Looking down the main street in Kadina

Kadina
Historic copper mining full of interesting buildings and ruins.
Located 150 km north-west of Adelaide and 44 m above sea level, Kadina is the largest town on the Yorke Peninsula.

The town owes its existence entirely to the discovery of copper. In 1866 R. P. Whitworth wrote: 'The country was never considered fit for anything until one of the oldest resident settlers, Captain Hughes, discovered that under the valueless surface, there were chances of great wealth in store for himself and others. He found traces of existing copper-bearing lodes on the beach near his station, and for years tried to follow those traces back into the country, but unsuccessfully until at length in the year 1860 a shepherd [James Boor], who was remarkably intelligent man, discovered copper ore thrown to the surface by the wombats in their burrowing under the limestone crust.'

The area had been inhabited by Narrunga Aborigines prior to European settlement and it's name comes probably from their word 'caddy-yeena' or 'caddy-inna' which is thought to mean 'lizard plain'.

The discovery of copper changed the entire area. From marginal agricultural land, which Walter Watson Hughes and John Duncan had been trying to graze sheep on, it quickly developed. The town of Kadina was laid out in 1861. By 1862 the Wombat Hotel (named after the animals who had discovered the copper) was open for business and a horse-drawn railway was operating at the Wallaroo Mine.

The real future of the area came with the creation of a copper mining company in 1862 centred around Matta. The company was formed by raising £60,000 which was made up of 12,000 shares of £5 each. Over the next few years the company dug to a depth of 40 metres and extracted 1,500 tonnes of 23 per cent pure copper ore. By 1866 the Matta mine was bringing 50 tonnes of ore per week to the surface.

The presence of copper attracted large numbers of Cornish miners to the area (there were considerable copper deposits in Cornwall at the time and they emigrated to Australia bringing with them their mining expertise). Kadina and the nearby towns of Wallaroo and Moonta form a triangle which is known as 'Little Cornwall'. By 1875 there were 20,000 people in the district and most of them were of Cornish origin. This Cornish tradition is celebrated each odd year (the next one will be in 2005) with the Kernewek Lowender (a Cornish Festival) which is held in May.

The town became a municipality in 1872 and the main railway line opened in 1878. It was during the 1870s, particularly during periods of drought, that farmers used the machinery from the mines to distil water.

By 1890 the copper mining companies in the district had amalgamated to become the largest industrial company in South Australia. For the next 33 years they employed between 1900 and 2700 people.

Copper mining continued to dominate the town's economy until 1923 and by 1938 mining in the area had completely stopped. In their time the mines around Kapunda had extracted 3.5 million tonnes of ore.

Things to see:  

Harveyıs Engine House at the Wallaroo Mine Historical Site

Wallaroo Mine
Located about 1.5 km south-west of the town centre (take the Moonta Road south and turn west into Matta Road are the remnants of the Wallaroo Mine. All the important destinations in the site are clearly marked and the site is easy to locate because of the stone ruins of Harvey's Enginehouse.

Matta House & Heritage Museum
An outstanding museum surrounded by interesting buildings which all reflect the wealth which flowed into the area as a result of the discovery of copper. Located 1.5 km south of the town centre it comprises Matta House (a mine manager's house built in 1863 which has a shingle roof and is furnished with Victoriana), a large and comprehensive printing museum, displays of old mining equipment, an extensive photographic collection, a blacksmith's shop, an old band rotunda, and a superb and extensive display of old farming equipment. It is also possible to inspect the famous Matta mine shaft which, by 1866, was being used to extract 50 tonnes of copper ore per week. The complex, now under control of the National Trust of South Australia, is open Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday, 2.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m., school and public holidays 10.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. For further information contact either (08) 8821 1083 or (08) 8821 1564

Walking Tour of Kadina and Historic Buildings
There is an excellent publication, Discovering Historic Kadina, published by the District Council of Northern Yorke Peninsula, which not only has a very detailed history of mining in and around Kadina but also includes the excellent Kadina Heritage Trail. The Kadina Heritage Trail is very well signposted and encompasses all the major historical sites in the town including the Kadina Railway Station (1878), the Banking and Currency Museum (1874), the Church of Christ (1920), the beautiful stone residences in Lipson Avenue (c.1900), the Pioneer Cemetery (c.1860), the Wallaroo Mine (1860) and the former Police Residence (c.1900). In total there are 38 places of historic interest in the town. There is also a smaller 19 places of interest on a Kadina Walking Trail.

Banking & Currency Museum
This museum, located in Kadina's oldest bank (built in 1874 for the Bank of South Australia) includes just about every imaginable aspect of currency and banking from old coins and a wide variety of currencies to historic ledgers and cash books. The material is well displayed and exceptionally interesting. It is open every day 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., except Fridays, Saturdays and Christmas Day, and June, but open on the June long weekend. Tel: (08) 8821 2906

	Tourist Information
	Yorke Peninsula Visitor Information Centre Town Hall 51 Taylor St Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: (08) 8821 2093 Facsimile: (08) 8821 2736
	Motels
	Kadina Gateway Motor Inn Adelaide Rd P.O. Box 319 Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: (08) 8821 2777 Rating: ***
	Kadina Village Motel 28 Port Rd Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: (08) 8821 1920 Rating: **
	Hotels
	Kadina Hotel 29 Taylor St Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: (08) 8821 1008 Rating: **
	Royal Exchange Hotel Digby St Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: (08) 8821 1084
	Wombat Hotel 19 Taylor St Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: (08) 8821 1108 Rating: *
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Copper Vines Bed & Breakfast 26 Agery Rd Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: (08) 8821 3450
	Cottages & Cabins
	Miners Rest Cottage 109 Datson Rd Wallaroo Mines Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: (08) 8821 3422 Rating: ***
	Trelawney Cottage 165 Piper St Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: 018 859 507
	Caravan Parks
	Kadina Caravan Park Lindsay Tce Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: (08) 8821 2259 Rating: ***
	Restaurants
	Copper ŒTı Restaurant Adelaide St Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: (08) 8821 2777
	Dynasty Room 4 Goyder Rd Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: (08) 8821 3829
	Kadina Gateway Motor Inn Adelaide Rd P.O. Box 319 Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: (08) 8821 2777
	Kadina Hotel 29 Taylor St Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: (08) 8821 1008
	Kadina Pizza & Chinese Taylor St Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: (08) 8821 2525
	Royal Exchange Hotel Graves St Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: (08) 8821 1084
	Wombat Hotel 19 Taylor St Kadina SA 5554 Telephone: (08) 8821 1108