With the approach of the centenary celebrations of Kalgoorlie Boulder in 1993 it was obvious that Boulder’s main thoroughfare of Burt St needed a new party dress. Boulder was the orphan Annie of the twinned towns on the goldfields; depressingly in need of more than a face-lift, with crumbling shop fronts and verandas a testimony to decades of dwindling commerce. I mean really sadly down-at-heel.
As a part of the celebrations I canvased the Burt St shopkeepers to attend a meeting in the town hall to discuss a community project— Main Street— a facelift project which had reversed the fortunes of similar small towns the world over. So why not Burt Street Boulder?
Every week for 3 weeks I called upon all the traders in the street encouraging them to at least invest an hour and attend the 6 o’clock meeting. Once a week for three weeks I gave them a gentle reminder, (shut the shop, count the takings and come to the meeting.) by which time I knew all the shop keepers on first-name friendly terms.
And come they did! The town hall was filled with perhaps skeptical, or maybe grudging retailers and landlords alike,
But they came!
Sadly, 25 years ago the vision finally came to naught. The town needed a bomb under it!
The bomb actually struck Boulder at 8-17am on an April day in 2010 as an earthquake moved the crumbling retail hulks.
I guess between insurance claims and State Govt intervention, today, Burt Street Boulder looks a treat. New verandahs and tuck pointing which highlight replacement walls. Quite spectacular!
Sadly there appears to be little additional commerce being carried on in spite of the new shopfronts. When your commercial street fills with Tarot readers, spiritualists and specialist Halloween sellers you know you are plumbing the depths of attractive retailers.
But Main Street Boulder has a brilliant new character. Wide verandah’d pavements in shade, interspersed with man-seats to enable women to shop untrammelled by grumpy old husbands eager to depart.
We’ve enjoyed another superb Indian meal tonight and tomorrow (wed) we head for Merredin before arriving home on Thursday.
lauranceblog.com 