Today we head for the Superpit lookout where we can gaze into the depths of this massive open-cut goldmine. For years the area known as 'The Golden Mile' had been a series of individual mining leases where underground mining of the rich ore bodies was conducted by various mining companies and individual operators. A shrewd business man realized the need to progress to open-cut where the economic advantage of large scale operations would be more profitable. This business man started buying up the various leases in order to start what is now known as the Superpit. Unfortunately Alan Bond couldn't complete his plan and Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines Pty Ltd (KCGM) combined the entire area in 1989 and open-cut mining began.
From the lookout we watch the huge trucks and loaders operating at various levels in the mine and the drilling rigs drilling the precise pattern of holes required for blasting. After sometime watching these operations we take the chance to look at some of the various machinery on display when we notice the gravel that we are walking on has some distinctive sparkling specks that might be gold ( but are more likely to be pyrite or fool's gold). Claire develops a certain condition commonly found near goldmines and with some reluctance gets in the car when it is time to go.
We drive around the town seeing the old buildings, many damaged by the earthquake last year. We visit the Superpit shop where we watch an informative video about the Pit and the town before heading to the Mount Charlotte Lookout where we learn about the struggle to secure a reliable water supply and how in the past water was more valuable than gold. The pipeline was conceived by C Y O'Connor and was able to deliver 23000 kilolitres per day via 8 steam driven pumping stations and 566km of steel pipe and is recognized as a National Engineering Landmark. We head back to our caravan park to plan the next day.
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