Although not 'technically' on the coast (and within our original travel plans), we decided that prior to turning east and leaving Western Australia, we should travel the additional 400kms (and what's an extra 400kms when you have travelled around 30,000kms thus far), and visit the township of Kalgoorlie, home of the famous Superpit.

Never heard of the Superpit, well it is simply a big big big hole in the ground. But did you know;

- It came about when Alan Bond (prior to him losing all his memory) purhcased all the mining (gold) leases in the area and decided the only way to make money was to mine on a massive scale. It produces 850,000 ounces of gold per year.

- The whole in the ground is currently about 4kms long, 2kms wide and 600 metres deep (and getting bigger). The biggest of its kind in Australia.

- It operates 24/7, and moves zillions tonnes of dirt each year. The trucks never stop. (and for those who know a thing or two about trucks, the trucks are 793C's !). Even when a driver takes a break, they 'leave the truck running' and a new driver hops in.

- It takes 7 truckes, or 2 million tonnes of dirt to extract gold the size of a golf ball, but as a result of the size of the operation, it extracts over $3 million dollars of gold each day.

And you get to take a tour (and get to wear a floro vest, safety glasses and a hard hat) and get up super close. (which is a good thing, as those trucks are hard to spot!).

Other Kalgoorlie happenings.

Well if Kalgoorlie was not Hunter's type of town (large trucks, plenty of dirt?), it is now, allthough he may just have another occupation to think about. During a rare visit to the local pub for lunch, we noticed the chef was struggling to put together our 4 cheese pizza. Luckily Hunter was asked to, and able to step in to assist. Result.... 4 cheese pizza. (although if I had to put my Masterchef hat on, would have to deduct a few points as I thought the prawns were a bit lacking).

Conclusion

Hmmm, noting our other activities consisted of a casual walk, look around town, savouring nice balmy (and windless) weather over a few relaxing beverages, there wasnot much else to report but in all seriousness, Kalgoorlie, and the tour in particular, are great and a must do experience. Definitely worth the travel if only to see a hole in the ground!