DIA Region - Goldfields

With a land area of 989.325km2, the Goldfields region is more than three times the size of the State of Victoria, and covers just less than a third of Western Australia's total area.

It is the largest region in Western Australia and has a population of 5931 Indigenous people.

It is bounded by the Little Sandy Desert and Gibson Desert to the North, the Wheatbelt region to the west, the Great Australian Bight in the South and the Northern Territory and South Australian borders to the east.

Its headquarters are in Kalgoorlie, a vibrant, multi-racial, inland city of about 30,000 people.  Its major towns are Ravensthorpe, Esperance, Wiluna, Leinster, Leonora, Laverton, Coolgardie and Norseman.  There are also 17 remote communities, and Aboriginal organisations in most towns.

The region has a rich Indigenous history.  Traditional practices and lore business is practised in the north and east of the remote areas of the Ngaanyatjarra Lands, Tjuntjuntjarra and near Laverton.

Goldfields artists are world-renowned for their dot paintings and glass blowing, both of which have found important markets in Europe.

Mining, tourism and service industries provide the major sources of employment now, while many of the older generation worked on pastoral properties and have a weath of stories to tell.

Native Title has been declared over lands occupied by the Ngaanyatjarra and Tjuntjuntjarra communities and their residents.

The region has many Aboriginal Lands Trust reserves and permits are needed to enter or traverse these. More information and permit applications are here.