New photo book explores WA's Skimpy subculture

A new book is set to lift the lid on one of Australia's most infamous subcultures - Skimpy bars.

Skimpies, by Sydney documentary photographer Mellen Burns, is the result of over two years embedded in Kalgoorlie’s unique pub culture.

The book attempts to capture the reality of life for many women of work as a skimpy bartender—a role that has been a staple of WA’s mining town nightlife since the 1970s.

The book explores themes of agency, survival, and the intersection of performance and labour in one of Australia’s most geographically isolated communities.

These stories challenge the typical portrayal of skimpies, offering a complex and deeply human perspective on a job that is often reduced to stereotype.

Burns, whose work has been recognised in the Australian Photographic Awards, Head On Portrait Prize, and the Olive Cotton Award, says she ensured the work published in Skimpies was both ethically taken and collaborative with her subjects.

As a result, every photograph and interview in Skimpies was created with full consent and participation of the women involved, making the book a rare and respectful documentation of their world.

"When I first arrived in Kalgoorlie, I realised there was almost no visual documentation of skimpies, despite their deep roots in regional Australia. It’s about letting these women tell their own stories," she says.

The images in the book were shot entirely on location in WA’s Goldfields, with the work embracing ambient lighting, bar interiors, and the lived-in textures of the environment.

You can order the book directly from Burns website, at mellenburns.com/shop/skimpies.