Gwalia Historic Precinct

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A ghost town with a mining history

The Gwalia Historic Precinct includes a ghost town and a museum featuring collections from the old Sons of Gwalia Mine and the Leonora district. The museum collection items are housed in the main shed and various original buildings from the Sons of Gwalia mine. Learn about the Aboriginal people and migrant workers who lived in Gwalia, the assay process of separating gold from ore or view the only large timber incline headframe in Australia. This large collection requires some walking. If you get tired you might like to rest your legs and grab a Devonshire tea at Hoover House café between 10am and 3pm, on the very edge of the present-day open cut mine. You can also spend the night in the Hoover House for a unique Goldfields experience!

Visit website

Address:

16A Tower St
Leonora WA 6438
Australia

Tel:

(08) 9037 71220

Email:

museum@gwalia.org.au

Opening Hours

Mon to Sun 9am - 4pm

Seal and embosser

Approving documents

This is an original seal and embosser from the Sons of Gwalia Mine. Seals and embossers like this were used on official documents to confirm and legitimise them. A stamp similar to the embosser was...

Gwalia Rifle Club trophy

Marksmanship

Oscar Edward Johnson won the ‘Robert Stuart Cup’ at the Gwalia Rifle Club in October 1910 and was awarded this trophy. Johnson was a miner at the Sons of Gwalia Mine and a member of the Rifle Club for...

Crucible and cupel

Cupellation

These crucibles and cupels were used in the gold testing process, which involves very high temperatures and is called, cupellation. Ore samples with gold are crushed and mixed with other metals to...

Hood Penn Museum

A family collection which turned in to a museum

This quirky museum includes several very realistic mannequins, including the friendly bartender from the old Edna May Hotel Bar! The collection was acquired as a donation from the Hood-Penn family...

Kellerberrin Museum

A local museum with many a story to tell.

This intimate collection in the original Agricultural Hall, beautifully unpacks the local history of Kellerberrin. The hall opened in 1897, and up until 1972 it was used as a school, courthouse and...

Old Newcastle Gaol

Harsh realities of early prison life on show at Newcastle Gaol Museum

Enter Newcastle Gaol Museum and find yourself hurtling back in time to imagine life as a prisoner here from 1865 to the early 1900s. The tiny cells are most disturbing, particularly the Aboriginal...

Merredin Regional Library

Old school local history collection and research in the library

The local history collection at the Merredin Library was started to gather items not connected to military and railway history, captured in other local collections. The Merredin Library is located in...