The Gwalia ghost town & Herbert Hoover
Gwalia can be found about 9 hours from Perth, or 2.5 hours from Kalgoorlie. It was established as a ghost town in the late 1800s, with the mine once being managed by Herbert Hoover (yes, the very same American president). It would operate until the 1960s (with a several year lull in the 1920s thanks to a fire) where it very suddenly closed. The population of the town vanished overnight, with many of the miner's cottages remaining - sometimes full of possessions.
It appears many people left instantly, only grabbing whatever they could carry in order to secure employment elsewhere. Luckily for all of us, preservation efforts for Gwalia began in the 1970s and have continued ever since. As such, Gwalia is one of the most interesting but also accessible locations to visit in the Goldfields. And this is despite the fact that the Sons of Gwalia mine reopened and is now one of the deepest mines in Australia.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwalia,_Western_Australia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Hoover
https://www.leonora.wa.gov.au/visitors/see-and-do/our-little-miners-cottages.aspx
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-22/gwalia-damaged-microburst-storm-goldfields-wa/104969410
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-05/gwalia-ghost-town-restoration-wa/105472950
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-17/don-reid-saved-historical-wa-mining-town-gwalia/101400464
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-20/gwalia-ghost-town-breathes-new-life-55-years-later/10510504
https://www.leonora.wa.gov.au/visitors/gwalia-museum/brief-history-gwalia-mine.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sons_of_Gwalia
https://www.australiasgoldenoutback.com/blog/top-tips-for-visiting-gwalia-ghost-town
https://www.gwalia.org.au/about/newsletters.aspx
Library:
1903 book about the Goldfields (online)
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b1873246_1
1948 Brochure (online)
1898 book (online)
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b1211597_64
Images:
Herbert Hoover 1898
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Hoover#/media/File:Herbert_Hoover_in_1898.jpg
Sons of Gwalia Mine 1900
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b4539863_1
1900? State hotel
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b2358323_1
Sons of Gwalia Mine 1903
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b7400567_1
1906 survey plan
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b1933052_1
1910-1925 album of photos
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b1970569_47
page 23: aftermath of fire (more on pages after)
1916 survey plan
1910-1920 Good view of main street
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b2213402_1
1930 survey plan
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b1933108_1
1930 tram pulling wood
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b4539632_3
1930 woodline
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b4539632_4
1945 miners house
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b4543882_4
1945 Dust storm
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b4543969_1
1950 aerial of the mine
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b1964469_1
1956 pool
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b2826260_001
1957 pool
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3104327_2
1957 railway station
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3104327_5
1957 state school
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3104327_7
1957 state hotel
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3104327_11
1957 town centre (grainy)
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3104327_14
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3104327_15
1957 Store
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3104327_22
1957 church
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3104327_24
1957 Landrover used as a locomotive
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3104323_5
1957 GREAT colour photo of town (long shot)
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b2830463_001
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b2830463 _2
Mine 1957
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3104322_3
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b2830467_009
1965 as a ghost town soon after mine closure
1983 hotel, but shows cottages in original location south
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3033296_1
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3033296_2
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3033296_4 (shows headframe too)
1985 headframe and winder house
