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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-03-20 Daily Xml
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MINING IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:43): In the 1840s, just a few years after proclamation in 1836, mining was a major industry in South Australia. Reports in London newspapers and journals were making names such as Kapunda and Burra familiar to their English readership. Then in 1851 many miners abruptly left for goldfields at Bathurst in New South Wales and then soon after for the very rich goldfields at the time of Victoria. Prior to that there were hardly any mines outside of South Australia at all.

In 1850 South Australia had 49 mines, 38 being for copper alone. Many people are unaware that South Australia led the country in mining prior to the gold rushes of 1851. In 1840 two Cornishmen discovered silver and lead ore at Glen Osmond on property owned by Oswald Gilles, the colonial treasurer. In 1841 a mining association was formed to mine this. Mining commenced and later a smelter was established just in time to smelt a few tonnes of ore before the 1851 gold rush, which resulted in an almost complete loss of mine workers. Operations then ceased, of course. The smelter chimney, the oldest in Australia, remains directly uphill from the tollgate today. Woodley Wines now stores wine in a cellar that connects to the mine tunnel itself.

Because of ore finds, the population of South Australia increased rapidly from about 15,000 to some 64,000 by 1851. Cornish, Welsh and German migrants came in their numbers. Discoveries were often kept hidden—I guess that is not surprising—and there are reports of outcrops being buried or covered with bushes, and on at least one occasion a shepherd's hut was erected over a copper outcrop.

The discovery of copper at Kapunda in 1842 by two men, Francis Dutton and Charles Bagot, was kept secret. They did not own the land, so they had the 80-acre section surveyed and offered the government the set price of £1 per acre. The land was advertised for a month and since they were the only bidders, they received the land. The discovery was then announced and much ore was sought.

In 1844, Australia's first copper mine was established. Soon after that, South Australia became known as 'the copper state'. The mining was so successful that soon afterwards, there were five mines operating in the area. Wheat planted and harvested in 1844 declined seriously due to lack of labour. By 1851, Kapunda had 350 houses and nearly 2,000 people, with chapels, stores, two inns and a post office. But then miners left in large numbers for interstate goldfields. By the end of 1852, there were only four men left at the mine. It was not until 1856 that one of the mines achieved full production again. The other four mines remained abandoned.

In mid-1845, two shepherds in the Burra area, William Streair and Thomas Pickett, found copper deposits on separate properties where they each worked. Streair rode to Adelaide with his specimens and showed them to merchants. They offered him £8 for information as to the location and he accepted. On the trip to investigate the location, the merchants became aware of Pickett's discovery and agreed to pay him £10. This turned out to be the major copper lode at Burra.

Within a few years, the £5 shares in the company were worth something like £200 and annual dividends by 1847 were 800 per cent. Until 1849, copper ore from Burra was shipped to Wales for smelting. It has been estimated that prior to that, at least 1,200 bullock carts, each carrying around 2½ tons of ore would have been on the road at one time between Burra and Port Adelaide. By 1949 a smelter was established at Burra and the lack of trees due to this is still evident to this day.

By 1851, 5,000 people were living in the five townships of Burra. This included 1,500 living in dugouts in the banks of the Burra Creek. Some of these can still be seen on the Heritage Passport Trail. I personally recommend taking this trail to see the 49 historical sites, including mine workings, a gaol, churches and brewery. Local residents have done a magnificent job of preserving these sites for tourists and I wholeheartedly recommend it to those interested.

Picket only ever received the £10 for his discovery, and in 1852 he was found burnt to death in an abandoned hut with an empty bottle beside him. Mining made a huge contribution to the wealth of the colony in the 1840s, but the good times were cut short by the rush to interstate goldfields.

I mention this today as it is somewhat of an interesting tale about one of our more interesting regions in South Australia. I think we often forget what rich heritage we have in this state. It is a wonderful region through there—close to the Clare Valley which is well known for the excellent wines that the region produces. This is an attempt to draw attention to it because it is a great tourist region that has seen difficult times in attracting tourists, but there should be no reason for that. There is a rich heritage for people to explore, wonderful wine in the region and I believe it is a place that South Australia can be truly proud of.

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