Wartime (1949)

Wartime (1949) was created as part of the Terrane Project, an Art on the Move residency at the Museum of the Goldfields in Kalgoorlie-Boulder/Karlkurla. The project brought together the archive, the woodlines, and the underlying mineral realm.

Viewers at rock love quickly recognised the scene, even though it pre-dates the superpit by 40 years, searching for the Boulder Block. The superpit (3.5 km long, 1.5 km wide and over 600 m deep) swallowed up the, Paringa, Oroya, Brown Hill, Chaffers and Hainault underground mines.

…Rows of stamp batteries pounding and crushing the ore to grains of sand. Chimney stacks pumping smoke into the air. There’s not a tree in sight. Dust is blowing everywhere. Bells are ringing to let the miners and their wives know that the shift is finishing…Over on the corner of Beel and Contention streets is the infamous Boulder Block Hotel…

…Imagine climbing down to the cellar. There’s a hole in the floor. A draft of warm air rises up. You can smell the raw earth and broken stone below. No doubts, we’re looking at a mining shaft. Deeper still, there’s the start of a tunnel that fades into the darkness. This is where the miners were said to bring up their gold to sell to the publican or shady dealers hanging out at the bar….

https://www.goldindustrygroup.com.au/news/2017/3/1/gold-at-the-boulder-block-hotel