KAMBALDA

mining town, southern Western Australia. It lies 37 miles (60 km) south of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Gold was mined there from 1896 to 1906, but the site's modern importance dates from 1966, when deposits of high-grade nickel were discovered in the vicinity. The nickel ores are smelted at Kalgoorlie-Boulder, refined at Kwinana (south of Perth), or carried southward to the port of Esperance for shipment. A plant built on the shore of dry Lake Lefroy, 2 miles (3 km) northeast of Kambalda, produces nickel concentrates, which also contain copper, cobalt, palladium, and platinum. A model community has been constructed at Kambalda to house mine workers. There is widespread prospecting in the area, and mines have been opened at Spargoville and Nepean. Pop. (1986) 3,519; (1991) 4,259.