Quick answer
What to know first
The Super Pit is Kalgoorlie-Boulder's major open-cut gold mine landmark. Visitors usually experience it from the public lookout or approved tours; never enter mine areas without authorised access.
The Super Pit is the reason most people come to Kalgoorlie. It is one of the largest open-cut gold mines on the planet, half a kilometre deep, easy to visit, free to look at. Here is what you need to know.
What it actually is
The Fimiston Open Pit, usually called the Super Pit, is an active gold mine beside Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Visitors must use public visitor areas or an authorised tour and must not enter controlled mine areas independently.
The public lookout
The mine operator places the public Super Pit Lookout off Mount Monger Road, off the Goldfields Highway. It currently states that the lookout is open from 7am to 7pm daily, but access and hours can change. Check the official lookout page before making a special trip.
Public KCGM tours
Public tours of KCGM Operations have recommenced on an authorised route that includes an internal lookout. Tour availability, departure requirements and bookings are handled through Kalgoorlie Tours and Charters. Check the operator tour notice and current tour availability. An organised tour does not make other mine areas open to independent access.
Blasting and operational changes
Blasting, construction and mine operations can affect what visitors see and when access is available. This guide does not publish a fixed blast schedule. Use current operator and tour information rather than planning around an old time or an unverified signal.
Photos
The lookout faces roughly east. That means the western wall of the Pit (the one you can see clearly) is well-lit in the late afternoon and silhouetted in the morning. Plan your photos accordingly.
Best shots in our experience:
- Late afternoon wide shot from the right-hand side of the rail, when the sun catches the dump trucks crawling up the western ramp.
- The blast plume rising, taken just after the dust clears (about 30 seconds after the boom).
- Close-crop of a haul truck against the wall, telephoto lens, to show the scale.
- Anything at sunset with the haul road lights coming on, which happens around 5pm in winter and 7pm in summer.
Phone cameras struggle with the distance. Bring a real camera with a zoom if you have one. Polarising filter helps with the haze.
The history in three minutes
From 1893 to 1989, gold on the Golden Mile was worked by dozens of separate underground mines. Each had its own headframe, its own shaft, its own crew. By the late 1980s many were marginal or worked-out, but the ground between them still held ore. Consolidating it into one open-pit operation made the marginal ore profitable. That is the Super Pit.
The pit grew through the 1990s and 2000s and is now in its sixth or seventh cutback (the pit walls are stepped back periodically to allow it to be dug deeper). Recent operator plans suggest open-cut mining at depth becomes uneconomic at some point and a return to underground mining will follow. The Mt Charlotte mine, on the other side of town, is already a working underground operation owned by the same group.
Gold prices drive everything. When the price is high, marginal ore becomes ore. Cutbacks proceed. When prices fall, operators trim crews, defer pushbacks, and focus on the better grades. The town's fortunes have always tracked the chart.
While you are out there
You are five minutes by car from Hannan Street, so most people pair the lookout with something else. A few sensible combinations:
- Lookout, then Mt Charlotte reservoir. Both are on the eastern edge of town. Twenty minutes apart. Gives you the Pit and the pipeline story in the same arvo.
- Lookout, then Boulder. Drive down past the southern pit walls (most of the haul roads are visible from the road south) and into Boulder for a beer at the Reccy.
- Lookout, then Hannans North. The mining museum is about ten minutes north. Together they make a half-day.
Practical checks
The operator places the public lookout off Mount Monger Road and currently lists opening hours of 7am to 7pm daily. Access can change with operations or safety requirements. Check the official Super Pit Lookout page before making a special trip.
This guide does not make unverified claims about toilets, wheelchair facilities, dogs, retail, shade or blast waiting times. Use current operator information and onsite directions.
One last thing
The underground future
The operator has been clear in recent investor briefings that open-cut mining will not last forever at Fimiston. Past a certain depth the cost of stripping waste rock to access ore becomes uneconomic compared to underground extraction. The current life-of-mine plan involves continuing open-cut operations through the late 2020s and into the 2030s, with progressively more underground production added to the mix.
This is not the end of mining at Kalgoorlie. The Golden Mile remains one of the richest gold structures on the planet, and underground operations on the same ground are technically straightforward. The visible Pit will eventually stop growing, but trucks, trains, and gold output will keep coming.
Quick FAQ
Can I visit the public lookout?
Yes, when it is open. Check the operator’s current lookout page for access and hours.
Can I tour KCGM Operations?
Public KCGM tours have recommenced on an authorised route. Check current availability and requirements with Kalgoorlie Tours and Charters.
Can I enter other mine areas?
No. Active mine areas are controlled workplaces. Independent access is prohibited.
Is there a fixed blast time?
No fixed time is published in this guide. Mine operations can change, so follow current operator information and directions at the site.
Practical FAQ
Common questions
Can visitors enter the Super Pit?
Visitors should use the public lookout or approved tours only. Active mine areas are controlled workplaces and are not open for casual access.
When is the Super Pit lookout best?
Clear daylight and late-afternoon light are often better for photos, but check weather, access and official visitor advice before going.
Is the Super Pit suitable for a short visit?
Yes. It is one of the easiest high-impact stops for a first Kalgoorlie visit when access is open.
Official checks
Information Sources
- KCGM public site tours Current operator information about authorised public tours.
- Super Pit Lookout - KCGM Official lookout location, access and visitor information.
- KCGM Operations - Northern Star Official mine operator information for KCGM operations.
- City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder visitor information Official local visitor and attraction information.