history

Leigh Creek History

The Legend of Yulu’s Charcoal

The Aborigines believed that giant semi human creatures created at the beginning of the world were responsible for all the creeks, hills, gorges and mountain ranges in Australia. In the distant past, a Wild Turkey Man persuaded the Aborigines to initiate one of the young men of the tribe at the place now known as Wilpena Pound. The news of such an important event spread over the countryside and finally reached the ears of a gruff old Kingfisher Man called Yulu Yuluru who lived in the desert country west of what is now the Leigh Creek coalfield. For a while the Kingfisher Man was not interested in the doings at Wilpena Pound, but when he heard that the Wild Turkey Man was to be leader he decided to attend the ceremony, hunt the Wild Turkey Man away and initiate the boy in his own way.

At Leigh Creek he lit huge fires to announce his coming. These were so large and burnt up so many trees that the charcoal remaining behind formed the present coal deposit at Leigh Creek and at other places along the ranges. They called it Yulu's Charcoal long before the coming of white man into their country.

When the Kingfisher Man was passing through Brachina Gorge on his way to the ceremony, he saw two large snakes traveling in the same direction. These so scared him he crept behind some low hills so that he could not be seen. These manoeuvres so delayed Yulu that by the time he reached Wilpena Pound the ceremony was well under way and the Wild Turkey Man was just about to initiate the boy by burning him with a fire-stick. Yulu rushed in, knocked the fire stick from the hand of the Wild Turkey Man and carried out the ceremony in a much kindlier manner.

The action pleased the assembled people, but unfortunately just as the ceremony was at its height the two snakes that Yulu had seen in Brachina Gorge burst in upon the scene and consumed all but the initiate, the Wild Turkey Man and the Kingfisher Man. The two later fled south quarreling loudly, while the youth escaped to the north, only to be transformed into a stony hill near the Wirrealpa Station.

After the great snakes had had their meal of human flesh, they stretched themselves out, one along the northern and one along the southern side of the ceremonial ground with heads almost touching. They then willed themselves to death and their bodies were changed into the steep precipitous cliffs that now form the outer walls of Wilpena Pound. The space between the two heads is the gorge through which the water empties into the open plain and is the only entrance into the beautiful pound.

Adapted from Leigh Creek by C.C.Poole 1946)
You may consider to learn more about Adnyamathanha culture at Iga Warta

Leigh Creek Coal - A History

The coalfield at Leigh Creek is operated by the NRG Flinders and currently produces over 2.5 million tonnes a year of coal. The coal is dispatched by train 250 km to Port Augusta where it fuels Port Augusta power stations to produce up to 40 per cent of the electricity generated in South Australia.

In 1888, John Henry Reid discovered coal-bearing shale during the sinking of a railway dam in the Leigh Creek area. This discovery led to a geological examination of the area by a government geologist and the establishment of underground workings. No 1 shaft, sunk by the Leigh Creek Coal Mining Company, was abandoned on striking a heavy flow of water.
A new shaft was sunk in 1892 but only small quantities of coal were extracted for experimental purposes and operations ceased in 1894.

It was not until 1940 when coal supplies became critically low because of the Second World War that Leigh Creek coal was considered again. The deposits seemed extensive and extracting the coal by open cut methods was considered feasible. Exploratory boring started in 1941 and plans were made to develop the first open cut mine. Excavation started in 1943 under the control of the Engineering & Water Supply Department. It was apparent that the electricity supply industry would be the largest user of Leigh Creek coal so control of the coalfield was transferred to the Electricity Trust of South Australia in 1948.

ETSA ordered boilers capable of burning Leigh Creek coal for the Osborne Power Station at Port Adelaide and, after thorough investigations, decided to establish a power station at Port Augusta to burn Leigh Creek coal exclusively.
The combined Port Augusta A and B plant, with a total generating capacity of 330 megawatts, was named the Thomas Playford Station in recognition of the then South Australian Premier, Sir Thomas Playford.

The use of large excavating machines and efficient mining equipment at Leigh Creek, together with the rebuilding of a railway line between Leigh Creek and Port Augusta by the Commonwealth Railways (now Australian National), resulted in economic production and delivery of coal to the power station. FreightCorps is currently providing the coal freight service to Flinders Power.

In the mid 1970s it was decided to build a 500 megawatt station at Port Augusta, called the Northern Power Station. That decision meant enlarging the coalfield using new methods to extract deeper coal, increasing production, building a retention dam to prevent possible flooding of the field and diverting the main highway around the coalfield. The Northern Power Station, alongside Playford A and B, was commissioned in 1985. Because the existing town was located within the coal basin, a new town was built south of the coalfield and the new Leigh Creek became occupied in 1980.

Since the early 90th, more changes did occur in Leigh Creek. Massive restructuring of mining operations resulted in the reduction of a workforce of over 750 to about 200. The township also became a lot smaller. The population dropped from about 2500 in 1987 to less than 700 today. The loss of residents also resulted in the loss of many services. Whilst most workers at the coalfields make a good income, high cost of communication and services drastically reduce the disposable income. People have to travel over 600 km, just to pick up and deliver their children to and from and to the nearest bus stop! Schooling at Leigh Creek has become a bigger problem then ever before. Reasonable eduction is available for younger students in the Primary School. For High School students, the meager subject choice has made education at the Leigh Creek Area School not the an ideal option for many students. Many parents have to send their children away as 13 years old, to get a good education in Adelaide or regional cities like Port Augusta. A simple medical procedure may require a trip to Adelaide, which means a round trip of about 1200 km.

The future of Leigh Creek as a coal mining town has has now been limited to a bit over a decade. In the future, the economic base of Leigh Creek may be mainly based on tourism.

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