A History of Leigh Creek Coalfield, 1941 - 2016

In 2018 a small group of past Leigh Creek residents began ‘Leigh Creek - The Old Town Project’ to provide an opportunity for people who lived in the old township, between 1943 and 1983, to share their stories, memories and photographs. With generous contributions from old residents, the Sir Thomas Playford ETSA Museum and the Leigh Creek Community Progress Association, it soon became apparent there was a significant amount of Leigh Creek history not previously shared with the wider community. A community Facebook page was started sharing historical stories and photographs and the regular online audience rapidly grew into the thousands. Many followers never lived in the old town, but they may have lived in the new town, or their parents did, and the history has now reconnected them.

Of course, there is much more to Leigh Creek’s history than just the old town. In mid-2021 work began to design an exhibition at Leigh Creek using much of the information collected by ‘Leigh Creek - The Old Town Project’. The exhibition, ‘Black Rock, Blue Sky’, is a collection of photographic panels that relate the 75 year history of the Leigh Creek Coalfield. It is a unique story of two towns and is a fascinating insight into the coal mine and the people who lived and worked there.

Leigh Creek’s story is bigger than the coalfield itself. It is a story about the development and prosperity of South Australia. The exhibition includes the story of Sir Thomas Playford, Premier of South Australia from 1938 to 1965, who had a vision to build South Australia to be a modern, prosperous and self-reliant state. As a fuel for industry and electricity generation, coal was the abundant natural resource required for the state to flourish. Sir Thomas Playford’s vision to industrialise South Australia was far-sighted and exciting. His efforts establishing The Electricity Trust of South Australia and the Leigh Creek Coalfield ensured the economic success of South Australia for generations to come. This history exhibition is dedicated to him and all the people who lived and worked in Leigh Creek and played their part in realising his vision.

The Beginning

The Adnyamathanha people are the traditional owners and occupants of the greater Flinders Ranges area.
Adnyamathanha dreaming stories tell of Yulu, the old kingfisher man, who lit the fires that created coal deposits around Leigh Creek.

The beautiful Flinders Ranges provide the backdrop for this unique photographic exhibition. The theme Black Rock Blue Sky is inspired by the natural colours of Leigh Creek’s sub-bituminous black coal and the vivid blue skies of far north South Australia. The sky above and rock below are separated by two lines representing the purple hue of the distant mountains and the grey-brown earth that buried the valuable coal seams.

Designing an Exhibition

‘Leigh Creek - The Old Town Project’ has collected thousands of photographs, books, documents and newspaper clippings that provide the story of Leigh Creek. The task of selecting a cross section of this vast collection and writing a historical narrative that spanned 75 years was a significant challenge. With some design help from gthinkstudio.design the name, layout and colours were chosen and, after many months of work, 36 exhibition panels were designed.

When exploring options to site the exhibition, Breyten Ward generously donated a room inside the Leigh Creek Motors service station. It was a little rough, having been a spare parts storeroom, but it proved to be ideally situated in a prominent town building where it would be easily accessible to passing tourists. The room was measured, paper mockups of the panels were made and the signage was designed. Panel sequencing and spacing was carefully planned and after a number of trips to Leigh Creek the exhibition design was finished.

Manufacture & Installation

Using the latest technology, the exhibition panels were printed directly onto A0 and A1 size aluminum sheets by Adelaide company - Big Image Australia. The larger signs were designed and printed in pieces so that they could be transported to Leigh Creek and installed without specialist equipment. With the installation plan in hand, a team of hard-working volunteers spent a busy weekend in Leigh Creek, cleaning, painting, drilling and fixing until the installation was complete.

The Book

For the launch of the exhibition we incorporated the panels into a beautiful souvenir book. Because the book was not limited by space, we took the opportunity to include another 20+ pages of photographs and information. Printing of the book was funded by a generous donation from the SA Energy Industry Past Employees Association Inc. The first edition of the book has now sold out. A copy is preserved in the State Library of South Australia. Together the exhibition and souvenir book make a significant contribution to preserving and sharing Leigh Creek’s important history.

Visit the Exhibition at LEIGH CREEK MOTORS

1 Black Oak Dr, Leigh Creek, SA, 5731. Phone: 08 8675 2016