LEIGH CREEK, COPLEY AND LYNDHURST SA

  I continued north from Beltana towards Farina for another 60 kms, through Leigh Creek, Copley and Lyndhurst to reach the end of the bitumen.
 Leigh Creek is a NRG Flinders Company Coal town of around 500 people servicing the residents who mostly work at the nearby Coalfields that seem to stretch for ever. 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 at Copley. It was moved in 1982 to allow the expansion of the mine. Today 2.5 million tonnes of Brown Coal is mined here  and is transported 250 kms south to power stations at Port Augusta that produce about 40% of the electricity needs of SA. Leigh creek has a planned appearance with a substantial Roadhouse , a Primary School, a Police Station that seems bigger than one would think is necessary, a Supermarket, Bar and Cafe. To me it felt a bit sterile and boring.

 The Open Cut Coal Mine stretches for 10 kms or more

I wonder if this Farmer knew what was in his backyard before he left

Large building ruins beside the road to Leigh Creek

  Copley was indeed just hanging on, with few businesses open and only a couple of people on the street. Finally, Lyndhurst with its 30 people, Pub, Roadhouse and a very basic, dirt, Caravan Park was the last stop before the dirt roads and tracks of the desert that extends north. I needed to experience at least some of this as Farina is another 25 kms  further on.

Copley Pub

"Talc Alf" seems to have left town

The dirt to Farina looked challenging