Leigh Creek – An Outback Oasis: how a former mining town of 2,000 residents can be revitalised in a cost effective and practical way

In the late 20^th century, Leigh Creek boasted a population of 2,000 residents and held significant assets such as a 230-seat cinema, indoor basketball stadium, olympic-sized swimming pool, football oval, school, hospital, pubs, and more - many of which remain in place today.

Jensen PLUS and BE Engineering, in collaboration with Outback Communities Authority and the local community, have been developing the Leigh Creek Town Plan to help guide the new future of the town.

The Town Plan provides for a series of smaller, practical initiatives with the aim to activate and make the most of the what the town already has. This includes simple line marking for long vehicles (RVs), shared use of facilities with the school, new water play opportunities, adding landscaping and colour to the town centre, relocation of old mining equipment, adding colour to the old bus stops, and a strategy for arts, culture, and events.

In the early 1980s, Leigh Creek gained international recognition as an example of innovative town planning, landscape design, and irrigation practices within an arid environment. The town won awards and showed how to create a high-amenity mining town in an arid outback setting. More than 250,000 trees, shrubs, groundcovers, and climbing plants were established throughout the township. The town's design incorporated east–west housing orientation and the town centre was strategically positioned to overlook the surrounding community and landscape.

The Town Plan builds upon these foundations including by proposing the targeted reuse of previously demolished housing allotments, reconfigured from the former Radburn-style layout (an urban planning concept to separate pedestrians and cars) – by creating allotments to better front main streets and public open spaces rather than turning their backs to them.

Jensen PLUS urban designer Pat Iwanyshyn highlighted that “the town has everything a community needs - it is simply a matter of how those assets can be better utilised. Leigh Creek is certainly a place to visit and a welcome place for people to cool off from your travels in the Outback.”

Together, these interventions are intended as cost-effective and incremental steps to better utilise existing infrastructure, support the community, and help position the town for future residents and visitors.

Read more about the plan at the Outback Communities Authority website.