Great Tips for a Visit to Lake Ballard Statues

Last Updated on 23 January 2026 by Ariana Svenson

Maybe it’s the enigmatic nature of an internationally renowned artwork but it was hard to find out information about the Lake Ballard Statues.  That’s why we have put together this list of a great tips for a visit to Lake Ballard.

It seemed like the local tourist bureau in Menzies WA was vague or purposely evasive.  Given we were in the midst of a #digitaldetox we not going online to investigate via blogs! Plus, “in the olden days” there were no such things as “how to blogs” with all sorts of useful tips.

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How We Visited the Lake Ballard Statues with Kids

Location of the Lake Ballard Statues

It was 2 hours’ drive from Kalgoorlie, with a stop at the decent playground in Menzies WA for a play.  We considered doing the interpretative walk around Menzies, with some excellent metal cut-outs depicting life in the golden olden days; but decided against it. 

With kids 6 and 2, we know that ‘less is more’ and after just one museum in Kalgoorlie they were a tad young for historical immersion stories.

The lowdown on Lake Ballard is this: from the minuscule town of Menzies WA, its 20km on Bitumen and 30km on dirt, and despite having lots of rain in the days before, it was a well maintained and lots of traffic.  We went in our small family car – but all other vehicles we saw were 4WD.

Known as Inside Australia, internationally famous artist Antony Gormley created 51 artworks spread over a 10km diameter area. 

There is ostensibly no map, at least none offered!  This is what makes you realize that this is the type of artwork where the artist wanted you to get out and discover and experience for yourself!

They recommend that you don’t head out on the lake without 5 litres of water, and that the best times for a visit are sunrise and sunset.  This is also probably due to the fact that it gets really hot in the outback!

Logistics for a Winter Visit to Lake Ballard

On our visit our problem was different.  With the winter rains it was wet and muddy!  There was lots of sticky, heavy, RED MUD.  It was hard to walk and our feet began to drag really quickly!  We were never going to walk around the 10 kilometres, but now it seemed we’d struggle to visit more than a couple of the enigmatic figures. 

Miss 6 persevered and after a few falls into the mud got the hang of it and had fun.  Master 2 got a shoulder ride.

Both kids used their rubber boots.  Mumma traveler had a pair of crocs and Papa his work boots.  The work boots were a mammoth cleaning job afterwards – and the crocs the easiest solution! We saw people with plastic bags over their shoes.  This would have been the best option by far, as they could be thrown away later.

We did 6 statues in a 300 meters walk around a small island.  If it weren’t quite so muddy we could have seen at least 3-4 more in a fun hour.  We recommend climbing up the island.  There is a slightly obscured path to the top for views across the lake.

Top Tips for Visiting the Lake Ballard Statues

• Allow a full day for a visit – with 2 hours driving from Kalgoorlie to Menzies, and another hour from Menzies to Leonora (where there are hotels etc.); plus Menzies to the site allow 1 hour each way (2 hours return.) you are looking at least 5 hours driving during this day!
• Pack enough food, fuel and water for the whole day!!! There are no shops out this way!
• The colors on the lake are best at sunrise and sunset, which incidentally is also the coolest part of the day.
• This is an extreme outback site… while we visited in winter and it was muddy, in summer the days are exceptionally hot.
• Minimum visit time to the site 1 hour but if you like hiking you could spend many hours exploring and discovering.
• There is no map, and no explanation of who the people are or what they are!!! (As far as we could tell!) This we assume was the intention of the artist, to have you out on the salt lake connecting with nature and the exploration of the outback.
• Take good solid plastic bags to cover your shoes if visiting in winter, when it is wet.
• There is a campsite with toilets, so the best way to visit would be by Camping, thus getting in a sunset and sunrise!

More about the Golden Outback 

What else did we do on this trip?  Check out our Top 9 Things for Kids in the Goldfields

En route to the Lake Ballard Statues we visited Wave Rock – Best Things to do in Wave Rock WA & Hyden Accommodation

Another wonderful excursion to the outback is Kalbarri with Kids.

Planning a road trip around WA – discover Awesome Road Trips in Western Australia with Kids

The Verdict – Great Tips for a Visit to Lake Ballard Statues

A visit to Lake Ballard Statues is an excellent choice if you find yourself near Menzies Western Australia.  Just make sure you plan for your trip to ensure a great (and non-muddy) time had by all.

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