January 3, 2024
We are not big fans of the endless rounds of museums that you encounter travelling Australia, but there are some that should not be missed, and Coolgardie is one of those.
The museum is located with the Visitor Information Centre in the original Wardens Court building built in 1898. In the mining towns the Warden is the person responsible for the registration of claims and all related matters including disputes which may be held in court; effectively the Warden is the controlling government officer for all mining related matters. John Michael Finnerty was the Warden at Southern Cross, 190km to the West, when Arthur Bayley registered the first claim in what was to become the Coolgardie area. Finnerty travelled to inspect the claim and notified the authorities in Perth of its existence, which began the rush. Finnerty subsequently relocated to Coolgardie and Warden Finnerty’s house still exists and is open for inspection on certain days.
The many displays include the rescue of Modesto Varischetti from the Bonnie Vale mine in 1907, a pharmacy section and one of the country’s largest bottle collections
