Golden Discoveries: Exploring WA's Gold Rush and Water Wonders

As part of their CoRE learning, the Year 7 students explored the rich history of Western Australia’s gold industry through the "Golden WA" project-based learning experience. Centred on the Coolgardie-Kalgoorlie gold rush of the late 1890s, they learned about the challenges gold-seekers faced, especially the Goldfields' severe water shortage. Early attempts to produce water using wood-powered condensers led to deforestation. Still, the government’s solution was to construct the Golden Pipeline, which pumped water from Perth to the Goldfields.

During their visit to Mundaring Weir, students gained insights into the importance of water in WA’s economy and explored the engineering behind dams and pump stations. This experience tied into their curriculum, covering science topics like distillation, simple machines, the water cycle, and the historical development of WA’s communities. Through this hands-on journey, students discovered how gold and water shaped WA’s past and continue influencing its future.

Some feedback from the Year 7 students:

‘We came here to look at the pipeline and the water the dam holds. To see the dam and its significance and the story behind it. Three things I didn’t know and now I know:

• the dam holds the Helena River

• of what the steam engine does and what it is

• about the Marri trees that have red sap in it’

‘Today, I greatly enjoyed and was deeply amused with the experience of the Mundaring Weir and dam. I really liked the activities we were able to conduct because I have a personal interest in discovering rocks and interest in stones and other topics of geology.’

‘I didn’t like it because I hate walking up stairs. I did like it because we got to eat, we got to look at rocks like geologists do and learn something new’

‘My experience was pretty good. At first I didn’t enjoy it but then I did. It was fun to go across the bridge and look at the water and the pretty flowers. So after all, it was pretty fun’