We're open every day from 10 AM to 4 PM!
Experience life as it were over 100 years ago when gold prospectors were able to stop pushing their wheelbarrows to the Goldfields of Western Australia and start driving.
The Gold Rush Era
Western Australia’s gold rushes in the late 19th century transformed the state, drawing thousands of hopeful prospectors to new fields such as Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. These individuals braved harsh outback conditions, traveling remarkable distances across arid, isolated land in search of fortune.
****Add In
- Find the animals
- Hear – FJ40 & Buick
- Mural (link)
- About 1923 Rugby 4 Roaster Utility
- About Buick
Life Before the Motor Car
In the early goldfields, prospectors relied on the simplest forms of transportation:
- On foot, pushing wheelbarrows loaded with essential supplies—water, food, mining gear—across unforgiving terrain.
- Some used horses or camels where they were available, but many endured on just their own determination and muscle power.
- Living conditions were rudimentary – camps were built from whatever could be carried or found; shelter and comfort were basic luxuries.
Many faced exhaustion and hardship, with daily routines were dominated by pushing their belongings across remote country for weeks or months at a time.
The Arrival of the Motor Car
The introduction of motor vehicles to Western Australia in the early 20th century changed gold prospecting forever.
- Prospectors were able to cover far greater distances, reaching new or remote fields faster and with less physical strain.
- Cars allowed them to carry more supplies, water, and equipment, enabling longer stays in the bush and reducing dependency on resupply points.
- Many turned their cars or trucks into mobile homes, offering shelter from the elements and a new level of comfort and self-reliance.
- Previously inaccessible areas opened up, increasing the chances of making new discoveries.
Learn more about our 1923 Rugby 4 Roaster Utility – one of the original Goldrush vehicles transporting local prospector Joseph Johnston.
Living Out of Vehicles
With a car or truck, prospectors could:
- Sleep inside or beside their vehicle, protected from weather and wildlife.
- Use the car to store food, water, fuel, and gold-seeking equipment.
- Remain in the bush for extended periods, setting up more secure and comfortable camps.
This new way of life brought a sense of independence and adventure—the goldfields became a place of both hard work and personal innovation.
A New Level of Freedom
By the 1970s, prospecting in the harsh and vast outback called for vehicles that were not just tough, but exceptionally reliable.
The Toyota Landcruiser, introduced in the 1960s and continuing into the early 1980s, quickly became the vehicle of choice for serious bush travellers and gold seekers:
- With robust four-wheel-drive, dual-range transfer case, and high ground clearance, the Toyota Landcruiser FJ40 could traverse rough goldfields, creek beds, and remote tracks where lesser vehicles would falter.
- By the late 1970s, diesel-powered Landcruiser’s offered better fuel economy and improved longevity in the bush, making longer, more remote expeditions possible.
- The Toyota Landcruiser FJ40 was famed for its mechanical simplicity and toughness, with a chassis and drivetrain built for punishment in Australia’s unforgiving terrain.
- Configurations like hardtops, soft tops, and troop carriers meant prospectors could choose vehicles best suited to living out of, carrying substantial supplies, and even taking groups into remote diggings.
- The Landcruiser quickly dethroned Land Rover in the remote Australian outback, becoming synonymous with mining, farming, and remote area living by the end of the 1970s.
- Our Toyota Landcruiser FJ40 is also fitted with a unique bullbar.
