Leigh Creek

Leigh Creek (formerly Leigh's Creek) is a coal-mining town in the north of South Australia. At the 2006 census, Leigh Creek had a population of 549. On the edge of the desert, to the west of the northern Flinders Ranges, the current town is 13 km further south than the original town—it was moved in 1982 to allow the expansion of the mine. This means that most facilities and buildings in the town are only a little over twenty years old, and with relatively modern designs. The mine and the railway station are named Telford. The area was named Leigh's Creek after its first settler, Harry Leigh, in 1856. Coal was discovered and small quantities mined from 1888 (Adelaide Observer 30 April 1892 p. 27 - Rob C Wilton, Manager NRG Flinders). The...