Gwalia Hotel laser scan

 

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All participants  -  Gwalia Hotel laser scan

 

Gwalia is a mining town located near Leonora about 235km north of Kalgoorlie. The town was established to support the Sons of Gwalia mine, one of the largest gold mines in the country at the time when it was established in 1896. Gwalia the welsh name for Wales was named by Thomas Tobias to honour his welsh heritage. The first mine manager of the Sons of Gwalia site was Herbert Hoover, a young American mining engineer that later went on to be the 31st president of the United States. However, the town with a population of 1200 dropped to 40 in a matter of weeks when the mine was closed in 1963. Today the shire of Leonora maintains the town for tourism and its historic significance in the area with multiple facilities such as a bed and breakfast and museum.

 

One of the main attractions in the town is the Gwalia State Hotel built in 1903. Not only was this a state built hotel which is quite unique, the mining operations used the hotel as its offices for a while.

 

The Shire of Leonora and St Barbara Mines have been interested in restoring the hotel for a while now. Using laser scanning to map out the interior of the hotel a 3d model of the hotel can be created with incredible detail. Architects and heritage staff can use the 3d scan of the hotel to assess what parts of the hotel need the most attention which in turn can be used to estimate the costs involved.