Kunanalling or the 25 Mile Latitude 30 141’ S Longitude 121 04’ E In December of 1892, James Speakman and the party found gold 25 miles from Coolgardie and 17 miles north of Mt Burgess. Speakman pegged a lease but did not apply for an exemption when he left it on account of lack of […]
In Search of Mordaunt Reid:
12/03/2022 By 1 Comment
More than one-third of the 62,000 Anzacs who died in WW1 are still listed as missing with no known graves. This is the story of one woman who never stopped looking for her soldier. Lieutenant Mordaunt Reid was paid the ultimate accolade by war historian and correspondent, Charles Bean, on the morning of the Gallipoli […]
The Prison Log and “Sky Blue Goannas”
05/03/2022 By Leave a Comment
In the early days of Coolgardie, there was no provision for holding prisoners pending their appearance in court, so Corporal McCarthy chopped a four-foot log from a three-foot thick trunk of a blown down salmon gum to which they were chained by a strong steel staple at one end and handcuffs at the other. (A […]
The Fight for the Ida H:
19/02/2022 By Leave a Comment
With thanks to Gary Cowans: Truth 16 February 1930, page 6 THE FIGHT FOR IDA H Who discovered the Ida H gold mine, twenty miles from Mount Margaret, in the State of West Australia? Who got the half-million sterling extracted from it? Whence was its name derived? Ask those questions of old Dick (Richard) Heaphy […]
Robbery Under Arms – by John Mitchell
12/02/2022 By Leave a Comment
Robbery Under Arms on the Coolgardie Road In the early days of the Goldfields, the escort used to leave Coolgardie every week with parcels of gold varying from £5000 to £50,000 in value. It was a common remark to hear passed by the diggers, who usually gathered to watch the gold being taken out of […]
