The starting point

The starting point

Thursday, 24 May 2018

21&22/5/18 A bit of funny business

 Well rested from our driving escapades , we headed into Kalgoorlie , but not before going down to the Superpit Lookout - Hmmm problem here , the lookout is closed , as is the Superpit itself - apparently during a meal break on one shift last week , there was an earth tremor that caused a part of the pit wall to collapse , which caused them to cease work and stop all access . The only way to view it is from the air . We will wait and see if it reopens this week . 
 From here we headed to Mt Charlotte on the eastern edge of town . Mt Charlotte has a water reservoir that supplies Kalgoorlie with water , it’s the end point of the Golden Pipeline . The Golden Pipeline runs from just outside Perth , all the way to Kalgoorlie , then a smaller line goes to Norseman . There are many towns and areas fed from this pipeline all the way from Perth which opened up a lot of country fro crops etc . 
  This is the view toward town , the pipeline is just below .


Mt Percy Gold Mine is next door .


Another mine is on the other side . Then there’s the massive mountain of spoil from the Superpit stretching into the distance .



Views over Kalgoorlie show some of the magnificient buildings , and the Mining Museum .



There’s a few gum trees out in blossom at the moment , bees were having a great time .



A pair of ringneck parrots came for a visit , here’s one .


 After walking around the hill and reservoir and checking the views , we went looking for the golf course . Finding the greenkeepers sheds on the other side of the course , we stopped in at the Arboretum , and went for a walk in amongst the River Red Gums , Salmon Gums and Pepper Trees .



After going on a cooks tour of the suburbs , we found the golf club and I booked in for a game . The course is rated as No 17 in the Top100 public access golf courses in Australia . It’s very picturesque with the red soil surrounding the green fairways & greens . This is one of the greens - there are 3 separate levels , one is about 1.2 m , the next about 1m - could be a bit tricky !!


 We headed around to the Dept. of Transport to investigate getting our WA drivers license’s and registration , getting the necessary paperwork . Day done .



 22/5/18

 Today consisted of washing , shopping , getting our licenses changed over , getting some information , looking around the Town Hall and a brothel tour . What ???? yes you read it correctly !
 Firstly , the Town Hall - it houses the Information Centre , but you can walk around & up stairs to a war museum and local sporting and other identities photo’s on the walls . The staircase is magnificient , floor boards creak & groan underfoot as you wander around looking at all the exhibits. Another feature are the ceilings - all are pressed tin ceilings - each area has a different pattern on it . Another feature is the Hall and the top tier of seating .




 Now , after some lunch we headed down Hay St , which would have been a very colourful street back in the day . Men outnumbered women 20 to 1 in the earlier part of last century , so there was a certain need to be met , and quite a profitable one at that . Brothels were highly regulated in Kalgoorlie - nothing happened without the knowledge and consent of the local detectives . The girls weren’t allowed out by themselves during the day , if they weren’t at work they needed a very good excuse - if they were found out & about they were escorted to the train station and put on a train out of town for 2 weeks , if it happened again , they were put on the train - never to return !! The brothels could be shut down if the rules & regulations weren’t followed - again , never to reopen . If the buildings fell down or burnt down , that was it for them - not to be rebuilt ! The police had the brothels under control and the system worked well . Women from all over the world worked here , there were only a certain amount allowed to work here and that was monitored by police , and the business could only be sold if all the police checks came back clear of any wrongdoing . 
  These two buildings - the pink fence and the red fence are the last remaining operating brothels in Kalgoorlie - our tour went for an hour & a quarter and was quite informative . 



The brothel industry is in decline - due to the internet & dating apps etc , but she is making some good money from the tours - our group was full and at $20 a head for over 50’s , she made $480 for the hour & a bit talk & show . One , sometimes two tours a day .
  After the tour we headed outside again quietly chuckling to ourselves , there were a lot of people there squirming in their seats while the stories were being told - we thought it was funny !!!
  Back up to Mt Charlotte for sunset and it didn’t disappoint .





 Cheers 

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