Leigh Creek - Places to See

Leigh Creek
The main road actually by passes the town and the only indication of the primary activity in the area is a sign which reads 'Conducted bus tours of the Leigh Creek Coal Fields depart from this Information Park at 9.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. They depart only if there are six or more passengers and a fee is charged. Unescorted visitors are not permitted on the coalfields. Prior notice of booking is required. Bookings can be made at the Leigh Creek Regional Visitor Information Centre, tel: (08) 8675 2723. Tours depart from the Leigh Creek Shopping Centre and Copley Information Area.

Although it is true that visitors cannot enter the coalfields it is possible, by travelling north from the town and driving east for 3.5 km on the main road to the coal mines, to reach a lookout point where a superb view of the open cut is available without actually entering the mining area.

Leigh Creek
At the lookout point there is an old walking dragline known as a Bucyrus Erie 9W. It began service at Leigh Creek in 1951. It has a 49 m boom and a 7 cubic metre bucket which was, at the time, the largest in Australia. There is also a huge tyre which achieved a world record of 289 215 km and 17 520 hours in service before it was 'retired'.

Eating at Leigh Creek
Leigh Creek Tavern: specialises in bulk bookings like bus trips, film crews and special functions. The restaurant/bistro seats approximately 150 people and has an a la carte menu for lunch and dinner. Trading hours for the restaurant are: Lunch 12:00noon - 2.00pm and Dinner 6.00pm - 8.00pm.

Open Cut Cafe: Closed for the week of Christmas and New Years the Open Cut trades all year round. It seats around forty to fifty people and has a wide range of sit down and take away meals. It has the full cappacino range, fresh cakes, flavoured milks, sweets, chips and some variety for the traveller who has forgotten items. Its trading hours are 8.00am - 6.00pm Monday to Saturday, Sunday it opens at 10:00am - 4.00pm.