The lookout over the salt lake at Kambalda

Kambalda
A mining town surrounded by desert.
Located 56 km south-east of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, 74 km from Coolgardie, 616 km east of Perth and 309 m above sea-level, Kambalda is a mining town which is divided into two very different sections - Kambalda East (built 1967-73) and Kambalda West (1969-75). Both townships have the artificial feel of mining towns which have been laid out carefully on the landscape and with the uniformity of mining town architecture. A determination to keep as much native flora as possible gives them an appeal which is lacking from many similar towns.

Kambalda West is 4 km from Kambalda East and is the location of the tourist bureau and the shire offices. It looks like a mining town.

Modern Kambalda is a very different settlement from the one which grew up in the area after Percy Larkin found gold in 1887. The Red Hill Gold Mine was relatively short-lived. It was closed by 1907 and the small settlement had become a ghost town. A renant of the original town is the old well in George Cowcill St.

Renewed interest in the area occurred in 1954 when George Cowcill took samples of what he thought was uranium. Subsequent analysis found significant deposits of nickel and by 1966 Western Mining Corporation had established Australia's first nickel mine. It is fair to describe Kambalda East and Kambalda West as Australia's first nickel mining towns. Apart from the Red Hill Lookout, with its views over Lake Lefroy, and the opportunity to drive across the causeway the towns have very little appeal to the visitor.

Things to see:  

Kambalda Tourist Bureau
Located on Emu Rocks Rd (next to the telecentre), the tourist bureau is open weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9.00 a.m. to midday, tel: (02) 9027 1446.

Red Hill Lookout and Walking Trail
Of the two centres Kambalda East is the most interesting because of the Red Hill Lookout which offers superb views over Lake Lefroy, a vast 510-square km salt pan which stretches to the horizon and is rarely laden with water. The route to the lookout is not signposted from the main road and visitors have to enter the town, ignore the sign to the town centre, and continue along George Adams Road. Travelling on this road you eventually reach a sign to the lookout.

Although it cannot be seen from the lookout there is now mining in the middle of the lake. The view from the lookout is quite extraordinary. A 1.4-km walking trail winds about the hill, with information bays and resting places along the way.

A causeway runs across a blindingly white salt pan which shimmers in the sun. With a permit (which can be obtained from the Tourist Bureau in Kambalda West) it is possible to continue driving along George Adams Drive until you reach the causeway. The journey across the lake is quite a novelty with mirages suggesting water on every side. The salt lake at sunset is popular with photographers because of the unusual effects which the reflections create.

King Battery
16 km north of Kambalda, just off the Goldfields Highway, are the substantial remnants of an enormous gold stamper battery where tonnes of ore were crushed at the end of the 19th century.

	Tourist Information
	Kambalda Tourist Bureau Emu Rocks Rd P.O. Box 222 Kambalda WA 6442 Telephone: (08) 9027 1446 Facsimile: (08) 9027 3079
	Hotels
	Kambalda Motor Hotel Bluebush Rd Kambalda WA 6442 Telephone: (08) 9027 1333 Rating: ***
	Caravan Parks
	Kambalda Caravan Park Gordon Adams Rd Kambalda WA 6442 Telephone: (08) 9027 1582 Rating: **
	Restaurants
	Kambalda Motor Hotel Blue Bush Rd Kambalda WA 6442 Telephone: (08) 9027 1333
	Sweet Garden Chinese Restaurant Salmon Gum Rd Kambalda WA 6442 Telephone: (08) 9027 1488