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Moonta Mines is a locality at the northern end of the Yorke Peninsula, adjoining the town of Moonta.It is located in the Copper Coast Council. [2] From 1861 to 1923, it was the centre of a copper mining industry that formed colonial South Australia's largest mining enterprise.
The Australian Cornish Mining Sites are historic sites in South Australia listed jointly on the Australian National Heritage List. There are two distinct sites – Burra in the mid-north of the state and Moonta Mines in the northern Yorke Peninsula region. The heritage value of both sites relates to their history as mines worked by migrant miners from Cornwall. The sites were inscribed on the ...
Burra Burra open cut mine pit. Original working buildings in the background. Until 1860 the mine was the largest metals mine in Australia. [16] From 1845 to 1877 the mine produced approximately 50,000 tonnes of copper. The mine was reopened as a modern open cut in 1971, operating for a decade with 24,000 tonnes of copper extracted. [17]
The coastal towns of the Copper Coast are popular destinations for tourists, particularly from Adelaide, as well as from regional areas of South Australia. The remains of the historic mines can be inspected, including the ruins of the old copper smelter at Wallaroo and the old Moonta mines. Fishing is a popular recreational activity.
A new prospect named the Karkulto Mine, 16 miles (26 km) south of Burra, near Emu Plains, was opened up in 1850. The SAMA and the Royal Mining Company each purchased a large block of land and commenced mining. The Royal Mining Company found some copper but more iron and soon exhausted its funds and the directors' patience. [16]
The main copper mining operations at Moonta Mines ceased in 1923, although a number of smaller mines continued to be worked for some years. [27] [28] Smaller-scale operations recommenced in the area in the late 1980s but had closed by the mid-1990s. [28] Following the demise of copper mining, the district successfully merged into dry-land farming.
The state government also conducted a secondary mining operation in the east of the Yelta leases from 1906 to 1916. It was later reworked by private parties as the Black Dog Mine from 1924 to 1929 and again as part of the Moonta Mining Scheme from 1929 to 1938. It produced a further 1,920 tonnes of copper. [9]
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