The people of the Goldfields

The Goldfields of Western Australia was and still is made up of many people, from poets to politicians, from saints and sinners and everything in between. I hope to tell you the stories of some of these people either famous or infamous or just the ordinary folks. Sometime the most ordinary people do the most extraordinry things

Only a Flesh Wound – Coolgardie 1894

22/07/2023 By Moya Sharp 1 Comment

In Coolgardie in 1894 there was an influx of British nobility and for a time there were more Lords, Dukes, Baronets and others in Coolgardie than had or ever has been, in any one Australian town at the same time. These Britishers packed more guns than any Yankee film hero and regular revolver practice was […]

Tales of the Tanami –

15/07/2023 By Moya Sharp Leave a Comment

The Sun – Kalgoorlie 28 November 1909, page 11 A Tale of the Tanami The Dryblowers Reminiscences Jack Hunter of the Kimberley By ‘Bilby OLD JACK HUNTER the ‘over-lander’, blowing off his run, glared with suspicion over the rim of his gold dish at the immaculately dressed young man, who, after carefully placing his bicycle […]

Richard Casey and the ‘Golden Hole’

15/07/2023 By Moya Sharp Leave a Comment

Back in 1997, I was in correspondence with Lenore O’Neill who is a relative of the Casey family. She holds a copy of the Miners Right shown below and has recorded what was written on the back. It said: “This Miners Right was presented to his worship the Mayor of Kalgoorlie, Mr L A Alman, […]

Barrambie put the ‘Wild’ in the Wild West

15/07/2023 By Moya Sharp Leave a Comment

Barrambie, is located 116 km southeast of Meekatharra and 75 km northwest of Sandstone. Of all the small satellite towns surrounding Sandstone, Barrambie was the one that has had, right up to the present time, the most constant stream of prospectors and miners working the shows in that vicinity. In June of 1905, there was […]

The Little Man who Strangled his Mate

08/07/2023 By Moya Sharp 1 Comment

Sunday Times Perth – 5 September 1943, page 4 The Little Man Who Strangled His Mate In the days when the deep leads attracted thousands to Kanowna, Moore was among the adventurous gold-seekers. In the hurly-burly of the boom days of Kanowna, when thousands rushed from all parts of Australia to what afterwards became the […]