Goldmines and titty bars

Kalgoorlie, Wild Western Australia

10.09.2010 - 12.09.2010 25 °C

Happy hour has a very different meaning here, do what to the boss?

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Back to my aunts for a few days before continuing my journey eastwards. Perfect timing this was too as it meant I could watch Marie and Lyn in the grand hockey final and join them for a raucous night out in Kalgoorlie afterwards. I requested that we might go to a ‘skimpies’ bar as these are a distinguishing feature of kalgoorlie. Basically, these are wild western style bars where the barmaids forget to wear their clothes. The reason for their big popularity here, as well as numerous brothels around town, is for all the miners in town. In my Kambalda blog I talked about going down a nickel mine where my cousin works. Well, in Kalgoorlie they have what is known as the ‘superpit’ goldmine. Looking down at the largest open goldmine in Australia is an awesome sight. It stretches for 3.5 km and is 360m deep, enough to see it from space! The huge trucks driving around removing ore from the mine just look like toy trucks!

Superpit goldmine, how awesome..

Kalgoorlie

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Anyway, so Marie and Lyn’s team WON hoorah!! They are the champions, given a medal and everything, oh i was so proud, even though Marie got sent off in shame at one point for a dodgy tackle or something (classic!) and I actually saw Lyn do something this time! I had offered to drive 1dic so they could have a drink, and to be honest, I had sunk a few too many the night previously. OK, hands up I’m a soft pommie.. I was also really happy to be behind the wheel again, this being the first time I have driven since my horrible car crash just before I left England. I already drove 1dic back to Kambalda and was quite proud of myself not to feel nervous, especially driving a strange car in a strange country after 6 months of not driving. The celebrations (drinking!) started early afternoon so I was in for a treat as a sober observer to a ladies night out! The afternoon drinking and watching hockey was followed by a house party, complete with bins full of beer cans on ice and singstar (I hate singstar!) followed by the skimpy bar!!! By this time, the ladies were steaming and I could not stop laughing at them. One of the girls though was being loud and obnoxious and i nearly lost my rag with her! More than anything I was annoyed with myself for getting wound up by her but she obviously did not get out much neither had any social awareness. Euggghhhhhh!! So yes there were titties in the skimpies bar but other than that it was pretty tame, nothing you don’t see in any UK nightclub at the weekend! Had to be done though while in Kalgoorlie! The men in there were quite horrible too, loud and physical. The funniest point of the evening came when i offered to drop off this drunk Irish lady on our way back. Really lovely lady and a lot of fun but she was giving me directions to her place then seemed to completely forget where she lives! ‘Oh I don’t think this is the street, maybe the next one’, ‘Oh no not this one, don’t recognise this one’ The one she didn’t recognise was actually her street! I asked her how long she had been living there, SIX MONTHS!!! OMG! Marie managed to direct me to her house but the lady still insisted ‘I don’t recognise this house, it isn’t mine’ Oh lord......hehehehehehehehee. Lyn made a comment during the evening ‘I think you have already seen the best and the worse of Australia’. Yep 

CHAMPIONS!!!

Celebrating in the skimpies bar

The Irish lass that forgot where she lived

Celebrating in the skimpies bar

TITTIES....

A bonus to being the driver for the day other than getting all the free entertainment was that I was awake and fresh the next morning ready for my flight to Melbourne. I was very sad to say goodbye to my family though and some lovely new friends. Real privilege to have been here, again I get to learn and I experience many new things that I will never forget.