National TrustWESTERN AUSTRALIA

National TrustWESTERN AUSTRALIA

THE GOLDEN PIPELINE

A P R O J E C T

A self-guided drive trail

between the Perth Hills and

Western Australia’s Eastern

Goldfields.

Go with the Flow

Follow the water to discover

more about the audacious

goldfields water supply

scheme and Engineer

CY O’Connor. Enjoy unique

natural vistas and the open

countryside as you go.

O F T H E

1P U M P S T A T I O N

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K A L G O O R L I E

B O U L D E R

C O O L G A R D I E

No 8 - The last in line

of the steam pump

stations and still the

best preserved. Visitors

may be able to enter

the site by contacting

the caretaker (see gate

for details).

Kalgoorlie Boulder Visitor Centre 316 Hannan Street. Ph 9021 1966Coolgardie Visitor Centre 62 Bayley Street. Ph 9026 6090

Mount Charlotte - The reservoir at the end of the water’s journey is set in a hill that gives

a magnificent view of bustling

Kalgoorlie.

B U L L A B U L L I N GLittle remains of

the once bustling

Woolgangie railhead.

In 1895 there were

more than 1000

horses stranded here

due to lack of water!

No 7 - Although the

buildings are gone,

there are still echoes of

the pump station and

community that was

here for over

50 years.

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No 6 - Information

signs gives insight

into what made

a steam pump

station tick. K A M B A L D A

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G R E A T E A S T E R N H I G H W A Y

7P U M P S T A T I O N

G I L G A I

Built to supply water

to steam trains in

the 1890s, this rock

catchment still works.

K A R A L E E R O C K S

Y E L L O W D I N E3 4

6P U M P S T A T I O N

G H O O L I

M A R V E L L O C H

Southern Cross Visitor Centre Antares Street. Ph 9049 1001

M O U N T C H A R L O T T EThe Goldfields Water Supply

Scheme has almost legendary

historical status in Western

Australia. The pipeline allowed

much of the mineral and

agricultural wealth of this State

to be tapped.

Two names are synonymous

with the Scheme - Premier Sir

John Forrest for his political

will and C Y O’Connor for his

engineering.

Water had been a growing

concern in the Eastern

Goldfields ever since the first

gold discoveries at Coolgardie in

September of 1892. As diggers

flocked to share in the riches,

the water shortage reached a

critical level by mid 1895.

Premier Sir John Forrest

C Y O’Connor

8P U M P S T A T I O N

D E D A R I

See the website. Go to

www.goldenpipeline.com.au

for more information about the

Goldfields Water Supply Scheme.

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The best time to travel is in spring and autumn but, whenever you travel,

be prepared. Mobile phone coverage is intermittent so plan ahead for a

safe and enjoyable experience:

• Tell someone where you are going and your return date

• Check tyres, water and mechanics on your vehicle

• Carry extra water, food and warm clothing as nights can be cool

• If you break down in a remote location, stay with your vehicle

• Take care when overtaking road trains, large trucks and wide loads

• Beware of wildlife crossing the road, especially at dusk and dawn

• Carry a first aid kit

• Some roads are unsealed

• This is an indicative guide only, use exact mapping tools for

your journey

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A drop of water leaving Mundaring

Weir, the source of supply for the

parched goldfields, can take one to

two weeks to reach its destination.

While you may not be able to

spend as long on your journey,

give yourself time to explore the

country and pipeline history. A range

of accommodation is available at

various towns.

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Ask about local attractions at the

towns you pass through. Some

have dedicated Visitor Centres or

you can pop into Shire Offices. Sites

they recommend may increase your

understanding of the dire need for

a reliable water supply. Hunt’s Wells

and Dams, for example, constructed

in the mid 1860s, were a lifeline for

prospectors who cycled, walked

or rode from one to the next. Or

you might be directed to a granite

outcrop harvested for water prior

to the pipeline being built, such

as at Kellerberrin or Merredin. And

Mundaring has Lake Leschenaultia

built for steam trains.

Thousands of men flocked to Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields

in the 1890s. The gold was not in green fertile pastures but in dry

barren landscapes. Water was scarce. Men died of thirst. Others died

as typhoid raged through goldfields camps and towns.

Water was carted by horse, camel and train from distant places, dams

were built, bores were sunk and salt water condensed. Eventually,

water was pumped from Mundaring Weir, just to the east of Perth,

560 kilometres to Kalgoorlie.

Still in operation, this long, thin, tenuous lifeline, continually

maintained and upgraded to maintain its status as a world class

water supply scheme, is the focus of the Golden Pipeline

Heritage Trail.

N e e d f o r t h e S c h e m e Gold! Kalgoorlie grew up at the site of a find and to this day gold is the

reason it exists. It is a miners’ town with hi-vis workgear the standard form

of dress and the price of gold a hot topic of conversation. A wide range

of accommodation is on offer. Check what’s on at the Kalgoorlie Boulder

Visitor Centre 316 Hannan Street. Ph 9021 1966

Coolgardie was the

destination for thousands

of hopeful prospectors at the

start of Western Australia’s

Gold Rush. In its heyday it had

two stock exchanges, three

breweries, seven newspapers

and 26 hotels. By 1898 only

Perth and Fremantle had a larger

population. But the alluvial

gold ran out and miners and

businesses shifted to the rich

finds not even 40 kms east at

Kalgoorlie.

Prospectors told to head in

the direction of the celestial

Southern Cross to find gold

came to this area. The streets

of Southern Cross, the town

that became the capital of

the Yilgarn Goldfields, are

consequently named after

stars and constellations.

S O U T H E R N C R O S S

National TrustWESTERN AUSTRALIA

THE GOLDEN PIPELINE

A P R O J E C TO F T H E

5

P U M P S T A T I O NY E R B I L L O N

S O U T H E R N C R O S S

M O O R I N E R O C K

B O D A L L I N

B O D A L L I NR A I L W A Y D A M

W E S T O N I AE D N A M A Y M I N E

An open cut gold mine with a

chequered history that dates

back to 1911.4P U M P S T A T I O N

M E R R E D I N B U R R A C O P P I N

M E R R E D I N

T O T A D G I N R O C K

Preserved to reflect its days as a booming gold mining town, Westonia

can be reached by a sealed road leading off Great Eastern Highway.

The town has a caravan park with start of the 4 km Woodlands and

Wildflowers Trail near the entrance.

Look for remnants

of the old settlement

to the west of the

pump station.

No 4 Pump Station - Three

generations of pump stations

side by side encapsulate the

pipeline’s past and future.

National Trust of Western Australia

Old Observatory

4 Havelock Street

West Perth

Po Box 1162

West Perth

Western Australia 6872

T (08) 9321 6088

E trust@ntwa.com.au

nationaltrust.org.au/wa

Become a member to

help preserve our heritage.

The trail was conceived

by the National Trust of

Western Australia to spread

the story of this nationally

heritage listed engineering

marvel.

The Golden Pipeline Heritage Drive

Trail is managed in conjunction with

the local government authorities it

passes through and on behalf of the

community and the Government

of Western Australia. The Water

Corporation that operates the supply

scheme is a strong supporter.

The Trust acknowledges its

properties are situated on Aboriginal

land across the State. The Trust

recognises Aboriginal people remain

the cultural and spiritual custodians

on their land and continue to

practice their values, languages,

beliefs and knowledge.

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No 1 Rabbit Proof

Fence - Like the

pipeline the rabbit

proof fence crosses

many hundreds

of kilometres of

Western Australia.

1 6

M E R R E D I N P E A K

M e r r e d i n - This settlement is yet another

example of how the availability of water,

thanks to a large granite outcrop, influenced

human activity. Gnammas or rockholes

sustained the original inhabitants; runoff

charged a well used by prospectors; a dam at

its base fuelled steam trains.

M E R R E D I N P E A K R A I L W A Y D A M

Follow the walk trail past a dam built to supply water

for steam trains up to the top of the granite outcrop.

M I L I T A R Y H O S P I T A L S I T E

A tent hospital was hastily erected

here during World War 2.

Central Wheatbelt Visitor Centre 85 Barrack Street. Ph 9041 1666

H I N E S H I L L 1 7

D O O D L A K I N E

K E L L E R B E R R I N

K E L L E R B E R R I N H I L L A magnificent

granite outcrop with

meadows of moss and

a wave formation.

B A N D E E L A K E S

B A N D E E L A K E S L O O K O U T

These salt lakes are remnants of an

ancient river system.

3 2

2 1

Old Doodlakine town site

and Hunt’s Well - Locals

claim this site on the old

Goldfields road could have

been the nation’s capital.

O L D D O O D L A K I N E T O W N S I T E

The view across

the wheatbelt is

unsurpassed.

Kellerberrin Shire Office 110 Massingham Street. Ph 9045 4006

T A M M I N

H U N T ’ S W E L L T A M M I N

2 3

C U N D E R D I N

2 6

No 3 Now a local history

museum with farming

equipment and displays,

it also houses an original

steam engine.

3P U M P S T A T I O N

C U N D E R D I N

Cunderdin Museum No 3 Pump Station. Ph 9635 1291Mundaring Visitor Centre 7225 Great Eastern Hwy. Ph 9295 0202

The railway and pipeline

boosted settlement here.

Not only was there a

pumping station, but also

a water supply workshop

to provide employment.

The entire scheme

was controlled from a

computerised centre in

Cunderdin (opened 1980)

for over 30 years.

M E C K E R I N G

Meckering earthquake

display - Get an idea of

the devastation caused

by Western Australia’s

strongest recorded

earthquake.

2 4 N O R T H A M

3 7

T O O D Y A Y

Y O R K

Old Northam Railway

Station - In the 1890s this

station thronged with

fortune-seekers heading

for the Goldfields.

Poole St Bridge - Crossing

a river is always a problem

for a pipeline engineer -

this was one solution.

Northam - From a

small agricultural village

Northam was transformed

into a substantial and busy

town largely due to the

discovery of gold. Chosen

as the point of departure

for the railway east, it

became the ‘supplies store’

and food producer for

the goldfields.

Mundaring - The town

owes its existence to the

water supply scheme. The

town, gazetted in 1898,

grew up at the junction of

the spur line to Mundaring

Weir to become the

leading business centre in

the Shire of Mundaring.

B A K E R S H I L L

C L A C K L I N E

M U N D A R I N G W E I R

S A W Y E R S V A L L E Y

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M I D L A N D

P E R T H

F R E M A N T L E

Water begins its

560 km journey

to the goldfields

here. Visit No 1

Pump Station and

enjoy a signposted

walk.

1P U M P S T A T I O N

M U N D A R I N G

M U N D A R I N G

No 2 is only 2.5 km from No 1 because two pumping stations were needed to lift the water over the Darling Range. Although No 2 has been demolished, illustrated signs give an insight into how it operated.

2P U M P S T A T I O N

Northam Visitor Centre 2 Grey Street. Ph 9622 2100

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See the website. Go to www.goldenpipeline.com.au

for information about the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail

Acknowledgment: Photography courtesy of National Trust WA,

Battye Library and Gary Peters. Mapping is based upon openstreetmap.org data.

Western Australia land image is from Google Earth and background land graphic

is based upon Google Earth data.

ExplorePump Stations

The Scheme

The People

My Journey

G O O M A L L I N G

GPHT Sites

Water

Discover

How it works Education Resources

Towns

See & Do

052018