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Gold was discovered in 1897 and Kambalda was pegged in a frenzied gold rush. The town was mostly referred to as “Red Hill” and closed ten years later when gold ran out.
Today the twin towns of Kambalda East and Kambalda West are built some kilometres from the original town. In the 1960s Western Mining Corporation established Australia's first nickel mine at Kambalda. Gold mining is also a major industry in Kambalda with Gold fields’ St Ives, the second largest gold mining operation in Australia. The town is well served with shopping, eateries and accommodation.
Lake Lefroy, a magnificent shimmering salt lake is nearby. Good views of the lake can be seen from the Red Hill Lookout. Land sailing is a popular sport on the lake. Colourful yachts speed along at up to 100 kms per hour.
The lake was also appreciated by the miners in 1897 “...Cyclists can go for miles and miles from island to island on solid white salt as hard as a pavement and by moonlight it is something delightful, sparkling like a thousand diamonds”
Other activities to enjoy include golf and bushwalking. The Red Hill Walking Trail meanders to the viewing platform, then continues on for the more energetic. Picnic spots out of town include King Battery, an interesting old relic on Woolibar Station that once crushed ore from nearby mines. And Woolibar Dam, an Aboriginal watering place. Water was once pumped from the dam to nearby mines.
For further information call into:
Kambalda Tourist Bureau Ph (08) 9027 0192
Further reading: Gold Finds Near Kambalda by Norma King - great little articles on life on the Goldfields
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