone, clay and pottery.

Who remembers the Kewpie Dolls, my memory was at the Ekka when you could buy the dolls on a stick and I would play with it for hours.

 The Notice Reads: “My luck ran out prospecting, and now I’m out here pulling sandalwood.  It’s hard yakka but it keeps me going.  We pull the trees, bullocks take them to the railhead and blokes in Fremantle stack the wood on ships bound for South-East Asia.”  I am told its sandalwood powder that makes “joss sticks” which the Asian’s burn in there Temples.  My mate, Mick says we’ve been sending them sandalwood from these parts since 1845! 3000 to 4000 tonnes a year went over in the early days.  I live in this tent when I am working in the bush.

The Super Pit, to become a fully qualified truck driver, employees must complete a 6 month trainee-ship.  The truck drivers’ average 18 loads out of the Super Pit each 12 hour shift.  As I stood there watching these trucks drive up and down the pit, I think to myself “what a boring job” but I’m guessing they are on bloody good money.

To become a fully qualified Shovel operator, employees must have completed training on all other equipment in the pit.  Shovel operators average 675 buckets or 150 truckloads every 12 hour shift.