Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

dishes as rare local venison with roast pears, beetroot, and red-wine glaze. Desserts
are no letdown, either—caramel soufflé with lavender ice cream and hot caramel
sauce is typical. Located in a historic homestead, the restaurant consists of two
simple, intimate rooms with sisal matting and contemporary, boldly colored walls.
Even better, it’s BYO. Drop by for morning or afternoon tea, if you like.
737 Bussell Hwy. (9km/5 1 ⁄2 miles past Busselton), Vasse. & 08/9755 4485. Reservations recommended,
especially at dinner. Main courses A$20–A$25 (US$13–US$16) lunch, A$27–A$32 (US$18–US$21) dinner. AE,
DC, MC, V. Tues–Sat 10am–10:30pm or later.
The Valley Café MODERN AUSTRALIAN Voted most popular Southwest
cafe in 1998, 1999, and 2000, this pleasant place serves up stylish fare with
views over the countryside. Lunch might be risotto with Augusta smoked
chicken, sun-dried capsicum (bell pepper), and shaved Parmesan. Dinner might
be cured Atlantic salmon with polenta, asparagus, and caramelized balsamic
vinegar. Courses are “Medium” and “Large,” so you can eat light if you wish, or
just come for coffee and cake. BYO.
Carters Rd. (near Caves Rd.), Margaret River. & 08/9757 3225. Reservations recommended. Main courses
A$18–A$30 (US$12–US$20); average A$24 (US$16). AE, MC, V. Wed–Sun 10am–4pm; Fri–Sat (and Sun on 3-
day weekends) 6–10pm.
4 The Goldfields
THE GOLDFIELDS 461
595km (372 miles) E of Perth
After Paddy Hannan struck gold in 1893, the wheatbelt town of Kalgoorlie
found itself sitting on the “Golden Mile,” at the time the richest square mile of
gold-bearing earth in the world. Today Kalgoorlie (pop. 33,000) is still an Outback
boomtown, a mixture of yesteryear charm and 21st-century gold fever. The
town is literally perched on the edge of the Super Pit, the world’s biggest opencut
gold mine, currently 4.5km (3 miles) long, 1.5km (1 mile) wide, and 290m
(951 ft.) deep. It yields around 20,000kg (680,000 oz.) of the yellow stuff every
year—a mere 53kg (1,863 oz.) a day. An estimated 850,000kg (30 million oz.)
is still in the ground. Hardly surprisingly, Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines,
which operates the pit, is Australia’s biggest gold producer.
Walking down the streets fronted with wrought-iron lace verandas is like
stumbling onto a Western movie set. Countless bars still do the roaring trade
they notched up in the 1890s, only now they serve gold mining executives from
Adelaide and Perth.
Life on the Golden Mile is not so lively for everyone, however. Just down the
road 39km (24 miles) is Coolgardie (pop. 1,400), another 1890s gold rush boomtown
where the gold ran out in 1963. The town’s semi-abandoned air is a sad foil
to Kalgoorlie’s brash energy, but much of her lovely architecture remains. The
thing to do here is just wander the gracious streets for a pleasant nostalgia buzz.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE Airlink (book through Qantas & 13 13 13 in Australia)
flies to Kalgoorlie from Perth daily. Skywest (&1300/660 088; www.skywest.
com.au) flies daily from Perth, except Saturdays.
Greyhound Pioneer (& 13 20 30 in Australia) makes the 8-hour trip once a
week from Perth for A$118 (US$77). Greyhound’s service from Adelaide also
runs once a week, takes around 27 hours, and costs A$264 (US$172). Goldrush
Tours (& 1800/620 440 in Australia, or 08/9021 2954) runs a 6 3 ⁄4-hour express
coach service from Perth every day for A$88 (US$57).