On the trail of Australia's gold rush

Blue skies, red earth, and leveled slopes. In the distance, miles of curiously artificial-looking mountain ranges. There are mining spoils everywhere, some still bare, others with new plants. Mining is the central priority here.

Gold helped write West Australia's history. The Super Pit, Australia's biggest gold mine, is the fourth biggest in the world. It's a gaping 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) long, 1.5 kilometers wide and currently around 620 meters deep.

The precious bounty is hauled out of the earth by giant mining equipment with wheels twice the size of an average person. With a single tire costing as much as 40,000 euros ($42,400), these monster vehicles will set a mining company back some 3 million euros. But they do pull their weight. Each one can transport up to 240 tons of rock. A full tank of gas holds 3,800 liters (1,000 gallons).

The town of Kalgoorlie lives from gold mining. A collection of one-story buildings and the occasional Victorian house, the town is located some 600 kilometers (372.8 miles) northeast of Perth. Most of the 30,000 people who live there are under 30 and work in the mining sector.

Kalgoorlie used to have as many as 18 brothels. Now only two remain. They are frequented by men who work in the Super Pit during the week and seek distractions on weekends aside from drinking in pubs.

...is how long the Golden Quest Discovery Trail stretches. It spans an area the size of Greece. Along abandoned gold fields, mining facilities and settlements, the story of the gold rush unfolds. What's left are legends, red dust, abandoned former mining cities and strong-willed people.

"Road trains" are typical for the area. These 50 meter-long (164-foot) tractor trailers are often laden with cement, spare parts or whatever other essentials people in the outback need - even milk.

Apart from gold, other rare earths such as nickel and cobalt are also in high demand. But they have to be dug out of the ground first. For that reason, unemployment at the heart of Australia's mining industry is nearly unheard of. For the miners of such treasures, a job is guaranteed.

The landscape in this corner of the Australian desert is spotted with rock piles and plateaus. From afar, they could easily be mistaken for naturally raised areas of land, but a closer look reveals earth ploughed up in search of gold and other precious metals.

Australia's gold rush was kicked off 120 years ago when an Irish immigrant named Paddy Hannan, by sheer luck, discovered lumps of gold in Kalgoorlie. Thousands of gold diggers and fortune hunters promptly descended on the once inhospitable area, but only a fraction of them ever struck it rich. The rest kept chasing a dream to their graves.

It's said that not all that glitters is gold, but that hasn't stopped most Western Australians from moonlighting as miners. All that it takes to get in on the action is the equivalent of 20 euros ($21.15) and a passport. That'll get anyone - locals and tourists alike - a prospector's license, which stays valid for life.