Captain Kettle and the Toorak Hotel –

The Toorak Hotel, built in 1899. On June 25, 1903, a fire destroyed the whole of the front of the hotel. Situated on the 90 Mile Road, in the early days this was the road out of Coolgardie on the North side. The hotel closed sometime in 1910. Licensee’s Harold B McCormick – 1900 E […]

The Tattersalls Club Affair –

I was sent this story by Kevin Matthees, who is the great-grandson of Leonard Charles Jackson. Jackson was the proprietor of the Bright Spot Tea Rooms, in Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie in November of 1946. This was one of a chain of similar tearooms throughout WA. Do you think he was innocent? This was a case […]

Sailor Bill’s Elopement –

The Sun Kalgoorlie 22 September 1907, page 6 THE ROARING NINETIES A BULLA BULLING ROMANCE SAILOR BILL’S ELOPEMENT (By Spinifex). Many of the boys of the old brigade have disappeared. They were a roving lot, and when the share boom collapsed in ’97, and the demand for “properties” had petered out, they booked for various […]

The Norseman Hotels –

Coolgardie Miner – 12 July 1935, page 10 The New Norseman Hotel  The new Norseman Hotel, which has just been completed by Mr Jesse K. Moore, was designed by Cavanagh & Cavauagh, architects, Perth, and has been built to the specifications approved by the Licencing Board, was opened on June 17. The building consists of […]

Joseph Kearney – pioneer profile

Southern Cross Times 26 September 1914, page 2 Sudden Death of Mr Joseph Vincent Kearney. Southern Cross was thrown into a state of gloom when it became known that Mr J. V. Kearney had died suddenly at midnight on Monday night. The deceased was one of the best-known men in Western Australian mining circles. He […]