Kambalda is a small mining town about 60 kilometres (37 mi) from the mining city of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, within the Goldfields. It is split into two townsites 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) apart, Kambalda East and Kambalda West; and is located on the western edge of a giant salt lake, Lake Lefroy. At the 2016 census, Kambalda had a population of 2,539.Kambalda was discovered from a huge mining boom which triggered prospectors from all over Western Australia to come flowing into Kambalda. Kambalda's first modern settlement was located at the base of nearby Red Hill in 1897. The original Red Hill settlement owed its existence to Percy Larkin, a prospector who discovered gold in the area. For many years Kambalda was mined for its gold but soon after nickel was discovered.