Burra, South Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Burra South Australia
Burra Town Hall
Burra Location in South Australia
Established	1845
Postcode(s)	5417
Elevation	474 m (1,555 ft)
Location	156 km (97 mi) north of Adelaide 121 km (75 mi) south-east of Port Pirie 121 km (75 mi) north-west of Renmark
LGA(s)	Regional Council of Goyder
State electorate(s)	Stuart
Federal Division(s)	Grey
Localities around Burra: Booborowie Mount Bryan Mount Bryan East Leighton Gum Creek Hanson Burra Mongolata Baldina Worlds End Porter Lagoon Koonoona Emu Downs Hallelujah Hills

Burra is a historic town in the mid-north of South Australia. It is known for its past as a major copper mining center. Burra is located east of the Clare Valley and sits on Burra Creek.

The town started as a mining settlement in 1845. By 1851, it grew into several small townships, all known as "The Burra". The Burra Burra Copper Mine was incredibly important. For 15 years, it produced 89% of South Australia's copper and 5% of the world's copper! This mine, along with others in Kapunda, helped save the economy of the new colony of South Australia. Miners and townspeople came to Burra from places like Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, and Germany. The mine closed in 1877, reopened briefly in the early 1900s, and then again from 1970 to 1981.

After the mine closed, the town's population became much smaller. For the next 100 years, Burra focused on farming and raising animals. Today, it is still a center for local farms. It is also a popular place for tourists because it is one of the best-preserved Victorian era towns in Australia.

The Burra Charter is a set of guidelines for managing cultural heritage in Australia. It was named after a meeting held in Burra in 1979 where the document was created.

Understanding Burra's Geology and Location

Burra is found within the Hundred of Kooringa, a few kilometers inside Goyder's Line. It is near Burra, Baldina, and Gum creeks. The area is part of the Temperate Grassland of South Australia.

The main copper deposit formed between two geological faults. It was found in broken dolomite rocks. The copper was mostly green malachite and blue azurite. These minerals formed over millions of years from other copper minerals. This process is called "secondary enrichment".

What's in a Name? The Story of Burra

The name of the town has changed over time. The Burra Burra Copper Mine was named after the Burra Burra Creek. By 1851, the different townships near the mine were called "The Burra". In 1940, the town of Burra was officially formed. It combined smaller areas like Redruth, Aberdeen, and Kooringa.

There are different ideas about where the name "Burra Burra" came from. Some say it came from "Burrow Creek," which was used as early as 1843. Others believe it came from the Hindustani words for 'great great'. This was supposedly used by Indian shepherds working in the area. The name might also have come from James Stein's home country of Scotland or from Aboriginal languages.

Burra's Early Days and Copper Discovery

Who Lived Here First? The Ngadjuri People

The first people to live in the Burra area were the Ngadjuri Aboriginal people. Europeans first met them in 1839. From the 1840s, European pastoralists started grazing sheep on Ngadjuri land. Even though there were conflicts, Ngadjuri people worked as shepherds. Their population was greatly reduced by new European diseases. Some rock art and burial sites still remain in the area.

How Copper Was Found in Burra

On June 9, 1845, a young shepherd named William Streair brought samples of rich copper ore to Henry Ayers' office. Ayers was the secretary of the South Australian Mining Association (SAMA). Another shepherd, Thomas Pickett, also found copper nearby. News of this discovery spread quickly. The site was soon called The Monster Mine.

The Governor, George Grey, changed land rules. This made the area around the copper finds a large rectangle. Because the land was expensive, it was split in half. One half was sold to a group of rich people, called "the nobs." The other half was sold to a group of shopkeepers and merchants, known as "the snobs."

The Burra Burra Mine was started by the "snobs" on their northern land. The "nobs" started the Princess Royal Mine on their southern land. Mining began on September 29, 1845.

The Copper Mining Era

The Famous Burra Burra or 'Monster Mine'

Burra Burra open cut mine pit with old buildings in the background.

Until 1860, the Burra Burra Mine was the biggest metal mine in Australia. From 1845 to 1877, it produced about 50,000 tonnes of copper. The mine reopened as a modern open-cut mine in 1971. It operated for ten years, extracting another 24,000 tonnes of copper. Henry Ayers managed the mine's operations from Adelaide. Henry Roach was in charge of daily work at the mine from 1847 to 1867.

The investors put in £12,320 to start the mine. By December 1847, the mine had already paid out £49,280 in profits to its shareholders. Over 32 years, less than 100 shareholders received over £826,586 in mining profits! All mining profits stopped when the mine closed in 1877.

Most of the copper was sold to India. India used over a third of the world's copper supply in the mid-1800s. At first, copper ore was sent to Cornwall because South Australia did not have enough smelting facilities. The company bought a Cornish beam engine, which was the first in Australia. In 1868, the company decided to change to an open cut mine because it was becoming too expensive to mine underground.

Henry Ayers worked hard to keep profits high for shareholders. He did this by strictly controlling wages and expenses. In October 1846, this led to the first strike by masons and bricklayers. They wanted more pay. The company kept trying to lower wages as copper prices dropped. In 1848, wages were very low. This caused the Burra miners' strike, which was the first important workers' strike in Australia.

By April 1848, the mine employed 567 people. It supported about 1,500 people in the town of Kooringa. The number of workers at the mine reached its highest point in 1859 with 1,208 employees. This number steadily dropped until the mine closed in 1877.

Bon Accord Mine: A Neighboring Venture

The Bon Accord Mining Company was started by Scottish investors. They hoped the copper deposit would extend into their land. But no copper was found. To make up for their losses, they created the townships of Aberdeen (1849) and New Aberdeen (1872) on their land. When the Burra Burra Mine stopped pumping water in 1877, the Bon Accord Mine also had to close. Many of the Bon Accord Mine's buildings still stand. They are now preserved as a museum by the National Trust of South Australia.

Princess Royal Mine: A Short-Lived Attempt

The Princess Royal Mine was never successful. In June 1859, the Princess Royal Mining Company closed. The mine produced only a small amount of copper. The mine and its surrounding land were sold in 1860.

Life After Mining: Pastoral Activities

From 1843, sheep farming was common around Burra. James Stein and William Peter were early pastoralists. During the time of the Burra Mine, most food had to be brought in. This was because the mining company did not sell land for farming. Burra is located near Goyder's Line, which marks the edge of good farming land. After mining ended, Burra became a center for farming and raising sheep. It was South Australia's main sheep trading center until the mid-1900s.

Burra in the News: Local Publications

The Burra Record was a local newspaper for Burra and the surrounding area. It started as the Northern Mail in 1876. It changed its name a few times before becoming the Burra Record in 1878. In 1977, it merged with another paper.

How Burra Town Grew

In October 1845, the directors of SAMA chose the site for the township of Kooringa. George Strickland Kingston surveyed the town and finished it in April 1846. Many streets were named after SAMA directors. From the start, Kooringa was a company town. It was built cheaply and did not have enough housing. This meant many miners had to dig makeshift homes. In 1851, over a third of the people lived in these "dugouts" along the creek.

Dugouts along the creek, used by many people in 1851.

Because it was a company town, development was slow. The first bank did not open until 1859. Miners started moving to other townships from 1849 because SAMA would not sell land in Kooringa. In 1851, many miners left for the gold rush near Bathurst, New South Wales. The town seemed empty by 1854. In 1876, the remaining townships joined to form the Corporation of Burra.

In September 1846, Burra got its first police force. Permanent police cells and stables were built in Redruth in 1847. The first hotel was the Burra Hotel, opened in 1847. It later became the town's first public hospital in 1878.

George Strickland Kingston was Burra's first representative in parliament in 1851. Piped water came to Burra in 1884 from the flooded Bon Accord Mine. This was the main water source until 1966. Then, water was piped from the Murray River. Burra got its first electricity on March 27, 1924.

In July 1940, the historic Burra neighborhoods like Kooringa and Aberdeen were officially included as part of Burra. Redruth was renamed "Burra North" and later also merged with Burra.

Burra's population has dropped from a high of 5,000 in 1851 to about 1,000 today. This big drop after mining ended helped preserve many of the original buildings. The District Council of Burra was formed in 1872. In 1969, the District Council and Town Corporation joined together.

Different Townships of Burra

Redruth: The Government Town

Redruth Gaol, a historic prison used in the film Breaker Morant.

Redruth was a government township created in 1850. It was meant to stop SAMA from having complete control. It is named after Redruth in Cornwall, England. Its streets are named after Cornish mining towns. Redruth was where all the first government buildings were, like the courthouse and gaol (jail). The Redruth Gaol, built in 1856, was the first country jail in South Australia. From 1897 to 1922, it was used as a girls' reformatory.

Kooringa: The Company Town

Kooringa was the first company township in Australia. It was strictly controlled by the mining company until the mine closed. The name Kooringa comes from an Aboriginal word meaning in the circle or locality of the sheoak. During the mine's operation, Kooringa was often described as messy and not well kept. This was because people had little reason to maintain their rented homes. Kooringa is still the main part of Burra today and is known as Burra South.

Llwchwr: The Welsh Connection

Llwchwr, sometimes spelled Llychwr, was built by the Patent Copper Company. This was to avoid shipping all the copper ore to Wales. The streets are named after places in Llwchwr, Wales. In May 1848, the company brought an entire smelting works from Swansea, Wales. This included workers, materials, and tools. Smelting began in May 1849.

Aberdeen and New Aberdeen: Scottish Roots

In 1846, Scottish investors formed the Bon Accord Mining Company. They bought land hoping the copper deposit would extend there. When mining was not successful, they divided their land in 1849 to form Aberdeen. It was named after the city of Aberdeen in Scotland. Streets were named after the company's directors. New Aberdeen was created after the railway line arrived in 1872.

Burra's Railway History

The railway line eventually went through Burra. It continued north to Terowie.

Burra railway station is 474 meters (1,555 feet) above sea level. It is 180 kilometers (112 miles) from Adelaide. The current station building was built in 1883. Regular passenger services stopped in 1986. The last passenger train was a special steam train in 1992. The line officially closed in 2004. The station building has been restored and is now a visitor center and a B&B.

Burra Today: A Historic Gem

Burra is now an important center for local farming communities. It is also a popular historic tourist spot. Since it was declared a State Heritage Town in 1994, tourism has grown. About 41,000 people visited in 2000. Many visitors come from outside South Australia and stay overnight.

The town and mine are well preserved. You can see the water-filled open cut mine and old mining buildings. There is also a pump engine house that is now a museum. Several chimneys from the mining days still stand. A tourist trail shows off the old Redruth Gaol, miners' dugout cottages, and other historic places. Burra is listed on the Register of the National Estate. Many buildings are on the List of State Heritage Items. The town is also known as the "Merino capital of the world."

Burra's Journey Through Time: A Timeline