WA School of Mines Mineral Museum Overview

WA School of Mines Mineral Museum

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Be mesmerised by minerals.

More than just rocks of the region, this collection is a learning tool, with mineral specimens from all around the world, housed in a beautiful heritage building. The minerals include sulphides, like pyrite or fool’s gold; carbonates such as calcspar and dolomite; and native elements such as graphite. Unfortunately, there are no diamonds in the collection! The mineral samples were used as teaching aids at the WA School of Mines, which first opened in Coolgardie in 1902, and then relocated to Kalgoorlie a few years later.

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Address:

117 Egan Street
Kalgoorlie WA 6430
Australia

Tel:

(08) 9088 6170

Email:

WASM-MECEAdministration@curtin.edu.au

Opening Hours

Mon to Fri 9am - 4:30pm

Malachite from Murin Murin

Viridescent deposit

Malachite, a carbonate of copper, is one of the oldest known green pigments. Malachite was used as an indicator of the presence of copper. This sample is from the Anaconda copper mine near Murin Murin...

Pyrite from Broad Arrow

Listen to the rocks talk

Minerals like galena and pyrite were used as conductors in early crystal radios. If you wrap chicken wire around a large pyrite sample and shape it into a dish, you can pick up radio waves. It is as...

Staurolite

Twinning

Staurolite, a silicate, is used in geology as an 'index mineral'. This means it is used to estimate depth, temperature and pressure changes to rock, like movement of the earth’s crust or magma...

Grain Discovery Centre

From planting to plate: discover how grain helped communities grow.

The Grain Discovery Centre is located inside the Narembeen Roadhouse and gives a history of farming and grain growing in the district. There is a fascinating shop display, which shows some of the...

Kulin Branch - Wildflower Society of WA

A flora herbarium created by local wildflower enthusiasts.

Discover the unique Kulin wattle, Acacia kulinensis and the intriguing Black Toothbrush and Grevillea hookeriana amongst files of over 2000 wheatbelt flora species, which have been pressed and...

The Quairading Vintage Club

A scale model road train, one of the districts oldest tractors, and everything in between!

The Quairading Vintage Club was originally formed in the 1980s by a group of farmers and locals from the district. In 2018 the Vintage Club became associated with the Men’s Shed. The collection...

Pingelly Museum and Historical Group

Town hall houses an intimate collection

This intimate collection provides an insight into the innovation and flavour of country-life. Learn about local inventors and sports people and town history. Pingelly Museum and Historical Group is...