Kalgoorlie-Boulder Super Pit

The “off train excursion” offered for the evening was a trip to the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Mine, until 2016 Australia's largest open cut gold mine.  It's operated 24/7 and sounded really interesting so we signed up for it and ate early to ensure we were ready for the 21:00 departure.  Except the train was running ahead of schedule and an announcement was made that both early and late coaches would be laid on.  Unfortunately arrangements didn't go quite to plan and we got on an early coach at 20:15 but it wasn't allowed to leave until 21:00.

The Super Pit covers more than 26,000 hectares of leases and is made up of around 260 individual mining leases joined together.  Its history stretches back to 1893 and the Gold Rush era, when Paddy Hannan discovered 100 ounces of gold in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. This sparked the Western Australia gold rush and the discovery of the ‘Golden Mile’, one of the richest gold deposits in the world.  Around 15 million tonnes of rock is moved from the Super Pit every year and since its discovery, 58 million ounces of gold has been mined from it.  It has been due for closure for a few years but new discoveries keep extending its life.

The Super Pit (internet images)

However when we got to it about 21:45 it was completely dark and there were very few vehicles working in the area visible from the viewing point.  A complete waste of time - this was my best image.

Even the coach driver admitted there wasn't a lot to see (understatement).  He then drove us to another area where a naff play about the prospector Paddy Hannon was put on for us and en route kept describing this we could "see" to the right and left.  Several people shouted back that we could see nothing - it was dark and we didn't have the benefit of his headlights!

I'd read it was a pretty poor excursion but had somehow hoped it would be a little interesting.  It was a complete and utter waste of time and by the time we got back on the train about 23:00 the bar was closed.  I was cold and tired so went to make us a drink (hot drink station at the end of the sleeping carriage) but there was no hot water.  I collared a steward who told me the water would be back on when the train departed but was unable to tell me if that would be 1/4, 1/2, 1 hour so I gave up and we went to bed.  In fact the train didn't leave for about another 3 hours so I was glad I didn't bother to wait.

And when the train did finally move, we discovered just how many different directions a body can be shaken at the same time.