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Coolgardie, Western Australia. Born during the goldrush days, the town is now regarded as "The Old Camp" and is literally a living history, retaining many aspects of it's rich and colourful history.
It's charm and friendliness of the locals make it a great town to discover the goldfields.
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Coolgardie is an inland town situated in the Goldfields area of Australia's Golden Outback tourist region. Coolgardie is at the site of Western Australia's first gold rush period of the 1870's. Situated on the major highway route to Australia's eastern states.
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Goldfields Exhibition Museum |
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Housed in one of the most magnificent buildings in the region, the 1898 Warden's Court. The museum traces the discovery, boom and decline of Coolgardie. Houses one of the largest and comprehensive displays of bottles and glassware in Australia with some dating back to 300BC.
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55 kilometres south of Coolgardie, this is the original site of Woodline Dam. The area is now a popular nature reserve for tourists which has attracted a lot of native Australian wildlife. It is a popular area for recreation and is a very scenic picnic ground. The waters are also great for swimming.
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Take up the opportunity to experience Camel Riding while in Coolgardie. Hour and day long treks are available into the surrounding Australian Outback. Learn the history of these animals and see the Camel calves. Authentic Aboriginal artifacts are on display and for purchase.
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A granite outcrop which is great for rock-climbing, sight-seeing and picnics. A nature track winds through the reserve and is great for viewing the many Australian wildflowers when in season and the native Australian wildlife of the region. Rock-climbing is popular amongst enthusiasts.
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Coolgardie has a semi-arid climate and receives little rainfall. Surrounded by desert, vegetation is in the form of scrubland and tall trees are hard to find. In Summer, temperatures soar but at night in contrast, temperatures can be very cold compared to the heat of the day. In Summer (December to February), the average maximum temperature is 29°C with an average minimum temperature of 15°C. In Winter (June to August), the average maximum temperature is 18°C with an average minimum temperature of 7°C.
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The name 'Coolgardie' is said to have come from various sources. Theories state it could have come from the Aboriginal name 'golgardi' which they called the area. Others suggest that 'Cookardie' was it's derivative, an Aboriginal name for the rocky pool at the end of the low ridge. Coolgardie was first explored by H.M. Lefroy in 1863 and C.C. Hunt in 1864. It was as a result of Hunt's efforts that the area became accessible to Europeans.
Gold was discovered by Arthur Bayley and prompted the greatest gold rush in Australian history. By 1897, over 700 mining companies had been floated in London and by 1898 the town was the 3rd largest in Western Australia with a population of 15 000. The water pipeline arrived in 1903 further encouraging the town. However, by World War I the town was in decline. People had moved to Kalgoorlie where the gold was more plentiful and by 1921, Coolgardie had ceased to be a municipality. Brief periods of improvement in gold price boosted the town but it was not until the late 1980's that the town grew again.
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