This trip for me really awakened a love of exploring. Not Lleyland Brothers, ‘travel the countryside and sleep on the floor’ style exploring, but visiting places I had heard a little about and was keen to explore further.
Leigh Creek fit this bill for me. Apart from knowing it as a mining town, I knew very little else. The first thing you notice about Leigh Creek is how big it is! It kind of just pops up in the middle of nowhere, after seeing tiny towns along the way, you get hit with this giant town that looks like a normal city suburb. The mine that employed a lot of the population has since closed, but the town remains and for the Flinders explorer for us it was a great experience. The check in area for the resort is a nice little bottle shop which is part of the Leigh Creek Bar and Grill, a fantastic pub which we immediately locked in as our dinner for that night.
The town has an IGA, school, new playground (which Mr 5 tested thoroughly) and the most incredible mirage of a thing I saw on our trip, a pristine olympic sized swimming pool and smaller undercover kids pools. After miles and miles of red dirt, to see such a facility was really cool.
We stayed the night at the Leigh Creek Outback Resort and our rooms were huge! Separate cabins essentially with kids on one side and parents on the other, with a door (which can close and lock out the sound!) dividing the two cabins. Absolutely loved this and after hours and hours of driving, to have a bit of space was probably only slightly better than the thrill of finding cheap petrol.
If you do head out to Leigh Creek, you have to visit Aroona Dam. Only a few kilometres outside of the town, it used to supply the town and mine with water. Now with the town finding water via another source, it has become basically a large recreation playground. Fishing, kayaking and canoeing are all welcome and if I heard the locals correctly, they have recently whacked in a huge number of fish to boost numbers. If I knew how to fish I would have had a go, but sadly I had to settle with the awesome sights at the dam. It is bloody huge and has one of the best BBQ spots I have ever seen.
You’ll find the Leigh Creek Outback Resort at
25 Black Oak Drive, Leigh Creek
Phone: 08 8675 2025
Email: info@leighcreekresort.com.au
www.leighcreekresort.com.au
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