Leigh Creek residents memorialise the rise and disappearance of the ‘extremely harsh’ mining town

Armed with a slide projector and a steely look of determination, Dean Ransom can sometimes be seen wandering the winding roads of Leigh Creek, a small outback town in South Australia’s far north.

This unique government-owned town with a dwindling population of just 120 people used to be a bustling hub that coalminers called home until Alinta Energy decided to close its coal mine in June 2015.

Now, Leigh Creek is undergoing significant changes, including reinvestment and…