There is a wonderful and interesting link to the Krakouer family with the finding of what is now Coolgardie. Twenty-eight years before either Bailey or Ford had sighted gold at what was later to become Coolgardie, Theodore Isidore Krakouer, a Russian Jew, had been sent out as a convict number 232 from Portsmouth, England. He […]
The Billy Can – a swagmans friend
08/02/2025 By Leave a Comment
The Quart-Pot and Billy-Can No utensil is so generally used in the bush as the billy-can; none is more widely distributed, none better known in Australia. It is cheap, light, useful, and a burden to no man. It goes with every traveller, it figures in comedy and tragedy and has been the repository of the […]
The McCann Hoax – burned in effigy
08/02/2025 By 1 Comment
Daily News 1 July 1895, page 5 COOLGARDIE NEWS: THE ALLEGED FIND AT LAKE COWAN. RETURN OF MR McCANN AS DELEGATE. FRUITLESS SEARCH FOR THE FIND. EXCITED MEETING IN BAYLEY-STREET – CHARGE AGAINST THE PRESS – THE COURIER OFFICE STONED.MR McCANN SMUGGLED AWAY – NOW UNDER POLICE PROTECTION – FURTHER TROUBLE EXPECTED COOLGARDIE, July 1 […]
Red Flannel Joe –
08/02/2025 By Leave a Comment
Western Mail – Perth – 28 February 1935, page 9 He is known as ‘Red Flannel Joe‘ throughout the district. He is old and somewhat pompous and lives in a tin hut in what was once the main street of this little nor-west town of Peak Hill. It’s almost deserted now, and Joe’s structure is […]
Billy ‘Cyclone’ Aitken – a man of many parts
01/02/2025 By 1 Comment
William ‘Billy’ Gaskell Aitken was Mayor of Coolgardie in 1906 and a councillor in the town prior to this. After his term of office, he was presented with an elaborate engraved and coloured citation to commemorate his service. It said: […]
