Moonta, South Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids MoontaSouth Australia |
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Moonta Town Hall
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 Moonta
Location in South Australia
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| Population | 632 (2016 census) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1863 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5558 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 44 m (144 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Copper Coast | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Narungga | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Grey | ||||||||||||||
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| Footnotes | Climate | ||||||||||||||
Moonta is a town on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia, 165 km (103 mi) north-northwest of the state capital of Adelaide. It is one of three towns known as the Copper Coast or "Little Cornwall" for their shared copper mining history.
Contents
History
Aboriginal use
Prior to European settlement, the Moonta area was occupied by the indigenous Narungga people.
European discovery and use
The Yorke Peninsula coastline near Wallaroo was separately navigated by Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin in 1802.
The first Europeans to explore the district were John Hill and Thomas Burr.
Large and rich deposits of copper were discovered at Moonta in 1861 by Patrick Ryan, a shepherd from Walter Hughes' property. This became a prosperous mine, named Wheal Hughes, with other mines soon to follow. The government town of Moonta was surveyed in March 1863, while an informal township of mining workers also grew at Moonta Mines. A horse tramway from Moonta to the port at Wallaroo opened in July 1866. Following advertising by the South Australian Government, Cornish miners arrived in Moonta in large numbers. The mines at Moonta proved to be the richest mines in the whole of South Australia by 1917, exceeding the total wealth created by all other mines since 1836, the year of establishment of South Australia. The population of Moonta in 1875 was 12,000. The main copper mining operations at Moonta Mines ceased in 1923, although a number of smaller mines continued to be worked for some years. Smaller-scale operations recommenced in the area in the late 1980s but had closed by the mid-1990s.
Heritage listings
Moonta has a number of heritage-listed sites listed on the South Australian Heritage Register, including:
- Blanche Terrace: All Saints Anglican Church
- Blanche Terrace: Moonta Masonic Hall
- 21 Ellen Street: Bank of South Australia Building
- 29 Ellen Street: Moonta School of Mines
- Kadina Road: Moonta railway station
Geography and climate
Moonta exists in a semi-arid location, above Goyder's Line. Moonta is surrounded by mallee scrub. The centre is located four kilometres inland and is 20 metres above sea level. Moonta has a dry Mediterranean climate with seasonal temperatures about the same as Adelaide's temperatures. The temperature ranges are similar to those of Kadina and the weather patterns are similar to those of both Kadina and Adelaide.
Following the demise of copper mining, the district successfully merged into dry land farming. Moonta's surrounds are used for growing barley, wheat and other crops such as legumes, canola, chickpeas and field peas. Barley from the region is considered to be some of the best in the world.
Transport
Starting in the 1880s, agitation for conversion of the horse tramway to a steam locomotive railway commenced.
Local economy
Tourism is a significant local industry, focusing on the availability of beach-side accommodation, including several caravan parks, holiday houses, bed and breakfast and a motel. The nearby locations of Moonta Bay, Port Hughes and Simms Cove are on the foreshore and are rapidly developing. They are extremely popular locations for retirement and holiday makers. The beaches, with fine white sand, are popular with recreational anglers and sailboarders. The natural state of the coast has largely been retained. The popular three-day Kernewek Lowender Cornish festival is also held every odd year in May in the Copper Coast towns of Moonta, Kadina and Wallaroo, with events staged across the three towns over several days. It was awarded South Australia’s Inaugural Top Tourist Town by TICSA in 2021.
The National Trust of South Australia operates a number of heritage attractions in adjacent Moonta Mines, including a narrow gauge railway through the former mining works, a museum in the former Moonta Mines Model School, a sweet shop, former mining cottage and surviving buildings associated with the mines. The former Moonta railway station is now a visitor information centre.
Images for kids
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Aerial view of Moonta, looking west into Spencer Gulf
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Shops along George Street, Moonta
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Moonta Railway Station
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Former Bank of South Australia
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Post office
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Moonta Uniting Church
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Former church
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War Memorial
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Royal Hotel, Moonta
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Moonta Coastline
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Moonta Jetty
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Moonta Jetty Stairs
