04/04/2026
๐ It is nice those within the positions of delegated responsibility have recognised the value of the historic heritage goldrush boulevards, from the years fo advocacy, from the visitor servicing to the highly funded local Chamber of Commerce & Industry and 'even' an improvement by the local, Local Government Authority, City of Kalgoorlie Boulder ๐ promoting the historic heritage, retail, hospitality, commercial and social amenity central boulevards that are also predominately statutory Heritage Precincts in the Local Planning Scheme.
The federal directions of the VE instill the first nations directions are to be embeded, this has occurred tremendously, it is also to be remembered historic heritage is Australia's cultural heritage and as such deserves also to be respected in the built environment and other.
โ
With the Kalgoorlie Endowment Block included in the Register of Heritage Places of Western Australia (December 2023) it further embeds the historic heritage value of the built environment, unfortunately the significant sites of the VE and historic heritage, continue to be impacted with several case studies presenting evidence of what some may consider, inappropriate Heritage Management Approaches.
๐ชจโ๏ธ We hope the landscape identity is returned by the City of Kalgoorlie Boulder as 'they' local governance and council ie: City of Kalgoorlie Boulder promised it would be, in the form of the removed significant quartz rocks of the fields from the Saint Barbara Patron Saint of Miners symbolic mining cultural installation at Saint Barbara's Square.
โ๏ธAt present St Barbara stands isolated in a garden bed that everyone from politicians, tourists, locals and corporate mining, squash with their boot and feet tracks, each time they approach the symbolic cultural installation to pay respect, (photo opportunities) hardly respectful! It may appear a small gesture to return historic heritage and geoheritage identity to the goldrush boulevard Hannans Street by returning a more respectful presentation of St Barbara however small, it is just and will return values contributing to the ongoing aspirations of many parties to have a more vibrant, safe and active central streetscape in the Australian mining heritage city that is currently hosting a corporate mining boom !
26/03/2026
โ๏ธ๐ฆ๐บ ๐๐ถ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ช๐ค ๐๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต: As mining heritage valorisation occurs across multiple other states of Australia, the National Comparison requirements appear to be delivering outdated knowledge in the greater context of the historic Western Australian gold fields of ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐ณ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐.
๐ The broad context of the comparison appears valid however it is becoming very evident the slow to act agents in Western Australia are causative to incomplete and outdated assessment as sites of the most significant remain un-assessed however judged in broad and more intimate comparable context, that will become a record that will impact the future of the Goldfields of Western Australia through comparable recording using outdated information !
โป๏ธ The diggers landscape at various places on the fields including Kangaroo Hills and the ' ๐๐ข๐บ๐ญ๐ฆ๐บ & ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ข๐ญ๐บ๐ด๐ต ๐จ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ด๐ค๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ' remains un-assessed in advanced technological and scientific historic heritage management practice, as many states welcome visitation and education experiences to historic developed reserves encompassing their significant historic mining reserves, Kalgoorlie Boulder and Coolgardie's foundational site, Bayley & Fords receives;
โช๏ธ deemed refusals,
โช๏ธ questionable ethical and management considerations of environmental and mines safety whilst also reverting to a closed network of consult that is of benefit to hosted corporate mining
โช๏ธ displays no organised system bringing attention to process in Western Australia in attendance of a significant historic heritage cultural collective site.
โ
๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ค๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ต๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฏ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ข'๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ด๐ต ๐ด๐ช๐จ๐ฏ๐ช๐ง๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ค๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ฆ๐ด, ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ค ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ฆ, ๐๐ข๐บ๐ญ๐ฆ๐บ & ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ญ๐จ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฏ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ข.
โ๏ธ ๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ on the historic Goldfields of Western Australia ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ & ๐
๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ? ๐น Conditions that present an expectation of wte' make safe and provide Public Access.
๐น Bayley & Fords at Coolgardie is an interesting significant site of historic heritage, that appears to escape good practice of wte' ESG principles as the site perhaps is delivering ignored Conditions of Mining Tenement.
๐น In the modern mining rush delivery, the shoulders 'they' (the mining industry professionals and their consultants) stand apon are once again ignored for the old fields, in the home of the former AUSTRALIAN Mining Hall of Fame (visitation site) representing the professional mining industry of Australia, many do not wish a repeat as the mining professionals hosted and their peak industry bodies 'capture' without inclusive practice as is a requirement of good practice of heritage management approaches.
๐ท Photograph: J. Scott
Bayley & Fords Collective, Bayleys South.
Mining Heritage Place.
1892 Australian gold discovery Coolgardie, Western Australia.
โ๏ธ๐ฆ๐บ ROUTES of Mining Heritage of Australia
24/03/2026
STOP SPLAYED SCARF JOINT with KEYS.
Heritage mine site, timber hopper and remnants of stamp battery at 1892 Bayley & Ford's gold discovery site at Coolgardie, Western Australia.
Noted: Discovery Site. Obelisk - Commemorative Plaque present, dedicated 1942, 50th Anniversary.
24/03/2026
๐ Thank you for speaking out !
Paramedic relives โtraumaticโ moment man headbutts ambulance
A St John WA worker has told of how she feared for her life when a naked man allegedly smashed his head through the windshield of an ambulance, as new figures reveal a spike in violence towards paramedics.
22/03/2026
โ๏ธ๐ฆ๐บ Adaptive reuse of extractive industry sites of Australia include the convict era Sydney Sandstone Quarries, Quarries that formed part of my Western Australian bid to the State Government of Western Australia to recognise the value of extractive industry sites in WA and the historic heritage value inclusive of those who worked the sites, the industrial heritage and the built environment they created.
In 2015 the smaller example of sandstone quarries of Australia at Donnybrook were recognised through the inclusion of a Group of Donnybrook Sandstone Quarries in the Register of Heritage Places of Western Australia, whilst the responsible department managing Mining Approvals and Conditions of Mining Tenement provided additional protection of sandstone waterways and remnant historical works within the former Government Quarry. The Government Sandstone Quarry (fmr) is a 38 hectare reserve, noted in planning as ๐ณ Parks & Recreation however had a historic use of quarry, with advancement of development surrounding the Park & Recreation Reserve, a enacted State Agreement appeared to over ride the process and values, perhaps an ethical and heritage management approach that today forms part of the more advanced options through TSM and ESG.
โถ๏ธ The State Government of WA entered a State Agreement with a hosted operator, for a supply of Donnybrook Stone for the repair and maintenance of the ebullient sandstone buildings of Western Australia that grace the streetscapes of Perth & Fremantle, in turn to approve the Parks & Recreation reserve as a Mining Tenement for a new operator, in a Government Reserve that had not been worked legally since the 1970's when the Sculptors Society of WA was granted permission to remove extracted stone from a quarry floor. The State Agreement was for 12 blocks of stone 1 meter x 1 meter x 1.5 meter. Watch for those State Agreements, not matter how small they are, they take away a key values whilst shifting power to hosted extractive industry operators. This former WA Government Quarry site now has several Notifications in the Mining Tenement.
โถ๏ธ One, ๐๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐น๐ข๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ด๐บ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ฎ, ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ข ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ข ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐ด๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ค ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ฆ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ข๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ข ๐ง๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ช๐ญ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
๐ผ๐๏ธReturning to Sydney Sandstone, the adaptive reuse site of the extractive industries now forms part of one of Australia's most recognisable sites and places The Sydney Opera House Precinct and the Tarpeian Way.
โ๏ธ๐ฆ๐บ Courtesy of Pocket Oz; The Tarpeian Precinct is a narrow strip of open parkland in the vicinity of a convict-era quarry site running along the eastern side of Macquarie Street above the old quarry face. This relatively small elevated green space dotted with large trees has views to parts of Circular Quay, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Government House is immediately to the south-east of this area.
One of Sydney's oldest sandstone quarries, it provided the building materials for some of Sydney's earliest stone buildings, particularly those built by the Government for its own use, that were constructed around the turn of the 19th century. Unfortunately, of these, only the Man O'War Steps survive today. The biggest of these buildings was Fort Macquarie, which was the first building to occupy the site of the Sydney Opera House. The seawalls of Farm Cove (built between 1848 - 1878) and the eastern shore of Circular Quay (completed in 1847) were also built in part out of the rock excavated from this quarry.
The hole left by quarrying became known as the Tarpeian Way, after the resemblance of the escarpment to the Tarpeian Rock, a steep cliff of the southern summit of the Capitoline Hill, overlooking the Roman Forum in Ancient Rome. In the time of the Caesars, criminals were hurled to their deaths from it.
๐ท ๐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ช๐ข๐ฏ ๐๐ข๐บ & ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐๐บ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐บ ๐๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ. ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ค๐ฆ: ๐. ๐๐ค๐ฐ๐ต๐ต 2025
21/03/2026
That is great an international photographer is being bought in by the city however it does not negate the FACT the actual true rights holders of the historic GOLDFIELDS of Western Australia have been denied a VOICE whilst those in positions of power from institutions, politicians, regulators, hosted corporate mining, have cumulatively impacted this and other regions whilst falling short on heritage management approaches and their role in sustainability of place, inclusive of respecting the historic heritage streetscapes and historic heritage cultural landscapes, mining and geoheritage landscapes.
With so much attention on first nations in Mine Closure Planning little attention is being paid to the historic heritage values of Mine Closure Planning, of the two differing lines of historic heritage -
โช๏ธmining heritage of foundational Australia,
and the
โช๏ธmodern mining industry, mining heritage of modern mines,
all whilst re-entry and re-commercialisation denies the right of the true rights holders in many instances.
When reflecting on historic heritage it is the miners who worked the mines, and their built environment settlements, who rightfully NEED to be included in Mine Closure Planning in greater consideration than is currently occurring and is currently within research lines.
The altered landscape is created by human endeavour creating a human heritage not only a first nations connection to country in rehabilitation actions, the generational miners and generational settlements - historic heritage - have a connection to their country also.
Hope the outside reflections constantly paid to appear and provide their interpretation of the historic and active place, including those funded by government and those funded by the low dollar "piece meal" of corporate mining hosted, are actually included in research and analysis inclusive of SOCIAL return on investment, as local governments stand by as stakeholders and watch historic heritage, demolished, auctioned, and in some instances one culture pushed out to accommodate another, whilst they activate Public Gazetted Road closures to support modern mining payload haulage, that did not even rate referral to the Local Emergency Management Committee approved engagement systems, whilst
the state acknowledges the gap however pushes it back down to individual citizens to do their job (a states job), if there is a loophole contributing to the civil society space becoming a storage and maintenance locality of the modern mining payload haulage industry, stimulated by the supply chain sourcing by the hosted corporate mining industry, in a city hosting a historic and modern School of Mining, change it, fill it ! please stop closing Public Gazetted Roads, with the City of Kalgoorlie Boulder accepting wte' Workers brought in on Visa, can not drive a haulage truck on a Public Road for the first twelve months of their tenure, therefore the applicants (transport companies & corporate mining hosted) need the roads closed so their new workers can drive immediately (amongst other) !
Hope some photographs turn up of the payload haulage trucks of the modern mining industry parked up at our spiritual and cultural sites our cemeteries and other public & civil society places they should not be. Hope they are analysed as the fundamental transport route of the extractive industries are not only a Local Government matter (funding this latest artist in residence) transport routes of the extractive industries are also a state matter inclusive of within approvals process.
๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ
Mining photographer is new artist-in-residence
The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder has welcomed photographer Liz Miller Kovacs as its third artist-in-residence, and her exhibition is now open at the Goldfields Arts Centre.
21/03/2026
โก๏ธ Flashback to recording the historic heritage streetscape trees of Kalgoorlie Boulder.
๐ณ With several examples of historic heritage trees lost at Kalgoorlie Boulder in recent years, please nominate a tree you love that holds the stories of the past for the future whilst contributing to the identity of place and environment to the Australian National Trust Significant Tree Registry.
Although the registry has no statutory power of protection in some instances, the identification and the knowledge the tree exists commences the recognition of the value for many reasons inclusive of for future generations of the old fields.
A most magnificent Dragon Tree was cut down and killed on Graham Street in Lamington, Kalgoorlie in recent years. The historic Palm that had witnessed the two series of riots on the fields including the burning of the Cornwall Hotel, was recently removed from the Cornwall Hotel as two examples in the streetscape of the City of Kalgoorlie Boulder.
๐ณ๐
Many thanks to the local architectural firm who included the historic heritage tree located in the historic collective of former Law & Order buildings of Boulder in the most recent assessment achieving the inclusion of the historic Police Quarters in the statutory heritage group. ๐ท The Police Quarters are represented in one of the most recognisable photographs of the historic Great Golden Mile that provides a visual account of the long arm of the law trooped to Kalgoorlie Boulder to control the protesting miners of the Alluvial Troubles inclusive of the strength of the then Western Australian Mounted contingent on their faithful steeds, Australian Walers.
โน๏ธ National Trust of Australia Significant Tree Register
๐ https://trusttrees.org.au/
End note: An early fields 'giant' Dragon Tree remains in situ at the ambient goldrush municipal Coolgardie Park at Coolgardie, this park is also home to the Mercy Gregory Drinking Fountain that requires conservation works.
21/03/2026
โก๏ธ Flashback to the ongoing interest and involvement to conserve, preserve and promote the Operating Heritage of the historic Great Golden Mile and surrounding districts located at the State Numbered, Place Number: 7255, Hannans Heritage Mine. The running of the historic relics to the best of our knowledge no longer occurs.
The Daisy Mae " POPPET " historic mining Head Frame and Plant rests at Hannans North Heritage Mine, East Coolgardie Goldfields, Kalgoorlie Boulder, Western Australia.
DAISY is a timber poppet formerly of Mt Monger. The Daisy Mae Engine Room houses her Ruston & Hornsby
Plant.
Further information to follow โ๐ฆ๐บ
Christopher Potts and co' ! ๐๐ปโ๐ฆ๐บ
06/03/2026
The Goldfields WA Heritage Racecourse is another of the integral significant historic heritage places of the historic heritage settlement Kalgoorlie Boulder along with the Goldfields WA Railway Station at historic Boulder City (fmr), so to the extant Goldfields WA Golden Mile collective place [Hannans Heritage Mine & (former) Australian Mining Hall of Fame] almost lost in recent time to departmental and hosted corporate mining submissions to Planning Scheme review to encumber the North Eastern section of Kalgoorlie Boulder in the controversial non-compensational Special Control Area implementations through Local Planning Schemes overviewed by Western Australian Planning Commission for approvals.
โช๏ธSpecial Control Areas in State and Local Planning have many forms that are beneficial in some instances to all parties however Special Control Areas have many pitfalls to all parties and many pitfalls to some parties in other instances.
โช๏ธIn the instance of the National Heritage site, Mount Charlotte Reservoir site of the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail that incurs referral under the EPBC Act, and the cultural heritage place, the former 'Australian Mining Hall of Fame' and Hannans Heritage Mine, (Place Number: 7255) collective remain free of a Special Control Area (SCA) as a SCA was not implemented over the North Eastern section of Kalgoorlie Boulder through the Local Planning Scheme review.
โ
ALL three discrete Goldfields WA sites above have varying degrees of inventory / catalogue and archive management systems, all three sites have experienced significant impacts in recent time through Heritage Management Approaches, all three sites have multiple stakeholders, as stewards and custodians of cultural heritage - historic heritage cultural heritage, all three site are custodians of community tangible and intangible heritage. The Goldfields WA historic thoroughbred racing complex since 2018 has been kindly encouraged to forward move the collection to support the future of place through supported inventory.
๐ฐ Multiple movable heritage and operating heritage elements are present that have limited statutory protection however the ethics of good practice brings attention to institutional stewardship in the examples of mining heritage relics, movable heritage such as the historic 1890's Great Golden Mile Timber Head Frames in custodianship in place at the extant Golden Mile site, the Kalgoorlie Boulder Mining Park.
๐ก โ๏ธ Why is the fundamental step of inventory at sites so hard at Kalgoorlie Boulder even when opportunity is presented to support achievementโ
๐ฐ At the other end of the scale, the Goldfields WA mining heritage site Gwalia, has an inventory and archive however limited employees / staff inclusive of no general staff for guiding and maintenance of the Gwalia Village. Kudos to the Heritage Manager overseeing the Gwalia Heritage Precinct that supports multiple jobs in the cafe and accommodation arm of the site.
๐