SAMining
Burra
Copper brought a little Cornwall inland.
1845Copper mining begins
WHAT STARTED IT
A rich copper deposit led to the opening of the Burra mine in 1845. Miners, including many from Cornwall, arrived with the expertise needed to work deep hard-rock deposits.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Several villages grew around the mine, bringing different migrant communities together. The main nineteenth-century operation closed in 1877, leaving a remarkable collection of mining and domestic buildings.
TURNING POINTS
1845The first blast is fired at the Burra Burra copper mine on 29 September, and the first dray of ore leaves for Adelaide next morning.
1849The Patent Copper Company starts smelting beside the mine.
1850sBurra supplies a significant share of world copper.
1852Miners leave for the Victorian goldfields and the mine is almost deserted until 1855.
1877The mine closes on 13 November after raising about 234,600 tons of ore.
2004The last light engines ran to Burra and the railway line was formally closed.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A service town for surrounding farms and a heritage destination. Its mine landscape and old villages explain an early chapter of Australia’s metals industry.