Kambalda

Kambalda, Western Australia

Kambalda, mining town, southern Western Australia. It lies 37 miles (60 km) south of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

Gold was mined in Kambalda from 1896 to 1906, and a settlement was made there in 1897. The gold gave out in the early 20th century, however, and the town was deserted. The area’s fortunes changed in 1966, when deposits of high-grade nickel ore were discovered in the vicinity. The nickel ores are smelted at Kalgoorlie and refined at Kwinana (south of Perth) or carried southward to the port of Esperance for shipment. A plant built on Lake Lefroy, 2 miles (3 km) northeast of Kambalda, produces nickel concentrates, which also contain copper, cobalt, palladium, and platinum. The gold-extraction industry was reborn in the 1980s after the opening of the St. Ives mine near Lake Lefroy, which became one of Australia’s leading gold producers. A housing development provides accommodation and amenities for mine workers. Pop. (2006) Kambalda West urban centre, 2,706; (2011) Kambalda West urban centre, 1,843.