Kambalda, Western Australia

Kambalda is a small mining town about from the mining city of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, within the Goldfields. It is split into two townsites 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
Kambalda was established in 1897 at the base of nearby Red Hill during a mining boom when prospectors from all over Western Australia came into the area. The location owed its existence to Percy Larkin, a prospector who discovered gold in the vicinity. For many years Kambalda was mined for its gold but soon after nickel was discovered.

Kambalda is situated in a semi arid environment on the land of the Galaagu people, approximately southeast of Coolgardie and east of Perth. Kambalda's determination to keep as much native flora as possible separates them from other similar mining towns. Kambalda West is approximately from Kambalda East and is the location of the tourist bureau and the shire offices. The original settlement of Kambalda grew up in the area after Percy Larkin discovered gold in December 1896. The town was officially gazetted on 10 December 1897 and laid out by the Government surveyor W. Rowley, who chose the name Kambalda. The Red Hill Gold Mine, which began operations in 1897, was relatively short lived. It was closed by 1907 and the small settlement had become a ghost town. One memory of the original town is the old well in George Cowcill Street. New interest in the area occurred in 1954 when George Cowcill took samples of what he thought was uranium. Later analysis found large 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 town offers historical attractions and modern amenities, with a 24 hour RV stop area, shops and a skate park. Kambalda is known for its feral goats.

The first mining company that established the town was the Western Mining Corporation (WMC), which in 2005 was taken over by BHP Billiton. Other mining companies in the area include Gold Fields, Lightning Nickel, and GHB. The town population has more recently been receding, thought to be due to increasing fly in fly out operations by mining companies.

The town is serviced with a supermarket, post office, newsagency, public library, hotel, recreation centre, a petrol station and two schools. The local bank, operated by ANZ, closed in September 2018. Flights to and from Kambalda via Perth are operated by National Jet Express. (The airport closed commercial flights in October 2015.) The Kambalda Health Centre is open six days a week and is staffed by nursing staff; St John Health has rolled out its first regional medical practice, with a Doctor available Monday to Saturday, including until 9 pm Thursday evenings. The Health Centre has emergency resuscitation facilities as well as pathology services. There are also a number of defibrillators located around both town sites.