Kambalda East, Western Australia

Last updated

Kambalda East
Western Australia
Australia Western Australia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Kambalda East
Coordinates 31°12′07″S121°40′05″E / 31.202055°S 121.667926°E / -31.202055; 121.667926 (Kambalda East) Coordinates: 31°12′07″S121°40′05″E / 31.202055°S 121.667926°E / -31.202055; 121.667926 (Kambalda East) OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Population802 (2021 census) [1]
Postcode(s) 6442
Location
LGA(s) Shire of Coolgardie
State electorate(s) Kalgoorlie
Federal division(s) O'Connor

Kambalda East is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located in the Shire of Coolgardie local government area. It forms part of the broader Kambalda township, which is formally divided into Kambalda East and Kambalda West. Kambalda East recorded a population of 802 at the 2021 census. [1]

An early mining settlement named Kambalda (originally Red Hill) existed on the same site as the current Kambalda East in the 1890s and 1900s. [2]

The modern town of Kambalda East was originally built as a closed company town by WMC Resources in 1967 following commencement of nickel mining in 1966. [2] [3] It was laid out in a grid pattern on the location of the original, long-gone Kambalda townsite, with streets and lots completely redrawn rather than follow the original layout. It had 300 residents by August 1967. It was known just as Kambalda until 1969, when the discovery of nickel reserves west of the township saw plans for further town expansion halted and a second townsite, Kambalda West, established 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the west, with the town's commercial centre established there instead. [4]

During its period as a company town, WMC Resources built and owned all the housing, built all the town's community facilities, and was responsible for provision of essential services; it was described as having "dominated" the town. Housing in Kambalda East was "not as well constructed or as appealing" as that at newer Kambalda West, with some homes being "transportables". Early facilities were centred on Kambalda East: a workers' club, the Kambalda Club, opened in 1967, Kambalda Primary School opened in 1968, and Kambalda Football Club played their first match in 1969. (The football club would relocate to a new oval at Kambalda West in 1971.) WMC Resources began selling their company housing to workers from 1986, with town services eventually transitioned to state and local government control when WMC Resources began exiting Kambalda in the 2000s. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Kambalda East is often described as "residential-industrial" in nature, compared to "residential-commercial" Kambalda West. [4]

Related Research Articles

Nickel Centre Community in Ontario, Canada

Nickel Centre was a town in Ontario, Canada, which existed from 1973 to 2000.

Laverton, originally known as British Flag, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and the centre of administration for the Shire of Laverton. The town of Laverton is located at the western edge of the Great Victoria Desert, 957 kilometres (595 mi) north-northeast of the state capital, Perth, and 124 kilometres (77 mi) east-northeast of the town of Leonora, with an elevation of 461 metres (1,512 ft).

WMC Resources Former Australian mining and fertiliser company

WMC Resources Limited was an Australian diversified mining company.

Merredin, Western Australia Town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia

Merredin is a town in Western Australia, located in the central Wheatbelt roughly midway between Perth and Kalgoorlie, on Route 94, Great Eastern Highway. It is located on the route of the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme, and as a result is also on the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail.

Ravensthorpe, Western Australia Town in Western Australia

Ravensthorpe is a town 541 km south-east of Perth and 40 km inland from the south coast of Western Australia. It is the seat of government of the Shire of Ravensthorpe. At the 2006 census, Ravensthorpe had a population of 438.

Jarrahdale, Western Australia Suburb of Perth, Western Australia

Jarrahdale is a small historic town located 45 km south-east of Perth, Western Australia in the Darling Range. The name is derived from its situation in a jarrah forest. Established in the late 1800s as the state's first major timber milling operation, it played a key role in the development of Western Australia through the exportation of jarrah around the world. At the 2016 census, Jarrahdale had a population of 1,192. Since 2001, the historic precinct has been managed by the state's National Trust organisation alongside private residential and tourism-oriented developments.

Kambalda, Western Australia Town in Western Australia

Kambalda is a small mining town about 60 kilometres (37 mi) from the mining city of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, within the Goldfields. It is split into two townsites 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) apart, Kambalda East and Kambalda West; and is located on the western edge of a giant salt lake, Lake Lefroy. At the last census, Kambalda had a combined population of 2,468.

Hopetoun is a town on the south coast of Western Australia in the Shire of Ravensthorpe. Located on Mary Ann Harbour, Hopetoun is 590 kilometres (370 mi) south-east from capital city Perth and 160 kilometres (99 mi) west of Esperance.

Leinster is a town in the northern goldfields area of Western Australia. It is 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of the Goldfields Highway in the Shire of Leonora, and 968 kilometres (601 mi) northeast of the state capital, Perth.

Mount Keith Mine Nickel mine in Western Australia

Mount Keith Mine is an open pit nickel mine in Western Australia. It is operated by BHP. The site's closest landmark is the town of Wiluna, 85 kilometres (53 mi) to the north.

The Goldfields region of Western Australia has an extensive array of active and historical mining operations and towns.

Sir Laurence "Brodie" Brodie-Hall was an influential figure in the mining industry of Western Australia (WA).

The St Ives Gold Mine is a gold mine located 20 km south-east of Kambalda, Western Australia. It is owned by the South African mining company Gold Fields.

The Davyhurst Gold Mine is a gold mine located 53 km south-west of Menzies, near Davyhurst.

Bulong is an abandoned town in Western Australia located 580 kilometres (360 mi) east of Perth in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.

Murrin Murrin, Western Australia Town in Western Australia

Murrin Murrin is an abandoned town in Western Australia located 883 km (549 mi) east of Perth, situated along the Old Laverton Road in between Leonora and Laverton in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.

Mount Morgans, known as Mount Morgan until 1899, is an abandoned town in Western Australia 900 kilometres (559 mi) northeast of Perth and 40 kilometres (25 mi) southwest of Laverton on the original Malcolm-Laverton Road, in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.

Widgiemooltha, Western Australia Town in Western Australia

Widgiemooltha is an abandoned town in Western Australia 631 kilometres (392 mi) east of Perth between Kambalda and Norseman in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. It is found on the southern shoreline of Lake Lefroy.

Nickel mining in Western Australia has been an industry that has had many fluctuations of fortune in its history. Large fluctuations in the world nickel price have seen mines close and reopen on several occasions.

The Beta Hunt Mine is a nickel and gold mine near Kambalda in Western Australia. It is owned and operated by Canadian company Karora Resources through a subsidiary named Salt Lake Mining Pty Ltd. The mining tenement is held by Gold Fields Limited and leased to Salt Lake Mining.

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Kambalda East (Suburbs and Localities)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 31 July 2022. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. 1 2 "Kambalda". Boulder: Eastern Goldfields Historical Society. 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "Kambalda" . Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Mining town Kambalda looks to 50th anniversary despite nickel turmoil". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  5. ↑ Eklund, Erik (2012). Mining Towns: Making a Living, Making a Life. UNSW Press.
  6. ↑ "Kambalda Club" . Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  7. ↑ "51 years of the Kambalda Football Club, the fifth GFL club born from region's 1960's nickel success". Kalgoorlie Miner . 18 July 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  8. ↑ Eklund, Erik (2010). "Kambalda – Modernity versus experience in an Australian company town". Australian Historical Association Biennial Conference.
  9. ↑ "NICKEL REFINERY (BHP BILLITON NICKEL WEST PTY LTD) (TERMINATION OF AGREEMENTS) AGREEMENT BILL 2008 (Introduction and First Reading)" (PDF). Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.