Leigh Creek

Leigh Creek is a typical mining town. The entry is marked by two super huge tyres from coal hauling trucks (normally like 250 odd tonnes per load). After hundreds of kilometres of towns that consist of one general store, it's a vital stop to load right up.







It looks like any modern suburb, wiggly streets to lower car speeds, but expecting that everyone will drive, and new houses, all air conditioned no doubt. The pub is also the hotel. It is a new looking fancy shed.







Posters of the mine, a power shovel, long coal trains, and aerial shots of the mine and town line the walls.








Even the fridge has a proud diagram of the role of coal in electricity production.

 At the front desk, we ask if there's a tour of the coal mine. She said, it's shut down. 480 people out of a job. They've dismantled and removed all the equipment. The town used to have about 8,000 people. It now has about 100 people. Most of the houses are actually empty. It's been shut for about 4 years already. After the mine lease stopped, the government has reverted to ownership. They have no plans and have made no decisions. Those who are left are just hanging on, relying on tourists. It's important to have this town, we say, as tourists need to shop for fruit and veg etc, plus have a night off in a hotel. Without this town we would have run right out of food. The whole reason we stopped is for the supermarket. She agrees. Some people in Innaminka order fruit and veg, then get it delivered on the mail plane. People from all around rely on the town. It's clear from the very large but dead quiet supermarket that it won't be staying like this without intervention.

Proposals include turning it into an artist colony, university outpost for geology students, retirement village. There must be a 100 ways to do it! There's only 100 people left, so that means most homes in town are now empty. Tell that to the homeless.

The exits to the pub have coloured height indicators from the police. I suppose this is so you can get your description, and get the height of the criminal as they're leaving? Were they here in Leigh Creek during the good times?

 The following day, we pile the trolley so high that we need two trolleys after the checkout to get it to the car. We spend like $480.

A box of mild cartons goes on the floor between the kids seats in the back of the car. We pile everything into the draws, two boxes and two more shopping bags. We look a bit ridiculous packing for an hour in the car park. Somehow it fits all in. The boys play with Owen and Molly again. We bump into the another pair of couples from the Arkaroola campground, (and also in William Creek).