Minister praises Loopline project and mining, tourism link

30/3/00
Mines Minister Norman Moore said today that the Goldfields was ideally placed to reap the benefits of mining and tourism.
Mr Moore was speaking at the signing of an agreement between the Golden Mile Loopline Railway Society and Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines. The agreement officially launched the Loopline Heritage Restoration Project.
"This agreement is a unique marriage of mining and tourism that will ensure the future of the Loopline railway,"
the Minister said.
"The Loopline started operating along a single track in 1897 and was, in its day, the busiest railway line in Western Australia.
"Sixty-one trains ran each day along 18km of track and serviced 19 stations.
"I'm told you could travel in a loop from Kalgoorlie to Boulder and back again for five pence.
"Maintaining and further developing the Loopline Railway is a wonderful means of developing tourism in the Goldfields and preserving an important part of our heritage."
Mr Moore said that when the ultimate goal of the Loopline project was achieved, tourists would have access to a railway line linking Boulder with the Super Pit lookout, the Hannan's North Tourist mine (with its Australian Prospectors and Miners Hall of Fame) and Kalgoorlie.
"This means that a journey along the Loopline will provide a snapshot of what mining means to the Goldfields way of life - past, present and future," he said.
The Minister said that the Loopline Heritage Restoration Project would receive funding of $1.5 million from KCGM. In exchange, the GMLRS had agreed to shift the railway line and operations that would affect KCGM's mine development.
"This mutually satisfying outcome will ensure that the operations of both organisations continue to flourish," he said.
"It is an important example of the synergy that can exist between mining and tourism."
Mr Moore said the Loopline would become an important drawcard for a region which attracted more than 311,000 visitors in 1998.
Media contacts:
Hartley Joynt, Minister for Mines' office, 08 9321 1444
James Bowie, Department of Minerals and Energy 08 9222 3527