600 ks east of Perth, the City of Kalgoorlie was a unique expression of gold fever. Unlike most goldmining towns, which didn’t last forever, Kalgoorlie still includes the famous Golden Mile and has an economy driven by gold since 1893. The central Hannan St has fine Victorian and Edwardian buildings. Here visitors can visit the lovely hotels and the important civic buildings that include the Town Hall (1908) and the School of Mines Building.
Kalgoorlie Hotel
In the late 1890s, Kalgoorlie’s streets were booming as the wealth generated in the gold mines was displayed in grand, impressive architecture. As a result, the role of hotels was crucial to the goldfields’ social and economic life. If mines were the sources of the miner's wages, the hotels were the treasuries into which a lot of it was poured. They provided drinks, food and accommodation, AND provided workers with comfortable surroundings.
For a city that stretches just 67sq km with a population now of 30,000+ people, the volume of pubs in Kalgoorlie was excessive.. and is now impressive. In the early 1900s, when the Goldfields were dominant, there were 93 hotels and 8 breweries in the town. C.Y O'Connor (1843-1902) was West Australia’s Chief Engineer who created the colony's railways, water supply, roads and harbours. Before he established the pipeline, water was scarce. Thankfully the miners believed that beer was cheaper, and much tastier, than water! ![]()
For a city that stretches just 67sq km with a population now of 30,000+ people, the volume of pubs in Kalgoorlie was excessive.. and is now impressive. In the early 1900s, when the Goldfields were dominant, there were 93 hotels and 8 breweries in the town. C.Y O'Connor (1843-1902) was West Australia’s Chief Engineer who created the colony's railways, water supply, roads and harbours. Before he established the pipeline, water was scarce. Thankfully the miners believed that beer was cheaper, and much tastier, than water!
Recreation Hotel Boulder, 1898
Most interesting pubs, architecturally-speaking:
1] The Kalgoorlie Hotel in Hannon St was designed in the Federation architectural style (1897) and is one of the oldest buildings with a balcony in town. After dark, Judd’s Pub is popular with regular live music and for touring bands. The name Judd refers to publican James Judd Mahony who ran the pub from the 1960s-80s.
1] The Kalgoorlie Hotel in Hannon St was designed in the Federation architectural style (1897) and is one of the oldest buildings with a balcony in town. After dark, Judd’s Pub is popular with regular live music and for touring bands. The name Judd refers to publican James Judd Mahony who ran the pub from the 1960s-80s.
2] Paddy’s Irish Bar at the Exchange Hotel (1900) was designed for the Wilkie Bros. who were contractors for the Southern Cross to Kalgoorlie Railway line. The two complex storeys are made up of bricks, iron and a timber balustrade, a corner tower and corrugated galvanised iron gabled roof.
Exchange Hotel
3] York Hotel opened in Feb 1901. Located over the road from the Govt Buildings Complex, this very ornate hotel was designed by Daniel Edmunds. He practised architecture in Kalgoorlie in 1899-1912 and was responsible for the City Markets. The eastern main entrance opened into a luxurious lounge hall, from which the main staircase led to the bedrooms above. Note the handsome circular dome for light, stamped metal ceilings and finely carved woodwork.
York Hotel, front (above)
and interior (below)
4] A very historic pub is the Palace Hotel (1897) in Hannan St, built for the huge sum of £17,000. Because the town was awash with gold money, Palace Hotel was to be the most luxurious hotel outside Perth, with its own electricity and water-processing plant. This two-storey hotel was made from stone quarried from the local Ashlar quarries, and the furniture was supplied from Melbourne. With its prominent corner position, the Palace Hotel has been the scene of many famous public speeches delivered from the balconies.
Palace Hotel, front entrance (above)
Palace Hotel, balcony bar (below)
5] Boulder, now part of Kalgoorlie, has 8 pubs. Tattersalls was built as a two-storey hotel on a corner site, designed in my favourite Federation Filigree style c1890-c1915, with a veranda and balcony that extended across the facades. The exterior features a balustraded parapet; and a triangular pediment highlights the entrance and the arched sash windows. Note the bar named for the world-famous billiards star and Kalgoorlie local, Walter Lindrum (1898–1960).
6] Criterion Hotel was built in the Federation Free style, a small but significant part of the Hannan St streetscape. Built to the footpath line with a balustraded parapet and highly decorative pediment, the timber veranda extends the length of the facade. It has an unusual parapet and some leadlight glazing in the street frontage.
7] At a licensing court in June 1900, plans for the stunning Victorian Oriental Hotel were presented: a corner pub building with 12 bedrooms near the York Hotel. Money for the pub came from the Wilkie Bros who built the rail line from Southern Cross to Kalgoorlie, making it become Kalgoorlie’s most exotic architecture.
Because of high maintenance costs, The Oriental Hotel was to be demolished in 1972 to make way for a car park, but within hours an injunction was taken out; thousands of people had signed a petition to stop the destruction. Then fire erupted in the hotel and it could not be saved, but anger over the damage damaged further development.
6] Criterion Hotel was built in the Federation Free style, a small but significant part of the Hannan St streetscape. Built to the footpath line with a balustraded parapet and highly decorative pediment, the timber veranda extends the length of the facade. It has an unusual parapet and some leadlight glazing in the street frontage.
7] At a licensing court in June 1900, plans for the stunning Victorian Oriental Hotel were presented: a corner pub building with 12 bedrooms near the York Hotel. Money for the pub came from the Wilkie Bros who built the rail line from Southern Cross to Kalgoorlie, making it become Kalgoorlie’s most exotic architecture.
Because of high maintenance costs, The Oriental Hotel was to be demolished in 1972 to make way for a car park, but within hours an injunction was taken out; thousands of people had signed a petition to stop the destruction. Then fire erupted in the hotel and it could not be saved, but anger over the damage damaged further development.
The Kalgoorlie Race Riots began in Jan 1934 when sportsman George E Jordan was twice ejected from the Hannans Hotel by Italian barman Claudio Mattaboni. When Jordan returned to the hotel the following day to fight Mattaboni, he fell, broke his skull and died in hospital. Rumours that Mattaboni had murdered Jordan sparked rioting, violence and looting of migrant-run facilities, the riots starting AT Hannans Hotel. The old Amalfi Restaurant was also burnt.
Kalgoorlie Town Hall
Today the pubs are still flooded with miners (and tourists) after work, just as they were 120 years ago. And today Goldfields Tourism Network runs excellent pub tours in Boulder & Kalgoorlie. Photo credits: Historical Australian Towns
The Australia Hotel