The Copper Coast – Little Cornwall

We continued on to the Copper Coast, so named because of the mining heritage which dates back to 1859. Copper was discovered at Wallaroo near Kadina, and Moonta further down the road. Many Cornish and Welsh miners came to the area, and their influence can still be seen today, especially in local Cornish pasties. Our first overnight was a little town named Alford. Established in 1872 and named after one of South Australia's leading police officers, Henry Alford. The Recreation Park is situated in the grounds of the old primary school (see view from our window above) which closed in 2004. There is one school building remaining due to its historical significance. This building was originally a Strathneath school building, built in 1932 and moved here in 1947. The Alford Primary School was established in 1881 and the huge Pepper Tree has been here since then. In 2004 it was declared a tree of significance. There are toilets, clothes lines, bbq's and a covered picnic area. A great overnight stop. There is not a lot open in Alford. The old pub is closed and has just been purchased. The bowls club was closed when we were there, but does open in the warmer months. There is a cafe type food truck that we were told sells great coffee and lunch. Peter had chat with the lady running in and got the local 'info' – she said she would be open in the morning for Peter's coffee, but sadly she was not – so onto Kadina for Peters coffee.

Kadina is named after Kaddy-yeena, an Aboriginal word meaning lizard plain. Many buildings are made of limestone, and there was plenty of parking for caravans. We walked past the first butchers in town, c1870 – and it is still a butchers, and Wombat Hotel c1860, and then Peter found a cafe I continued walking the heritage trail. The first Europeans to the area arrived in the 1830's and the land was used for grazing and wheat. Kadina township was surveyed in 1861 to house the miners who worked in the nearby Wallaroo Mines. Wallaroo – Aboriginal for wallaby urine – is a coastal town with large grain silos, a long jetty and history. In Wallaroo, a shepherd James Boor discovered copper in 1859. It is believed a wombat had dislodged the rock when building his burrow. This is how the Wombat Hotel got its name. In 1860 a smelter was needed. These smelters operated until 1923 and was the largest smelting works in the world outside of Wales. Most of the smelting works have been dismantled, and we suspect town-houses or other coastal accommodation may be going up there. There are still some relics and a lovely short walk from the jetty to the town via a shipping relic trail.

We then drove about 20km to Moonta, and set up in the local recreation grounds for the night. The next morning we went for a walk around the town. Being Sunday we were not hopeful of finding anything open, but we did find a busy coffee shop. It was built in 1863 and was originally a butchers shop. It is so wonderful to see locals caring for their heritage, and in Moonta we saw another example of this. 

In 1870, Moonta was second only to Adelaide in population. I found our future house in Moonta – if we ever win lotto – a beautiful house with shop and sheds.

Moonta comes from the Aboriginal word moontera, meaning thick scrub. The Moonta Mines is a great tourist attraction and during the warmer months has train rides and picnic areas. It was very cold when we were there and the winds were blowing and rain just starting. The museum was the old school and displays the Cornish miners lifestyle as well as much memorabilia from the mining days. Across the road is the old Sweet Shop. In 1861 Paddy Ryan accidentally found traces of copper, a syndicate was formed and by late 1861 Moonta Mining Co. had started operations. Recently the Moonta Mines are has been awarded National Heritage. A few short kilometres away on the coast, Moonta Bay has many historical buildings and a beautiful waterfront.

There are many heritage walks and drives on the Copper Coast – we will be back (when it is warmer).