We arrived in the early afternoon, and there were already a few caravans set up, so we simply joined the line-up.

As the weather had turned windy and rainy, we decided to have lunch at the café inside the Gwalia Museum. The meals were well priced and the food was good, making it a nice place to escape the weather for a while.

Our Experience

This campsite sits up on a hill, so exposure to the wind is pretty much guaranteed. There is very little shelter here, which is something to keep in mind if bad weather is coming through.

The sites themselves are level, clean, and set on compacted gravel. This is a fully self-contained campground, with nothing to be placed on the ground.

There are toilets at the museum next door, and they are modern, clean, and well maintained, however they are only open during museum hours. Outside of those times there are additional toilets about a five-minute walk down the hill at the ghost town area, along with a dump point. These were also in reasonably good condition during our stay.

The place felt safe, and we had no issues while we were there, nor did we hear of any problems from other campers.

We ended up staying here for two nights while waiting for Cyclone Narelle to pass further east of us.

It is only about a five-minute drive into the small town of Leonora, which has two fuel stations and a grocery store. Just keep in mind that this is remote Australia, so opening hours can be limited. When we were there, the grocery store closed at 1pm on Saturday and remained closed all Sunday.

There are two fuel stations in town, but as expected for a remote outback location, fuel prices are on the expensive side.

The museum and ghost town are definitely worth exploring. Walking through the old buildings and mining infrastructure really gives you an appreciation for how tough life must have been here during the gold rush years, and it is surprising to think much of it was less than 100 years ago.

Explore Gwalia Ghost Town & Museum

Come and see why the Shire of Leonora won the 2019 Heritage Award for their $3.3million dollar Gwalia Upgrade Project! Gwalia is a MUST see if you’re visiting the Goldfields region. 

Stay a night or two in one of the luxurious and affordable rooms of Hoover House Bed & Breakfast or simply put aside a day to step back in time and discover the fascinating history of the Northern Goldfields. When you need a rest, enjoy a Devonshire tea on the sweeping verandah of the grand former Mine Managers House and take in the unmatched view over the gardens and the impressive open cut mining pit.

The living ghost town of Gwalia is the doorway to a unique experience of Western Australia’s rich mining history.

The little settlement that grew up around the Sons of Gwalia Mine in the late 1890s thrived until the final whistle blew on 28 December 1963, closing the mine and putting 250 men out of work. Gwalia’s 1200-strong population fell to just 40 in less than three weeks.

Today, the abandoned homes and businesses of Gwalia create a tangible snapshot of a vanished era and way of life.

Gwalia Ghost Town & Museum

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Some Pics

Summary

We really liked this campsite. Between the campground itself, the Gwalia Museum, and the ghost town just down the hill, there was plenty to see and do, and all of it was free.

This campground is best suited to fully self-contained off-grid campers, with large level sites and plenty of room to spread out.

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Thanks for reading Gwalia Museum – Freecamp Review. Shadow, the van, and the two of us will catch you at the next campsite.

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