Explore South Australia
Stretching north of Adelaide up to Port Augusta and the south Flinders Ranges is the fertile agricultural region known as the mid-north. The gateway to the region is the town of Kapunda, 16km northwest of Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley, which became Australia’s first mining town when copper was discovered here in 1842. Kapunda can also be reached as a short detour from the Barrier Highway en route to Broken Hill in New South Wales, a route that continues through the larger mining town of Burra, and close to Peterborough, the self-proclaimed “frontier to the Outback”. The centre of the mid-north’s wine area, Clare, is 45km southwest of Burra on the Main North Road, the alternative route to Port Augusta.
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Kapunda
Kapunda
The discovery of copper at KAPUNDA and Burra in the 1840s put the region at the vanguard of Australia’s mining boom, and until 1860 the Burra “Monster Mine” was the largest in Australia, creating fabulous wealth and attracting huge numbers of Cornish miners. However, the boom ended as suddenly as it began, as resources were exhausted – mining finished at Burra in 1877 and Kapunda in 1878.
Heading to Kapunda from the Barossa, the landscape changes as vineyards are replaced by crops and grazing sheep. As you come into town, you’re greeted by a colossal sculpture of a Cornish miner entitled Map Kernow – “Son of Cornwall”. A place that once had its own daily newspaper, eleven hotels and a busy train station is now a rural service town, pleasantly undeveloped and with many old buildings decorated with locally designed and manufactured iron lacework.
If you have your own transport, you can follow a 10km heritage trail that takes in the ruins of the Kapunda mine, with panoramic views from the mine chimney lookout. The best time to visit Kapunda is during the Celtic festival (usually held in mid-Oct), when Celtic music, bush and folk bands feature at the four pubs.
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Burra
Burra
In 1851 the mine at BURRA was producing five percent of the world’s copper, but when the mines closed in 1877, it became a service centre for the surrounding farming community, and nowadays takes advantage of its heritage to attract visitors. Plenty of money has been spent restoring and beautifying the place, and it’s now a popular weekend escape between March and November, before it gets too hot. The mine is in the northern part of town, while the southern section has the shopping centre, based around Market Square, where you’ll also find the visitor centre, which issues the Burra Heritage Passport to people driving the 11km heritage trail and a key giving access to eight sites en route.
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The Clare Valley
The Clare Valley
In the cool uplands of the North Mount Lofty Ranges, the Clare Valley is really a series of gum-fringed ridges and valleys running roughly 30km north from Auburn to the main township of Clare, on either side of Main North Road. The wine industry in the valley was pioneered by Jesuit priests at Sevenhill in the 1850s. There’s no tourist overkill here: bus trips are not encouraged, and because it’s a small area with just over forty cellar doors, you can learn a lot about the local styles of wine (the valley is especially recognized for its fine Rieslings). You’ll often get personal treatment too, with the winemaker presiding. Several sheep stations can be visited among beautiful historic villages, well-preserved mansions, quaint old pubs, plenty of atmospheric accommodation, and superb restaurants attached to wineries. The region’s calendar is crammed for most of the year but the biggest event is the Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend, held in May at local wineries.
