Coolgardie (2 of 2)

Coolgardie

 

The old Railway Station, built in 1896 and closed in 1971 after the Trans Australian railway line was relocated north of the town, is now a transport museum.

Warden Finnerty’s Residence, built in 1895 for the man whose job it was to lay down the ground rules for the miners, has been restored by the national Trust and is open for inspection.

A unique reminder of Coolgardie’s early days is the Gaol Tree, to which prisoners awaiting trial were changed before the town’s first lock-up was built.

Coolgardie Cemetery and the Old Pioneer Cemetery illustrate the dangers faced by the pioneers—not just the ordeal of distance by the risks of primitive mine shafts, unsanitary conditions and lack of water or bad water.  It was written that at the time “one half of Coolgardie was busy burying the other half”.

Ben Prior’s Open Air Museum, one of the most unusual museums in Australia, has an assortment of relies from Coolgardie’s pioneering days including machinery, mining equipment and the large covered wagons used by the more fortunate prospectors.

The Coolgardie Battery, just out of town, is the last of the many gold treatment plants built to extract gold from the rock dug out by the thousands of small prospectors.  Tour of the Battery include the thrilling sight of gold bars being poured.

Visual source:  pleasetakemeto

 

 

Coolgardie (1 of 2)

Coolgardie

 

Once the center of Australia’s greatest gold rush, Coolgardie is now the nation’s best-preserved ghost town.

In 1892, prospector Arthur Bayley was told by a man he had saved from dying of thirst that there was gold to the east of Southern Cross, then the easternmost point of the gold rush.

Bayley and his friend Bill Ford set off and soon found a fabulous reef of gold which they named “Bayley’s Reward”.  When Bayley rode back to Southern Cross carrying 554oz (16.8kg) of gold, the rush to Coolgardie began.

By 1990, Coolgardie had a population  of 15,000 with two stock exchanges, 60 stores, 23 hotels, three breweries, many churches, and six newspapers.  But, although Bayley’s Reward continued to produce gold until 1963, the rush had ended by 1914.

Now a quiet town of 2,000 people, Coolgardie has carefully preserved the best of its past.  Its wide streets are lined by grand stone and brick buildings mixed with corrugated iron and timber homes, reflecting the wealth and impermanence of the gold rush.

The 1898 Mining Registrar’s office and Courthouse, a two-storey stone building on Coolgardie’s  main street, now houses the Coolgardie Tourist Bureau and Goldfield’s Exhibition, the most comprehensive prospecting museum in Western Australia.  The story of the prospectors, their lives, successes and hardships is told in displays, photographs and artefacts covering the town’s meteoric rise and decline.  The building also houses Aboriginal artefacts, illustrating how the original inhabitants survived in the harsh climate.

Visual source:  pleasetakemeto

 

 

Manaus, Brazil

Manaus, Brazil

 

Welcome to South America’s largest and most populous country.  You will experience one of nature’s unique anomalies—the Meeting of the Waters. Cruise along the yellow-gray Rio Solimoes to its confluence with the chocolate-colored Rio Negro, where the two rivers form the might Amazon.  For your tour miles the differently colored bodies of water flow side by side and never mix!  You can enjoy the Jungle Island with fascinating native flora and fauna. 

Manaus is located in the densest part of the Amazon Jungle, it retains vestiges of its glory days from the rubber boom.  This is evident during today’s stop at the famous Opera House, built in 1886 with materials imported from Europe.  You’ll can visit the two museums documenting a way of life from a bygone era to the present time; the Museum of Natural sciences and the Indian Museum. 

Visual source:  tripadvisor

 

 

Westonia

Westonia

 

Just off Route 94, the small town of Westonia 310km cast of Perth gained its name from Alfred David Weston, a sparetime prospector who stumbled across gold in 1910 while on his way to the Goldfields.

Weston’s discovery sparked a rush of prospectors, and the ruins of just one of the many gold mines, the Edna-May can be seen 1km outside the town. 

The historic Edna-May Tavern is Westonia evokes the simple architectural charm of an earlier age.

Sandford Rocks, one of the many granite outcrops throughout The Golden Way, is a popular picnic stop just east of Westonia.

Visual source:  jocom

 

 

Leonora

Leonora

 

Explorer John Forrest led the first party into this area in 1869 while searching for the lost Leichhards expedition, and named an isolated peak Mount Leonora in honor of the wife of the then Western Australian Governor.

In 1896 the first gold claims were pegged at Leonora and its twin town of Gwalia mine became the largest underground mine outside the Kalgoorlie Golden Mile and at its peak the town died with it.

Much of the original mine is intact, including the 25m head frame built in 1898, now houses a fascinating historical display.

The best way to experience the history of Gwalia and its transition to modern times is to walk the 1 km-long Gwalia Heritage Trail.

While the towns around it died, Leonora has survived as an administrative center for the copper, nickel and revived gold mining industries and the surrounding sheep stations.  Many of its original 1890s buildings have survived with it.

Visual source:  panoramio

 

 

Laverton

Laverton

 

If anywhere typified the rip-roaring image of the gold rush, it was the Laverton district at the turn of the century.

Such was the wild behavior of the miners in the district, it was reckoned that at one stage the only person buried in the Burtville cemetery who had died from natural causes was a six-week old baby.

Laverton declined after the surface gold was mined out in the early 1900s, but revived in the 1970s following the discovery of nickel at nearby Windarra.

The giant Windarra mine, centerpiece of the fabulous Poseidon nickel boom of the early 1970s, can be viewed by visitors although the mine itself is not open for inspection.

Visitors can use Laverton as a base to explore the many ghost towns and abandoned gold mines in the district, including Burtville, Gladiator, Heffernans and Just in Time.

Laverton, 360k north of kalgoorlie, is the end of the sealed section of the Warburton Range Road.  It is also accessible by air from Perth and kalgoorlie.

Visual source:  theplancollection

South Dakota … Great Faces.Great Places.

Mount Rushmore

 

“At least once in your lifetime”

Mount Rushmore is definitely worth seeing.  It is a symbol of America, of freedom, of our national pride.  Four presidents’ faces are carved in the side of a mountain in the beautiful Black Hills… If  you’re never been to Mount Rushmore—you should go at least once in your lifetime!  www.TravelSD.com

Visual source:  computerservicenow

 

 

The Barossa Valley

The Barossa Valley

 

Savour the delights, experience the culture

Vintage delights down in the valley.

The Barossa Valley – one of the world’s greatest wine producing areas … a focus for outstanding festivals, food and hospitality … a rural community with a special place in Australian history and culture .. a timeless landscape beckoning you to share its charms … and only one hour from the city of Adelaide.

Raise your glasses … there’s so much to celebrate.

Vines among gumtrees ..

A European chateau surrounded by Australian gumtrees full of birdlife.  The Barossa has blended its rich German heritage with the best of Australia.  A delicious variety of premium wines are ready to taste in imposing settings, vie-covered courtyards or humble stone cottages.  And don’t forget the food!  The famous Barossa butchers, bakers and restaurateurs have many delicacies with a taste of Europe – and why not then tour the charming villages and historic homesteads for a flavor of pioneer life?

A time to indulge.

Seeking a special experience?  Then sweep over the valley by hot air balloon to see the patchwork of vines, a scattering of cockatoos and glistening church spires spread before you Touch down to a champagne breakfast before exploring the many art galleries and craft shops.

Spend the night in a cosy cottage, country hotel or luxurious lodge.  Linger in front of that winter log fine and savour the atmosphere – you deserve it!

In tune with the season …

When you enter the valley, you switch into Barossa time – a life in harmony with the grapevine …  of spring green, summer fruit and autumn gold.  And music keeps time with the season – with the rejoicing of church balls, organs and choirs … and the celebrations of brass bands, street fairs and parades of harvest time.  Whether you prefer a party atmosphere or peaceful retreat, the choice is yours in this special world.  Locals call it ‘Gemutlichheit’ – you’d call it ‘the good life’ and you’re very welcome to share it.

Visual source:  singlestravel

 

 

Big Stonecoal Trail

Big Stonecoal Trail

 

The Big Stonecoal Trail (U.S.F.S. No. 513, 4.4 miles)  begins at the Red Creek Trail and connects to the Rocky Point and Dunkenbarger trails before terminating  at the Breathed Mountain Trail in the northwestern corner of the Wilderness.  It follows an abandoned logging-railroad grade overlooking Big Stonecoal Run.  After passing through a mix of deciduous forest and red pine and spruce groves, it opens onto windswept grasslands dotted with beaver ponds as well as blue gentian, black-eyed Susan, gold-enrod, mulleins, Queen Anne’s lace, and yarrow.

According  to John Holden, a seasoned backpacker who counts the dolly sod wilderness among his favorite hiking destinations, “If you could design a hiking trail, you couldn’t do much better than the Big Stonecoal Trail—perfect slide waterfalls lead up to highland meadows with spruce groves and alpine vegetation.”

Visual source:  panoramio