Golden Quest Discovery Trail

In the 1890s, Western Australia’s goldfields had it all. Shot-through with legends of boom and bust (then endless boom), the Kalgoorlie district remains one of the world’s largest gold-producing regions. Over six days and 2,224 kilometres, the Golden Quest Discovery Trail unearths the secrets of this rich landscape, with its unembellished legends, frozen-in-time ghost towns, stunning wilderness and disarming outback charm. On the captivating drive from Perth to Kalgoorlie, shadow the goldfield’s original water pipeline from Mundaring Weir, pausing at Coolgardie, where gold first glinted in the desert dust in 1892. The heritage architecture in Kalgoorlie is striking – this town had money and knew how to spend it. Dig into history at Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s Western Australian Museum, and take a mind-blowing tour of the Super Pit, one of the world’s biggest operating open-cut gold mines. Head up Mount Charlotte to see the lights sparkle as dusk envelopes Australia’s largest outback town. Continue along the Golden Quest Discovery Trail to the historic gold-mining town of Menzies, passing through one spell-binding town after another: Broad Arrow, Ora Banda, Siberia, Goongarrie… From Menzies, it’s a short hop to the Lake Ballard salt pans, host to the starkly beautiful outdoor art installation Inside Australia, featuring 51 sculptures by British sculptor Antony Gormley. Depart Menzies and check out Niagara Dam and one-horse Kookynie, once a hyperactive goldfields hub and home to 1,500 thirsty miners. Leonora’s gorgeously well-preserved main street, ghost town Gwalia with its amazing old pub, and the abandoned nickel mines en route to humble Laverton complete your epic trail. Return to Kalgoorlie via the scenic loop west from Leonora, spotting kangaroos, eagles and emus, before knocking the froth off a well-earned cold one at one of the many iconic Kalgoorlie pubs.