On show ... Fashions on the Field.Credit: Mary Mills
Bookies are nervous, miners are flush and fashionistas ignore the dust when the racing season blows into town, writes Malcolm Chenu.
THE Kalgoorlie race round is not for the weak of liver or light of wallet. For the locals, these are not issues - this is a hard-drinking, wealthy town, home to hardy miners, legal prostitution and a smattering of high society types well known for charitable fund-raising.
A one-hour flight east of Perth (or a six-hour drive), the twin towns of Kalgoorlie-Boulder rise Las Vegas-like from endless red desert, a barely believable mirage of sin and fun where fortunes are made and lost in the twinkling of a nugget.
Kalgoorlie and the Goldfields put on an intriguing show in September each year for the annual race round, a three-week festival culminating in the running of the $150,000 Kalgoorlie Cup, this year set down for September 18, when all manner of humanity gather for a punt, a pint and a perve.
In this rumour-sensitive town, where the whisper of a gold find can send a mining company's share price into orbit, plunges at the races are common and wary bookies scan the crowd nervously watching blokes with wads of dollars in one hand and stubby holders in the other. Fashions on the Field and the local Scottish pipe band add to the occasion and portray a range of Kalgoorlie's whimsical talents.
Spring is mild in the Goldfields but it's often windy at the races and the egalitarian westerly brushes Akubras, stilettos and rubber thongs with the area's ubiquitous red dust.
When a wiry, inveterate Irish prospector called Paddy Hannan rode into nearby Coolgardie in June, 1893, with 100 ounces of gold he found where Kalgoorlie now stands, he became a legend overnight - his moniker forever linked to Australia's greatest goldfield, his statue overlooking the main drag of Hannan Street.
The gold rush that followed is still going strong. In the past eight years, the most recent boom has seen the gold price surge from less than $US300 an ounce to nearly $US1200 an ounce and the frocked-up, hard-living tart that is Kalgoorlie shows no signs of becoming a faded outback belle.
The best hotel in town, the Palace, displays the gold price from a sign on its balcony at the busiest intersection in town, bringing contented smiles to passers-by, their fortunes inextricably linked to the price of the yellow metal.
On the south-east edge of town lies the Fimiston Super Pit, a massive open-cut mine producing about 850,000 ounces (or 28 tonnes) of gold a year. At 3½ kilometres by 1½ kilometres and about 400 metres deep, the Super Pit can be seen from space. Blasts are often scheduled for about 1pm most days, weather permitting. Finders Keepers runs a range of Super Pit and prospecting excursions daily.
A big event of the Kalgoorlie race round is the world two-up championships, with qualifying (at $20 a toss) held for two weeks before the final, this year to be held on Wednesday, September 15, after the Hannan's Handicap meeting at the racecourse. The championship is taken seriously - a test of skill and nerves, with the greatest number of consecutive heads deciding the world's best tosser.
Another form of tossing has been outlawed but still goes on. The practice of tossing "skimpies" (scantily clad barmaids) involves handing over $2, which the skimpy keeps. The coin is tossed and a correct call results in the skimpy revealing even more.
Only a few of the town's 25 hotels offer this fascinating cultural diversion. Most prefer to go with the arcane practice of food and drinks service. Visitors will not find it difficult to identify non-skimpy pubs as the arrival of a plate of salt-and-pepper calamari is rarely greeted with raucous cheering.
The meals are hearty pretty much everywhere, but for fine dining, try the Palace Hotel balcony or Danny's Restaurant, which boasts an impressive wine cellar.
For a final taste of Kalgoorlie, check out the brothels on Hay Street. It's said they now make as much money from tours as they do from more traditional services. The Red House and Langtrees 181 offer regular tours. Langtrees even has a gift shop. The cost is about $35 a head, meaning per person, in case you were wondering.
The race round starts on August 29 with major meetings held on September 12, 15 and 18. kbrc.com.au.
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