Menzies sits on the Goldfields Highway north of Kalgoorlie, a small town with the bones of something much larger. The gold rush brought banks, hotels, a railway station, a town hall, and a population that briefly made grand public buildings seem sensible. The rush moved on, but the wide streets and old stone facades still tell the story plainly.
The town itself is worth a slow walk. Information boards around Shenton Street explain the old hotels, the post office, the baker's oven, and the cemetery, where the dates on the headstones say a lot about frontier life. The bigger reason to come is Lake Ballard, 51 km away on an unsealed road, where Antony Gormley's figures stand alone on a white salt lake.
Menzies is best approached with fuel, water, and patience. Distances are large in the northern Goldfields, the heat is serious, and even short detours feel remote. That remoteness is part of the appeal.