Goldfields

The Goldfields is located in the south eastern corner of Western Australia and incorporates nine local government areas. The area is more than three times the size of Victoria and covers almost a third of WA's total land mass. As the largest region in WA, its diverse natural environment ranges from sprawling deserts in the North and East to pristine white beaches and emerald seas in the South.

The permanent regional population of the Goldfields is around 59,000, boosted by a significant number of workers who fly in from Perth to work on remote mining sites. Just over half the population lives in Kalgoorlie-Boulder (approx 32,000) and another quarter live in the Shire of Esperance (approx 13,000). Five of the nine local government areas have populations of less than 2000. It is estimated that 8% of the region's population is of Aboriginal descent, compared to 3% for Western Australia as a whole. There are 17 Aboriginal communities within the Goldfields.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder is the regional centre, servicing other towns and providing a regional transport hub. The East-West railway passes through Kalgoorlie-Boulder, and the airport hosts regular flights in and out of Perth. In addition to a wide range of heavy industry, Kalgoorlie-Boulder has retail and tourism businesses, educational establishments, sporting and recreational facilities, and government agencies. Kalgoorlie-Boulder provides support to the pastoral and mining industries located in the Goldfields.  Norseman is considered the gateway to the Nullabor whilst Laverton is the gateway to the Outback Highway (Great Central Road) which leads to Alice Springs.

In the south, Esperance is the major population centre with infrastructure including shops, schools, a university, leisure/recreational facilities and government agencies. Infrastructure support and business services are also provided to Ravensthorpe, Hopetoun and Norseman. Agriculture (dominated by broad-acre farming), fishing and tourism continue to be the dominant industries. Recent development of the Esperance Port has seen it become the third busiest in WA - supporting both the agricultural and mining industries for the entire region. The wholesale, retail and export markets of the fishing industry also continue to flourish.

View a detailed map of the Western Australian regions

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