Bulolo

Bulolo is a town in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. It serves as the administrative center of Bulolo District and is located in the interior of Morobe Province, along the Bulolo River. The town developed rapidly in the 1920s and 1930s during the gold mining boom that followed the discovery of alluvial gold in the Bulolo River valley. Large dredges were brought in to extract gold, and the Bulolo Gold Dredge No. 1 became a symbol of the era. The mining operation attracted workers from across the country and contributed to the growth of Bulolo as a settlement, though it also brought social upheaval and environmental change. World War II disrupted mining in the region, but activity resumed in the postwar years and gradually declined as gold production waned.

Today, Bulolo functions as a local service and agricultural center for surrounding communities. The local economy includes mining-related services, forestry, and agriculture, with a focus on small- to medium-scale enterprises. The Bulolo River remains a geographic feature of the area, and the Bulolo Gold Dredge is a notable historical landmark linked to the town’s mining heritage. The town is part of the broader Morobe Province, which contains a range of ethnic and linguistic communities and a diverse landscape of highlands and coastal areas.