Boulder Railway Station, Subway & Loopline

Child Places

• 16652 Boulder CWA Hall
• 24921 Boulder Subway Bridge

Statement of Significance

Assessment of Significance: Each element within the place is valued for its individual aesthetic characteristics, and together they form a significant group. (Criteria 1.1 & 1.3)

The places that comprise Boulder Railway Station, Subway and Loopline each have a landmark setting in the Boulder townsite or in the goldfields vista surrounding the town. Boulder Railway Station Building is a landmark associated with the approach drive, and the Rotunda is a pleasing element within the picturesque Park setting in front of Boulder Station. The Boulder Subway is a distinctive element in Boulder and is a marker between the town and the goldfields beyond. The war memorial by Porcelli is a fine example of his work. (Criterion 1.3)

The places that make up Boulder Railway Station, Subway and Loopline represent a series of markers along the Loopline Railway line and provide a significant visual aesthetic and contribute to the cohesiveness of the cultural environment associated with the Loopline Railway. (Criterion 1.4)

The construction and subsequent operation of Boulder Railway Station, Subway and Loopline was a result of the successful ongoing exploitation of the Eastern Goldfields, and in particular the Golden Mile. The Loopline operated between 1897 and 1976. (Criterion 2.1)

Boulder Railway Station, Subway and Loopline provides a fine example of the transport infrastructure of the Eastern Goldfields during the 1880s and 1890s in Western Australia when large numbers of workers, heavy machinery, ore and timber had to be moved efficiently between mines, townships and transport depots. (Criteria 2.1 & 2.2)

The Boulder Railway Station and Boulder Subway are representative of the growth of Boulder as the major residential and support and service centre of the Golden Mile mining tenements. (Criterion 2.2)

Boulder Railway Station, Subway and Loopline is valued by the local and wider community for its ongoing railway associations, its connection with Boulder's gold boom past, and for its considerable aesthetic and landscape appeal. Its importance to the community is demonstrated by the formation of the Golden Mile Loopline Railway Society which operates the line as a tourist attraction, and by the occupation of Boulder Railway Station Building by the Goldfields Historical Society from 1976 to c. 1995. (Criterion 4.1)

Boulder Railway Station, Subway and Loopline contributes to the local and wider community's sense of place as a significant reminder of the 1880s and 1890s goldrushes in Western Australia. (Criterion 4.2)

Of the original railway stations constructed on the Loopline Railway, Boulder Railway Station is the only complex remaining extant. (Criterion 5.1)

Boulder Railway Station, Subway and Loopline, and associated elements which assist in understanding the place, represent a unique example of what was a typical turn of the century goldfields railway system. (Criterion 6.2)

Statement of Significance: Boulder Railway Station has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:

- the place provides a fine remnant example of the transport infrastructure of the Eastern Goldfields during the 1880s and 1890s in Western Australia, when large numbers of workers, heavy machinery, ore and timber had to be moved efficiently between mines, townships and transport depots;

- the construction of the place was a result of the successful exploitation of the Eastern Goldfields, and in particular the Golden Mile. The Loopline operated from 1897 to 1976;

- the place contributes to the local and wider community's sense of place as a significant reminder of the 1880s and 1890s goldrushes in Western Australia. It is also valued by the various groups interested in conserving and promoting Western Australia’s railway heritage;

- the Boulder Railway Station and Boulder Subway illustrate the importance of Boulder city as a major residential, and support and service centre, of the Golden Mile mining tenements at the turn of the century; and,

- of the original railway stations constructed on the Golden Mile Loopline Railway, Boulder Railway Station is the only one remaining extant.

The Loopline Railway comprises the section of railway between Wittenoom Street and Forrest Street, via Dunlop Cross, Boulder City, Forrest Street and Ivanhoe Cross. The remainder of the Loopline runs between Forrest Street and Wittenoom Street, through Kamballie and Golden Gate railway stations. The section of the loop between Kamballie and Golden Gate via Horseshoe, Fimiston and Hainault, is no longer extant, having been removed in the excavation of the Super Pit.

Steel framed and clad sheds, recently constructed within the Boulder Railway Station reserve, are considered to have no cultural heritage significance. The associated Stationmaster’s House is considered to have a little cultural heritage significance due to recent works which have compromised the degree of authenticity and integrity.

Physical Description

Boulder Railway Station, Subway and Loopline (1897-1903), consists of the remains of a turn of the century, narrow gauge railway complex, comprising: a section of the Loopline Railway Line (1897 & 1902); Boulder Station Goods Shed (1898); Boulder Station Buildings, Platforms and Pedestrian Subway (1903); Boulder Subway and Pumping Station (1903); and Boulder Station Park, Rotunda and Memorial (c.1903; 1920), and the footing remains of the larger of the two pedestrian overbridges which were built at Boulder Station.

Boulder Railway Station, Subway and Loopline is located within a railway reserve which traverses a section of the Kalgoorlie-Boulder goldfields. The remainder of the Loopline runs between Forrest Street and Wittenoom Street, through Kamballie and Golden Gate railway stations. Some rail tracks exist beyond each of those stations.

Boulder Railway Station Building and the adjacent toilet building are on the main platform. Approximately 100 yards south east of the platform, the concrete footing remains of the pedestrian overpass are still evident. Opposite the Railway Station the stone walls of the island platform are evident. North of the Station Building, the original Goods Shed remains in-situ. At the northern end of the Boulder Railway Station is the Subway construction taking Burt Street under the railway line. South of the Boulder Railway Station, the Loopline Railway sweeps around in a north-easterly direction towards the next station on the line, which is Kamballie. At Kamballie Station the 200 metre long island platform is still intact and a station building still remains. North of Boulder Railway Station, the Loopline sweeps around to the east and the next station is Golden Gate. At Golden Gate Station, the remains of the brick Pedestrian Underpass are still in place in the centre of the 200 metre island platform.

The Boulder Railway Station is the point of the departure of the Loopline Tourist Railway. The railway tracks are operational between Kamballie and Golden Gate and the train traverses the route daily.

The Boulder Railway Station Building is a single story brick structure with a hipped corrugated iron roof with gable features and a break pitch verandah along the platform. The building is entered from the south end, which is the first point of arrival on the one way circular approach road. At the entry gate, the toilet building is on the right, and the Station Building on the left. On the front of the Station Building, the roof overhang is strutted from corbelled brickwork. Around the east side of the Station Building, the bitumen platform stretches northwards. The original verandah posts with four-strut structure are in place at regular intervals along the platform.

The Station Building is constructed of Coolgardie face brick in an English bond. Three course header arches are in place above the window and door openings. The double hung sash windows have rendered sills, and the public windows have bars shaped into an arch, reflecting the arch over the entrance door. The four panelled external doors have fanlights above. The interior of the station building is a series of rooms with most having access to the platform. The rooms all inter connect, some of them having new openings to facilitate the connections. The original 0.135m floorboards, the architraves, skirtings and some ceilings are still in place. Several rooms in the building have been refurbished with gyprock ceilings. The original main entry is at the north end of the building. The building is in fair to good condition, although the stumps and floor in the south west corner have subsided, and there is evidence of termite activity. The Boulder Railway Station building has retained a moderate to high degree of integrity and authenticity.

The toilet building is at the south end of the Station platform. It is a brick and iron construction, and has concrete floors throughout. The roof is gabled with horizontal board infills above the brick walls, which are laid in English bond.

The entries into each of the mens' and ladies' toilets are open arched doorways, although the arches have been bricked in. The internal toilet facilities have up to date fittings and fixtures. Brick privacy walls have been constructed around each door opening. The building evidences change in the external fabric, showing an infilled door opening. The condition of the building is good, and it continues to function as originally intended, so it has retained a high degree of integrity. It has a moderate degree of authenticity.

Further south, beyond the end of the platform, are the remnants of the concrete footings of the passenger over bridge.

The island platform of the Boulder Railway Station complex is still evident along its entire length. There are no buildings remaining on the island platform, and no obvious remnants of any buildings. Both the Railway Station platform and the island platform are stone construction with a concrete edge. The island platform is in poor condition, the bitumen is no longer in place. On the east side of the platform, there are recently constructed steel framed and clad sheds which do not form part of this assessment although they are within the railway reserve.

Across the railway lines, to the north east of the Railway Station, is the original 1898 Goods Shed. It is a timber framed corrugated iron clad structure with a skillion roof sloping towards the rail line. On the east, high side, a series of louvred vents are in place in the wall. The Goods Shed was inaccessible during the site investigation.

History

: Boulder Railway Station, Subway and Loopline (1897-1903), consists of the remains of a turn of the century, narrow gauge railway complex, comprising a section of the Loopline Railway Line (1897 & 1902); Boulder Station Goods Shed (1898); Boulder Station Buildings, Platforms and Pedestrian Subway (1903); Boulder Subway and Pumping Station (1903); Kamballie Station (1903); and Boulder Station Park, Rotunda and Memorial (c.1903; 1920), and the footing remains of the larger of the two pedestrian overbridges which were built at Boulder Station. Westrail operation of the line ceased in 1976. Since that time, the Loopline has been operated as a tourist railway by the Golden Mile Loopline Railway Society. The Loopline has been considerably shortened since 1989, by the encroaching Super Pit mine operations.

In June 1893, Paddy Hannan and his partners discovered alluvial gold 30 miles (48 kms) north-east of Coolgardie. A camp, known as Hannan's Find, quickly developed at the site, with bough huts and hessian and canvas structures erected along the edge of the track from Coolgardie. Many of these structures housed businesses to serve the prospectors who flocked to the area. Later that year, William Brookman and Sid Pearce located gold reefs three miles south of Hannan's Find, at what was to become Boulder and the Golden Mile. On 4 September 1894, Hannan's Find was declared the townsite of Kalgoorlie (Webb, 1993: 91; King, 1995: 15; Laurie, 1995: 2-4).

It was another two years, on the 4 December 1896, before the camp at Boulder was declared a town site. Both towns grew rapidly, with most of the miners living at Boulder, largely because it was closer to their place of work on the Golden Mile at a time when there was no public transport (Webb, 1993: 416).

The discovery of gold at Southern Cross and the subsequent declaration of the area as the Yilgarn goldfield in 1888 had prompted the State Government to commence construction of a railway to serve the area. The line, known as the Yilgarn Railway, began at the head of the Eastern Railway at Northam (the name 'Yilgarn Railway' was replaced with 'Eastern Goldfields Railway' in 1899-1900 (WAGR annual report, 1900: 2), and included, at that time, the lines from Northam to Kalgoorlie, the Boulder Railway, and Kalgoorlie to Kanowna and Menzies). Before the line had reached Southern Cross however, the Coolgardie, and then Kalgoorlie, gold finds were made, and the railway line was extended, reaching Kalgoorlie in September 1896 (Gunzberg and Austin, 1997: 207; Le Page, n.d.: 221-225; Webb, 1993: 293).

Mine management on the Golden Mile wanted direct access to the railway, as did the town of Boulder. Servicing the mines was considered a lucrative proposition, and a number of proposals were put to the Kalgoorlie Municipal Council for construction of a private line from Kalgoorlie to the Golden Mile. The Government did not want private railway lines constructed so it immediately arranged for the Public Works Department to construct an 'ore tramway' to the mines instead. The tramway was in all effects a railway line, but was called a tramway until the appropriate legislation could be passed for its legal establishment as a railway line (Webb, 1993: 532-533; Gunzberg and Austin, 1997: 206).

The Department of Public Works Annual Report for 1896-97 stated that the survey had been completed for the Kalgoorlie-Boulder tramway during the financial year, and the line of 8 miles (14 km) was expected to be completed and open for traffic about the beginning of November 1897 (Department of Public Works, annual report to 30 June 1897, in 'Votes and Proceedings of the Parliament of WA', 1897, Paper No. 26: 49, 54). The tramway opened on 8 November, although not completely finished, and immediately proved popular (Western Australian Government Railways, annual report to 30 June 1898, in 'Votes and Proceedings of the Parliament of WA', 1898, Paper No. 41: 40).

"The number of passengers carried over the Boulder ore tramway is increasing daily, and last week the total number carried was 9,000. The traffic is so heavy that it is probable within a few weeks the line between the Boulder and the Main Reef siding will be finished and the trams run regularly to the Boulder and then on around the mines and back to Kalgoorlie. This round trip would greatly increase the number who could avail themselves of the service especially if stopping places are built on the Great Boulder Perseverance mine, and the crossing over the rails on the Queen West mine near the Eclipse. Already hundreds are availing themselves of the dustless trams to come into Kalgoorlie instead of driving in, and with the contemplated extension of the service there is no doubt the traffic will be quadrupled" (Coolgardie Miner, 29 November 1897: 4).

The legislation - the Kalgoorlie-Gnumballa Lake and Boulder Townsite Loop Railways Act 1897 - was assented to on 23 December (Kalgoorlie-Gnumballa Lake and Boulder Townsite Loop Railways Act, 1897, Statute No. 18, 1897). The Act authorised the construction of a railway from Kalgoorlie to Gnumballa Lake (later referred to as Hannan's Lake, and later still as Lakeside), and a loop railway from the line to the Boulder townsite (map showing the layout of the line).

In the beginning there were no sidings or platforms on the line for the benefit of passengers, who simply got on or off wherever the train stopped (Webb, 1993: 533). The first station 'building' at Boulder is claimed to have been a D-wagon, from which the stationmaster ran the station operations, and in which he also slept (Webb, 1993: 533). The facilities were improved over the next few months, but they were still of an 'economical' nature, as seen by the Department of Public Works' description of the Boulder Railway in its 1898 annual report:

"Commenced originally in 1897 as a tramway, to give facilities to the mines between Kalgoorlie and Hannan's Lake, this line has, owing to the phenomenal development of the Boulder City and the mines in the neighbourhood, expanded into a first-class railway - well, yet economically, equipped throughout.

The line itself consists of a direct line to Hannan's Lake with a loop to Boulder City, and is in all 8 miles.

At various points along the route, wayside stations, with platforms and shelter sheds, have been provided to meet the requirements of passenger traffic. In accordance with the original intention, ie., affording facilities to the rich mines along the route and enabling them to get their machinery, as well as fuel, on to the ground, to allow of cheap transport of rich telluride ores, etc to the seaboard for treatment, branch sidings off the main lines have been made to the following mines, and at the cost of the companies interested, viz - Lake View, Australia, Boulder Perseverance, Ivanhoe, Great Boulder Proprietary, and Golden Horseshoe, also to Hannan's Lake Crushing Company's Battery.

The whole of the work was carried out Departmentally" (Department of Public Works, annual report to 30 June 1898, in 'Votes and Proceedings of the Parliament of WA', 1898, Paper No. 42: 59).

WAGR took over maintenance of Boulder Railway from the Railway Construction Branch of the PWD on 1 February 1898 (Western Australian Government Railways, annual report to 30 June 1898, in 'Votes and Proceedings of the Parliament of WA', 1898, Paper No. 41: 21).

Almost before the first section of the Loopline was completed, there was a need to extend it to cater for the estimated 10,000 people living on the eastern side of the Golden Mile tenements. The Brown Hill Loop Kalgoorlie-Gnumballa Lake Railway Act, was assented to on 5 December 1900 (Brown Hill Loop Kalgoorlie-Gnumballa Lake Railway Act, 1900, Statute No. 41, 1900). This provided for a loop on the opposite side of the line to the Boulder City loop, from Hannan Street station at one end to Kamballie station at the other, passing through Brown Hill, a total distance of about 4 miles (7.25km) (map showing layout of the line). Construction of the Brown Hill Loopline was carried out by the PWD, and WAGR took over maintenance of the line on 17 March 1902. There were four stopping places on the Brown Hill loop: Croesus, Hill End and Trafalgar, which were all sidings, and Brown Hill, which was a booking station (Report on the workings of the Government Railway and the Roebourne-Cossack Tramway, June 1902, in 'Votes and Proceedings of the Parliament of WA’, 1902, Paper No. 24: 47-48).

By mid 1900, duplication of the Kalgoorlie-Boulder-Kamballie section of the Loopline was under way to alleviate congestion on the line. As part of the duplication, more substantial station buildings and facilities were planned (Government Railways and Tramways, annual report to 30 June 1900, in 'Votes and Proceedings of the Parliament of WA’, 1900, Paper No. 35: 2, 17). The 1901, Government Railways and Tramways annual report listed:

"Works - permanent way, earthworks, fencing, gates, interlocked signals, subways, station buildings and quarters at Hannan Street and Golden Gate, etc… Station buildings and quarters at Kallaroo, Boulder City and Kamballie (not yet commenced)" (Government Railways and Tramways, annual report to June 1901, in 'Votes and Proceedings of the Parliament of WA’, 1901, Paper No. 41: 21).

The tender for Golden Gate station buildings was awarded to Alex Moir in July 1901, with a price of £1,966 1s (Western Australian Government Gazette, 12 July 1901: 2724). The Boulder Subway had also been commenced, but there were problems.

"At Boulder City a subway 30 feet wide, under the full extent of the station yard, estimated to cost £10,800 is provided for, and the approach thereto is complete. The work has been suspended under your [the Government's] instructions. Representations have been made that the subway as proposed will not meet the requirements" (Government Railways and Tramways, annual report to June 1901, in 'Votes and Proceedings of the Parliament of WA’, 1901, Paper No. 41: 21).

The problems appear to have been quickly dealt with, however, as the Government Railways 1902 annual report states:

"Many improvements have been effected on the section Kalgoorlie-Boulder, chiefest amongst them being the Boulder City Subway, Station Buildings etc, at Golden Gate and Hannan St" (Report on the workings of the Government Railway and the Roebourne-Cossack Tramway, June 1902, in 'Votes and Proceedings of the Parliament of WA’, 1902, Paper No. 24: 48).

Contracts for Kamballie and Boulder railway station buildings were awarded in 1902. Alex Moir won both contracts. The Kamballie contract was awarded in April (£1,878 16 s 4d), and the Boulder contract in September (£3,478 16s 5d) (Western Australian Government Gazette, 11 April 1902: 1389 & 26 September 1902: 3917). M. Mackesy won the Boulder Station 'overway footbridge and approaches' contract in October, with a price of £1,004 5s 9d (Western Australian Government Gazette, October 1902: 4108; WAGR, EEL Plan No. 5511, 1902). Stockyards were also built in Boulder Railway Station yard in the 1901-02 financial year. The Goods Shed is shown on an early plan of Boulder Station yard, and was probably part of the 1898 improvements made to the Loopline facilities (Site plan of Boulder Station reserve prior to construction of Subway and existing station building, EEL Plan No. 6552).

All the work was completed by June 1903, as recorded in the Government Railways annual report of that year:

"Improvements - Boulder City - station buildings and station master's house, overhead footbridge connecting 'up' and 'down' platforms, fencing and gates 'up' platform, and new 'up' road [rail track].
Kamballie - station buildings and station master's house.
Golden Gate - subway.
Hannan Street - subway.
Brown Hill Loop - overhead bridge, Boulder Road crossing on Boulder Railway, overhead bridge for road and tram traffic." (Report on the workings of the Government Railway and the Roeburne-Cossack Tramway, June 1903, in 'Votes and Proceedings of the Parliament of WA’, 1903, Paper No. 30: 30).

Boulder Railway Station Buildings comprised the main Station Building (or station house; extant), the lamp room, and the latrines building (extant) on the 'up' platform, and a shelter house on the 'down' (island) platform. An overhead footbridge connected the two platforms just north of the main Station Building. Another footbridge south of the platforms provided access over all lines from the western (Boulder) side of the Station Reserve to the eastern (mines) side. The footing remains of the latter footbridge are extant.

The tramways were laid along Lane Street and through the Boulder Subway in 1903 and, in January 1904, the Boulder Tramways Act was passed (Boulder Tramways Act, 1904, Statute No. 2, 1904). Even before the tramway was running in Boulder, railway revenue was being effected by the competition, as reported in the Government Railways 1903 Annual Report.

"During the year the competition with the Kalgoorlie Electric Tramway Co for the Boulder line traffic was keen, and caused shrinkage in our receipts for this line. Reduced fares and improved service gave satisfactory results, but only temporary. As soon as the electric trams run right into Boulder City our service will hardly pay" (Report on the workings of the Government Railway and the Roebourne-Cossack Tramway, June 1903, in 'Votes and Proceedings of the Parliament of WA', 1903, Paper No. 30: 18).

The Railways department was correct in its forecast. From 1904, the Loopline began to lose money and services were curtailed, although it was claimed that the trains still ran every half hour, day and night (Webb, 1993: 538; Morris, 1984: 29-30). Trams ran along the main streets of both Kalgoorlie and Boulder, and through the Subway to the mines and the Boulder Block, which had developed as a commercial and recreational area in the heart of the mining tenements.

While the Loopline may not have been profitable for the Government Railways, it was still a busy railway system. One of the requirements for operating the mines was timber, and from as early as 1898, timber companies, such as Millar Bros, leased land in the Boulder Station yard and constructed their own sidings. Timber for fuel was needed to generate electricity for lighting and power, to run the electric trams, to power the steam driven winders that hauled ore to the surface and to heat the furnaces in which the gold ore was roasted. Structural timber was also required for the shafts and passageways of the underground mines. Before the advent of the Goldfields Pipeline, water was condensed for drinking and for use in the steam train boilers, again requiring large supplies of timber. After the Goldfields Pipeline was completed between Mundaring and Kalgoorlie, timber was needed to fuel the eight steam-powered pumping stations along the pipeline route (Gunzberg and Austin, 1997: 163).

After 1919, a number of companies involved in wood collecting operations concentrated on the area south of Lakeside, and Kamballie was the main depot where the wood wagons were left for distribution by WAGR to the mines and other users on the Loopline. The wood companies built 'woodlines' (railway tracks into the bush), moving them to a new area when the current area was cut out. Wood was cut in the area until about 1964, when diesel power began to take over (Gunzberg and Austin, 1997: Chapter 9). A 1952 map shows sidings from Boulder Station to the wood stacks at the Kalgoorlie Power Corporation site at the end of Hamilton Street (WAGR, Kalgoorlie Power Corporation sidings, Plan No. 41148, 1952).

As well as transporting timber, and goods and machinery to the mines, and ore to Fremantle, the trains on the Loopline were used by the miners. The changing of the shifts saw thousands of men transported back and forth within a short space of time, with trains passing through Boulder Railway Station every few minutes at change of shift. Sixty trains, each up to ten carriages in length, provided the service (Uhe, 1994). Children travelling to Sunday School picnics at Lakeside were carried on a special train that ran around the Loopline collecting passengers on the way. Another benefit of the Loopline was felt by courting couples, who could catch the 8.30pm train at Boulder Railway Station, travel the Loop in comfort and in the dim light of the oil lamps, and be home by 10pm (Morris, 1984: 29-30).

Passenger services on the Brown Hill Loop were discontinued in 1931, after all the houses in the area had either been dismantled or abandoned due to the Depression. The section closed completely in 1937. This left the Boulder City Loop and the mines line still operating. In 1952 the trams were replaced by buses, and by 1954 the rail service on the remaining Loopline was reduced to two passenger trains a day to Boulder and a goods train to Kamballie (Uhe, 1994).

West Australian Government Railways had always had the problem of running a narrow gauge rail system while the rest of the rail link with the eastern states was standard gauge. The two systems met at Parkeston, 4 kms east of Kalgoorlie, where everything had to be manually transferred from one system to the other. In 1966, the standard gauge line was finally extended to Fremantle, and the narrow gauge system was phased out. The Loopline Railway was narrow gauge.

Although emphasis was shifting to road transport, considered to more efficient than the railway as it reduced handling time and costs, Westrail did not cease operation of the Loopline until 1976. The Loopline Preservation Group was formed to retain the line and the remaining stations, and the Golden Mile Loopline Railway Society arranged to lease the line from Westrail to run as a tourist operation. The Kalgoorlie-Boulder Historical Society occupied part of the Boulder Railway Station House as a display centre.

In the late 1980s, new mining technology resulted in the development of the Super Pit open-cut mining operation. Since 1989, the Super-Pit operation has spread to the extent where very little remains of the Loopline. The original lease of the Loopline extended from Golden Gate to Trafalgar station, the next station on the line past Kamballie, but the operable section of line has since been reduced to that between Golden Gate and Kamballie (Westrail/Golden Mile Loopline Railway Society lease, 1982).

In 1996, the Historical Society moved out of the Boulder Railway Station and into the old power station nearby. In April that year, Westrail commissioned a structural investigation of the Boulder Subway, with a view to extending the operating life of the two tracks operated by the Loopline Railway Society (BSD, 1996).

In 1999, the Golden Mile Loopline Railway Society, the Kalgoorlie-Boulder City Council and Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines Pty Ltd began working on a ‘Loopline Heritage Restoration Project Plan’. The plan is considered imperative to the Loopline remaining a viable operation and to improve the facilities it provides as a tourist attraction in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. The central focus of the plan aims to recreate an important original aspect of the Loopline; ie. a rail connection between Boulder Station and Hannan Street (Presentation to Development Committee on 22 February 2000, HCWA File P4639).

The Golden Mile Loopline Railway Society and Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines signed the agreement for the Loopline Heritage Restoration Project on 30 March 2000 (Kalgoorlie Miner, 31 March 2000: 3). Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines are funding the $1.5 million project in return for the removal of a section of the line that traverses part of a planned open cut mining area. The funding will go towards a loopline trust, restoration works to Boulder Subway and Station and future construction programs (Kalgoorlie Miner, 31 March 2000: 3).

In 2000, the Boulder Station Buildings are occupied solely by the Golden Mile Loopline Railway Society, from which they run their tourist operation. The Society has recently constructed a shed for the use of restoring railway rolling stock. Their current lease on the Loopline buildings and line runs until 2003.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Moderate to High
Authenticity: High

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.