goldfields exhibition museum

At a $4 entrance fee we weren't expecting much, but we were wrong...... Very wrong. There is a surprising amount of information, artifacts and displays. The first room contains a diorama of Coolgardie during the gold rush and some fire fighting relics from the great Coolgardie Fire. The second room has an amazing story of a miner who was trapped underground by a flood and his rescue. The two rooms downstairs were sort of what we were expecting but upstairs was amazing. Upstairs has the old court room and many interesting antique bottles ranging from beer and whisky through to perfume and ornate bottles. The other rooms upstairs are decorated with furniture, artifacts and mannequins from the gold rush. It really makes you think about how tough these guys had it. All in all it was displayed well and we are glad we went.

To enter this museum will cost you less that an icecream but the information you will glean is worth its weight in gold. (no pun intended) Most of these very old towns have museums but this one is certainly one of the best. I hear many readers saying "seen one, you have seen them all." Not true in this case! The rooms and displays are very well sorted, documented and easy to follow through. e.g. You will not find kitchen items in the bedroom and vice versa. There is so much to see with the history of Coolgardie laid out before your eyes. The bottle collection is worth a visit in its own right but this is all in the entry price. If you are interested in the history of the gold rush then this is the place to visit.

Absolutely brilliant! I took my two young boys (5&7) through the museum on our way back home from Kalgoorlie. They were fascinated by everything and I had trouble getting them to leave. The staff member at the info centre was lovely and very good with the kids. I definitely recommend popping in for a look if you can.

I liked exploring the beautiful old building, climbing the 120 year old staircase, trying to imagine myself in those heady days. Coolgardie is called the Mother of the Gold Fields cos it was where gold was first discovered in these parts. The bit about the trapped miner was also intriguing. Imagine a man trapped underground for 9 days I think it was and suddenly a helmeted man surfaces in front of him!

An excellent museum with lots of interesting historical exhibits. Very worth while seeing while you are in Coolgardie. One of the most amazing collections of old bottles you will see anywhere.

Where to start - this place which is also the very informative visitor centre so loads of info on the area available.So many photos, artefacts its a place to go and spend several hours not simply breeze in and wait to be entertained. Apart from the entombed minor exhibit it is all static and you have to relax, absorb and actually read.It truly is a treasure trove of information and examples of how working class people lived. It was a hard life. The rooms are set up to show in a simple but effective way the actual living conditions of day to day life for those lucky enough to have a roof over their heads.Being able to go into the old court house part and stand in the magistrates area gives you a sense of how important this building was in dispensing of justice at a busy time in Coolgardie's history - can you imagine this being the centre with a population of over 25,000?There are stairs and no lifts and the upstairs area is well worth the effort if stairs are difficult for you. The collection of bottles is in itself worth a look, the small room with samples of rocks all of this mounts up to several hours if you enjoy this style of information.

An excellent exhibition set beneath a pit head winding gear photographs depict life at the time there are set pieces showing living conditions. The displays are inside and outside some undergoing refurbishment.

The Goldfields Exhibition Museum also serves as the Coolgardie Visitor Centre. Although a bit disconcerted by the attendant advising us that Norseman was a town to be avoided at all costs (something which we subsequently found was an obviously personal, and in our assessment, incorrect appraisal), we persevered and paid our entrance fee to the museum, which is a treasure trove of Coolgardie’s early history, incorporating the Warden's Courtroom, and an excellent display of the story of the "entombed miner" Modesto Varischetti. There is also an extensive amount of souvenirs and books for sale, not to mention tourist information (but don't dare ask about Norseman!)The Goldfields Exhibition Museum also serves as the Coolgardie Visitor Centre, and is the official starting point of the Golden Quest Discovery Trail. It is open daily from 9am-4pm Monday to Friday and 10am-3pm on weekends and public holidays.