Leigh Creek
Leigh Creek – A Town in Transition
Leigh Creek is a town caught between its past and its future. Once a thriving coal mining hub, it now stands as a shadow of what it once was. We stopped in to see how things had changed since the mine closed in 2015, forcing half the town to shut down with it.
Walking through Leigh Creek, it’s easy to see the impact. Entire streets sit empty. Schools, shops, and community facilities once buzzing with life now stand quiet. Yet, despite this, the town still has a core of residents who remain, determined to keep their community alive.
We visited the town centre, where the supermarket, fuel station, and a few businesses still operate. The community has worked hard to reinvent itself, focusing on tourism and as a base for travellers heading into the northern Flinders Ranges and beyond.
The old open-cut coal mine is a stark reminder of the town’s past. While it’s now off-limits, you can still catch a glimpse of its vast, man-made landscape from the highway. It’s hard to imagine the scale of what was once South Australia’s primary coal source, supplying power to Port Augusta for decades.
One of the more surreal aspects of visiting Leigh Creek is seeing the infrastructure left behind. Wide roads built for a much larger population, modern facilities, and a massive oval that barely sees a game played anymore. It’s a town in limbo, waiting for its next chapter.
Despite everything, there’s still warmth here. The people we met spoke about their hopes for Leigh Creek’s future—whether through tourism, new industries, or simply as a place for travellers to stop and experience a piece of Australia’s history.
For us, Leigh Creek was a fascinating and slightly eerie stop. It’s a town that tells a story of industry, change, and resilience—worth visiting for anyone wanting to see a different side of the outback.
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