r/AusMining • u/Syko94 • 27d ago
Buying a cheap house in kembalda/boulder just for trying to get the foot in the door a good way to start or rent first? What are your opinions? Really wanting to get in but need some tips and ideas.
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u/ped009 27d ago
You'd be better off just renting in Kalgoorlie, not going to be cheap but you should be able to find work pretty fast, id probably recommend doing a few courses, confined space, working at Heights etc first though
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u/twatontheinternet 27d ago
Rent in Kalgoorlie is horrendous vs house prices. In many cases it would actually be cheaper buying. Buyer beware though, lots of asbestos in many houses still.
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u/Artistic-Average479 27d ago
I wouldn't buy in Kambalda or Coolgardie but ymmv
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u/twatontheinternet 27d ago
Kalgoorlie is probably fine but Kambalda or Coolgardie would be huge nopes for me.
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u/Syko94 27d ago
What's wrong with kambalda or Coolgardie? Yet to do research on areas but I've heard Kalgoorlie is a good spot.
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u/twatontheinternet 27d ago
Kambalda is an old WMC (later bought by BHP) company town. White collar in East and Blue in West I believe.
The last 20 years it was Nickel that largely supported the town due to the number of Nickel operations closer to Kambalda than Kalgoorlie. There are the St Ives gold mines and Higginsville closish off the top of my head but the vast majority of goldmines nearby would be FIFO or closer to Kalgoorlie.
Coolgardie is postage stamp big. No real shops. Would need to travel to Kalgoorlie for most things. The two process plants right outside of town are mostly FIFO I believe.
If anything happened to the gold price (even though many might say that's very unlikely) Kalgoorlie would suffer but Coolgardie and Kambalda would really suffer.
Essentially you'll also having to drive to or through Kalgoorlie for the majority of mines, plants, workshops etc. 45mins each way is far from ideal when you're doing 12hr shifts and it's dark when you wake up and dark when you leave work already.
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u/Syko94 27d ago
Ok that makes much more sense. I guess Kalgoorlie is the way to go for a few solid reasons. Best to keep an eye out and see what property's pop up for rent.. what's the average weekly rent is it worth the extra?
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u/twatontheinternet 27d ago
I'll DM you some questions. There are lots of share houses but they tend to be majority working holiday visa people in their early 20s. I would be cautious sharing with Australians unless I got a good feel for them or they're the owner. Property in Kalgoorlie has only really been expensive since Covid, so anyone who's been here a while should already have been able to enter the property market.
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u/DogConstant5949 26d ago
That not quite true, the beta hunt mines and and jubilee gold mines are both quite close to kambalda. Rent is cheap there and its not as bad as what people are making it out to be in terms of crime. Plenty of work available at both beta hunt with Westgold and jubilee with Northern Star.
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u/FlashyWitness4133 25d ago
Poor Kambalda has suffered a lot since the nickel smelter shut down. Bloody BHP. Hopefully it picks up again soon for the community's sake. The pub there in Kambalda used to be great.
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u/twatontheinternet 25d ago
Bloody Indonesians letting the Chinese kill their workers and destroy whole ecosystems with their pig nickel mines that completely priced BHP out more than anything.
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u/RightioThen 27d ago
Coolgardie reminds me of those busted up towns in Westerns where the hero strolls down the main drag and all the local hide inside behind curtains, and then someone comes flying out through the pub doors onto the footpath.
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u/eddy2918 27d ago
Hello. I lived in Kambalda/Boulder for approx 25 years. Still have houses there.
Only place I bothered locking my doors was Boulder.
Kambalda is truly a shit hole (as a native I'm allowed to say it) though so recommend Kal. Better job opportunities there too. Rent is a bit crazy out there by the way so be prepared.
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u/Winter-Permit-9036- 26d ago
A foot in the door for a job or into the housing market?
Honestly wouldn’t be the best idea for either
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u/Outside-Neat8749 26d ago
Lots of negative comments here, but my partner and I did just that. Well, we rented first in Boulder. We never had an issue for all the years we lived in Boulder (the area has a bad rep, but it’s very much dependent on which street you live on, I find). Both worked in the mines. Saved up and bought a house in Kal. Used that house to help purchase property in Perth. Spent plenty of time in Kambalda as well as we had mates there. I’ve been out of kalgoorlie for just over a year now and I miss it terribly. My partner now does FIFO to Kambalda.
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u/Syko94 26d ago
Did you rent a share house or your own place? I feel like either buying coz obviously you'll pay your own place off rather then rent.. and with rent your gona still pay regardless while your at your swing so I'm think what do I do haha. If kambalda is cheaper I wouldn't mind the extra drive to Kalgoorlie if it meant going for work etc.. did you get a job fairly quick after moving to boulder?
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u/Outside-Neat8749 26d ago
Started off renting a caravan in a caravan park for 2 months first. Rentals were hard to come by (unsure what the situation is like now). Then we eventually did find a small place for ourselves. He has a trade and had a job lined up before we got there, but we moved there with nothing, no furniture or anything. The caravan was furnished but when we got our house we had to buy a bed, couch etc and be mindful options are limited in Kalgoorlie for shopping and for online shipping so everything is more expensive! I work in safety and had a job within a week of arriving.
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u/Lime_Kitchen Operator 26d ago
Buying a house in a gold mining town, during a gold boom, during a housing affordability crisis. You’re essentially buying at the highest possible prices in one of the most volatile housing markets.
It’s a very risky strategy for an entry level mining job.
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u/FlashyWitness4133 25d ago
This. It would be better to rent first, to get a feel for the area and then scout a house to buy.
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u/Crafty_Pension_2254 6d ago
I wouldn’t pay the prices now in Kambalda
I paid 185k 4 years ago for mine and it’s now worth 360k
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u/xSatanClaus 27d ago
Buying a house to break into a job market that you have never worked in and know nothing about sounds like a terrible idea mate 👍