Gold boom spikes hotel occupancy to 90 percent in Kalgoorlie-Boulder
Over 500,000 passengers flew into the city last year, creating severe accommodation shortages for tourists due to competition from mine workers.
The ongoing gold boom has created severe accommodation pressures in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. With more than half a million passengers arriving at Kalgoorlie-Boulder Airport over the past 12 months, local tour operators face significant challenges securing lodging. Tourists are competing against fly-in, fly-out mine workers for available rooms, with rents at historic highs and vacancies almost non-existent. Hotel occupancy rates in the region remain among the highest in Western Australia for the 2025/26 financial year, peaking at approximately 90 percent in October 2025. Leanne Kamp, a tour operator running prospecting journeys through the Eastern Goldfields for two decades, stated that finding a room is increasingly difficult despite rising interest from gold hunters.
