Historic Moonta

Two weeks ago we travelled to the York Peninsula, in order to see if our previous negative impressions, based on camping trips with four young children, in 1979/80,  were all about sandhills, scrub, flies (both bush and march) and extra large huntsman spiders.   We also had one extremely unpleasant experience during the winter of 1988, where it rained for a whole week in Edithburgh.  We were stuck in a small flat, and Walter and Darren had colds.   Darren caught a fish, which we enjoyed, our only bit of excitement.

I admit we have visited Moonta in recent years, and were very impressed, but then Moonta was so far at the top of the peninsula one could believe that it was part of the mainland coast.   

We started in Moonta, an historic area,  and a place we were looking forward to seeing again.   We intended then to drive down the west coast until we reached the toe of the peninsula.

We stayed at Moonta Bay Caravan Park, which was a delightful place, with excellent views, and a five minute drive from the township of Moonta.   We booked an ensuite site, just to add to our comfort, no portaloo for a few days.

It was a very hot day when we arrived so the sunset views from the caravan park were pretty spectacular.

Another view.

Plus a view of the jetty.    The fenced area to the right is the swimming area, where one can swim in deep water, without the fear of a shark popping up unexpectedly.

A view of the bay during the day.

Our first impression of the sky line with all its tall masts; my first thought was that Moonta residents love long wave radios.  But in fact they are television aerials, reaching up into the sky in order to get a good reception.   

A town of historic buildings, many dating back to 1863 when the town was first established here.   The old Gothic Style Methodist Church, one of two Uniting Churches currently in Moonta, built in 1873.

The old Druids Hall, built in 1866.

Moonta School of Mines which operated from 1866 to 1903.

I loved the curved verandahs.

The town hall built in 1885.

The main street, very quiet on a Sunday afternoon.   The building on the near right was the former Prince of Wales Hotel, built in 1863.   It now holds an amazing antique, bric-a-brac shop, with a garden/camping shop at the rear.   I could have spent an hour or so just browsing in this shop.

The old Moonta mines, situated a few kilometres out of the town, was open, and the train was running.   Last time we were there it was closed, due to it being a public holiday.   Altogether a fascinating place.

The old mines school, built in 1877, which catered for 800 pupils initially.   It closed in 1968, and is now a National Trust Museum.    The school in the township was built about the same time, and catered for the same number of children.

An old classroom.

The Headmaster's office.   Not much comfort there.

When the shoemaker in Moonta closed, a display of the shoemaker's tools and cast iron shoe lasts.

A little bit of historical information.  The discovery of copper ore in the area lead to the formation of the Moonta and Wallaroo mining companies.   Moonta Mines developed rapidly, with a large settlement around the mines, plus a township in Moonta, being built.   By 1875, the district had a population of about 12,000 people, making it the largest centre outside of Adelaide.   The mine attracted a large population of Cornish miners and the Cornish influence was very strong.   

Initially the mine was rich, with nearly 5000 tons of ore worth £67,350 produced in the first year of operation.   By 1870, more than 5000 people were dependent on the mine, which was producing more than 20,000 tons of dressed ore.    Gradually over the next fifty years production declined, due to sharp drops in copper prices, limited ore reserves and a general depletion of copper ore, and the mine closed in 1923.   It was kept open during the depression in order to keep some men in employment.

in 1901, a leaching process was introduced to extract copper from the large waste heaps.   This entailed pumping water to the top of the waste heaps, which then filtered down through the heap and run out into drains at the bottom.   It was run into large tanks, where other ingredients were added to extract the copper.   Mainly iron, I think.  Much of the land around the mines is barren, as the run off from the copper mine is highly toxic to the environment.

A ride on a noisy little train, which took us around the mining area.   So much easier than walking.

Piper was not a happy dog.   She shook and shivered and cuddled against Walter.   It was lovely though that they allowed dogs to travel on the little train.

The Moonta railway station.   No trains come here anymore though.   The station is now used as a Tourist Office.

A walk to the top of a waste heap.   It was not a very steep walk up, however the steps (old railway sleepers) were deadly.   So uneven.   A great view of all wasteland, old mine shafts, other waste heaps, and plenty of old rusty machinery.   Fascinating.

The Moonta Mines Methodist Church, built in 1865, with an extra gallery added in 1872, giving the church a seating capacity of 1250 people.   There was a very strong Methodist influence in Moonta when it was established, probably due to the large Cornish migration to the area.   Miners were expected to attend church services every Sunday.

Hughes Enginehouse, 1869.

Richmans Enginehouse, 1869.

Life was harsh, both in the township of Moonta and in the settlements around the mines.   There was indigenous history around Moonta Bay, due to some water sources there, but inland there was no surface water.    So no previous history.   Tough conditions.   There was a holding tank for rain water at the mine, mostly used for  mining, and people collected rain water as best they could, often it was the run off from roads and surrounding land, used by horses and goats.  Consequently the drinking water was contaminated which then lead to deaths, both from the contaminated water and from the diseases that arose from drinking dirty water.    The women and children suffered the most.

And in Moonta cemetery there are a large number of unmarked children's graves, which are seen now as mounds of soil.   It really hit home about how difficult it must have been for the families living in Moonta.

Water was eventually pumped from the sea to leach the copper from the tailings, and by the end of the 19th century fresh water was pumped, via large water pipes, from elsewhere.   

Now of course, Moonta is a lovely town, with plenty of history, old buildings and great cafes.   And the surrounding beaches, Port Hughes and Moonta Bay, are popular tourist places.

On the last day in the area we went for a drive to Kadina, Port Broughton and Wallaroo.   Kadina and Wallaroo being part of the Copper Coast.

Lunch at the bakery in Port Broughton.   A reasonable pasty for me, and a hamburger for Walter.   I was looking for Cornish pasties, the shop in Moonta that specialised in pasties was closed on the Saturday.  The food in the Port Broughton bakery came from Port Pirie!

The jetty in Port Broughton, with many fishing boats.

Wallaroo is having a revamp, with much of the foreshore already containing expensive holiday houses, on the edge of canals and waterways.   There was also a substantial amount of land that has been cleared of old buildings and scrub, in readiness for more holiday homes.  Progress?

I eventually found a pasty that I felt represented my interpretation of a Cornish pasty, in Maitland.   Mind you, Cornish pasties in Cornwall are often not that wonderful these days.   Perhaps I am getting fussy.