In 1893
Western Australia experienced a truly exciting time which has never been repeated. It began with a rather small Irishman called Paddy Hannan.
Paddy was a
gold prospector and in that year he was searching around the town of
Coolgardie. One day, Paddy struck it lucky when he found the fabled
Mother Lode. He had discovered a reef of gold
ore so large and so rich that the area became called the Golden Mile.
Thousands of men flocked in to seek their fortune. on the gold fileds a town sprang up called Kalgoorlie which catered to the needs of the
miners.
Today, the boom times have gone but Kalgoorlie remains. 33,000 people still find a living there, some still in the gold mines, and the town is the largest for many miles around. It is a typical
outback town with broad streets, covered pavements and the distinctive
architecture found in such towns.
Paddy Hannan is still remembered in Kalgoorlie. There is a
statue of him and a street and a local
beer named in his honour.