A $10,000 gamble in the 70s created a 'living shield'—now 3,500 hectares of forest protect Kalgoorlie forever.

Kalgoorlie used a $10,000 grant to plant saplings and stabilise mine waste in the 1970s. This effort created 3,500 hectares of forest that still shield the city from dust storms today. Long-time local Doug Daws said, "people would hear the wind approaching and rush to shut every window and door."