On the west Australian goldfields down Kalgoorlie streets so wide I walked one night and felt as though the past was by my side The city lights were fading and as i stood awhile A thousand candles seemed to shine across the golden mile The clutter of a thousand tents before me on the field Picks and shovels laid around that worked the golden yield And diggers passed before me in a moving shifting file Their faces turned towards me ghosts of the golden mile And someone stood beside me and he watched the moving throng He said it's getting crowded here i think i'll move along His beard was grey and dusty on his face was not a smile Paddy Hannan was a quiet man he opened the golden mile And then i watched a camel team come swaying down the track With precious loads of water casks strapped across their backs The Afghan Taarg Mahommad told of new strikes all the while His turban such a friendly sight along the golden mile Oh i wish these men could see again these busy streets today And hear the giant crushers as the mine works roar away Kalgoorlie speaks of history and it keeps their memory live And they'll never be forgotten ghosts of the golden mile Oh they'll never be forgotten ghosts of the golden mile