Coolgardie, Western Australia
Coolgardie is a small town in Western Australia, located 558 km east of Perth in the region of Goldfields - Esperance. This city is now one of about 800 inhabitants, but it was once the third largest city in Western Australia with 15,000 inhabitants to Perth and Fremantle, as the gold rush end of the 19th century brought many miners there. Today this place is known to most residents in Western Australia as a tourist and ghost town.
History
On September 17, 1892 Arthur Bayley brought with his partner William Ford 554 ounces of gold ( 15.7 kg ) to Southern Cross, which he had found in the field of Coolgardie. Back in November were hundreds of miners on the goldfields of Coolgardie and thus founded the city. In 1898 when it was the third largest city in Australia, it had a population of about 15,000 inhabitants; another 10,000 in the surrounding area were added. 700 mining companies of Coolgardie were then registered on the London Stock Exchange. The town had several businesses and was accessible by rail since 1896 .. The place had a swimming pool, the first public bath in this state, many hotels and some magazines. An adequate water supply through the Golden Pipeline was only possible in 1903.
Coolgardie was significant for the colony Western Australia in the 1890s because they allowed the colony to become an Australian state. The eastern colonies around Coolgardie and other regional goldfields, such as Kalgoorlie wanted to found a new state called Aurlia, in the event that the Government of Perth would not agree to a referendum on a federal state. However, the former Western Australian Government approved the referendum reluctantly. The referendum was held just in time, as Western Australia should be a federal state. Coolgardie was the time of election in 1901, the center of the federal electoral district, the Division of Coolgardie. Soon after the election in November 1901 it was announced that Alf Morgans has been elected Prime Minister of Western Australia; and Albert Thomas was selected in the southern constituency of Coolgardie.
As the gold deposits in the early 1900s was on the decline, depopulated the city; This trend continued with the First World War continued. The federal electoral district was closed in 1913 due to the reduced population, because many of the residents had migrated to other places where there were major gold deposits. Thus the place got the status of a city. This trend continued through the 20th century now and the population dropped to fewer than 200 people; the city became a ghost town. An example of the decline is that in March 1896, the main street of Coolgardie was lit by electric light, but in April 1924, this road was only yet been illuminated by four oil lamps. Nevertheless, many of the buildings remained, which had emerged as the urban development had reached its climax, receive, and after several years of regression, there was a revival of the city. The reason was the tourism that developed there and in the city created work, making the population increased slightly.
Afghan camel drivers
When the gold rush in 1884 further reinforced Afghan camels were used to care for, because the gold fields could not be sufficiently supplied with food and water differently. In March of that year, a caravan of six Afghans, 45 camels and eleven calves began to move, which was driven through the desert from Marree to the gold fields. All camels reached the gold fields in good condition and each camel carrying loads 135-270 kilograms. More 85 camels for transport to Coolgardie arrived by ship Albany in September.
In 1898 the Muslim community in Coolgardie had 300 members and an average of 80 of them came to the Friday sermon. The place was at that time the largest Muslim community of that country. There was not a Muslim among them, no marriage and no funeral was held, it signaled the relatively young, unmarried and changing community. The Muslims had only one built with clay and covered with a Blechverdachung mosque. Racism against Afghan camel driver was widespread and there were reports of unsolved murders and torture of camels of the Afghans.
The entire Muslim community moved to the decline of the city probably to Perth, the emerging capital of the new state.
Today
In Coolgardie is held annually the " Coolgardie Day" during the Kalgoorlie Race Round - season. On this day attractions of the city and the mines are presented. Recently, the Coolgardie Rock Drilling Championships will be conducted in which the miners in a contest measured by pierce a rock with a compressed air-driven hammer drill after time. This competition is also taking part well-known champions of the Australian wood chipper competitions.
Coolgardie is once again the center of an administration, the Shire of Coolgardie. Multilingual historical explanations are provided in the city to inform the tourists about significant places. There are several museums, a visitor center, the old train station and the National Trust of Australia belonging Warden Finnerty 's Residence.
The Great Eastern Highway and the National Highway 94 through the town as Bayley Street, which is named after the first gold discovery in the city - region Arthur Bayley. To the east of the city of Highway 94 enters the Coolgardie - Esperance Highway, which continues to Norseman, the starting station to cross the Nullarbor Plains.
The Transwa Prospector train stops 14 kilometers north of the city at Bonnie Vale.
Gold fields
In the 1890s there were four in Coolgardie gold fields that were cut:
- Coolgardie Goldfield (1894 )
- Eastern Coolgardie Goldfield (1894 )
- Northern Coolgardie Goldfield (1895 )
- Northeastern Coolgardie Goldfield (1896 )
Despite the decline of the Kalgoorlie region, there is a mining registry in Coolgardie.