Day 168 - Kalgoorlie, 12th December 2025

 We set the alarm early this morning to head out onsite. 

We had to check in and get our visitors passes and our PPE before we could get entry onto the mine site.

Then Waz took us on a tour of the site, explaining the process….

…before we had to don our hard hats and safety glasses to enter the Gold Room.

Once inside the first room, we had to remove our boots and scan our cards to gain entry to the next room. Then we had to put on their boots before we could enter the viewing area to watch the gold pour. It was like a big cauldron full of molten gold that was then poured into the tins like loaf pans. It was amazing to watch. Then they cooled them before tipping the gold bars out and cleaning off any excess slag. Then….we were allowed to hold them. I could barely lift it with two hands, it was so heavy. The one I held was bar number  57657. The biggest one was 17 kilograms worth about 3.5 million dollars. The pour we watched was the first of two they were doing that day. There were six and a bit bars valued at about 18 million dollars!! Just sitting in front of us on the table!! So cool! 

We then had to go back through, remove our boots and wait for security to come and check us so we could leave. It was a fantastic experience.

After that Waz took us for a drive up to look at the Super Pit from the new lookout. It is huge!

Back at the caravan we had done lunch and then headed to the pool to chill. The wind came up and nearly blew us away so we retreated to the vans. The weather has been crazy. Forty degrees yesterday, thunder and lightning last night and then overcast and winds blowing a gale today. 

We met Shan and Waz at The York Hotel for dinner. We sat up on the balcony and had a magnificent view of Hannan Street with a beautiful sunset.

It was such a gorgeous old building.

After dinner we walked down Hannan Street….

…. to The Palace Hotel.

We went up the beautiful old staircase to look at the photos on the walls of Kalgoorlie and Hannam Street as it was over a hundred years ago.

We read the story about how Herbert Hoover was in love with a barmaid at the Palace Hotel and gifted her this gorgeous mirror before heading back to America and becoming President.

We finished our pub crawl with a drink at the Kalgoorlie Hotel before calling it a night.