HERITAGE WALKS
For a walk into the Copper Coast's History try the Kadina, Moonta and Wallaroo Heritage Trails
These walking trails give visitors an insight into the history of these towns and their many old buildings. In each town the self-guided tours take about an hour.
Brochures are available from The Copper Coast Visitor Information Centre.
Kadina Historical Town Walk
1. Town Hall 1880
The Kadina Institute was established in rented premises in 1862. A new institute was erected on this site in 1880 and a hall and second storey council chambers were added in 1883. In 1889, the building was transferred to the Corporation of Kadina. The clock and tower were added in 1903 as a gift from a former resident D.R. Squibb.
2. Uniting Church 1962
Two congregations united in 1962 and opened a new church on this site.
3. Masonic Hall 1883
The Masonic Lodge formed in Kadina in 1862 The Hall was erected in 1883.
4. Anglican Church 1911
The first Anglican Church was erected on the site in 1862 and was demolished in 1910. The current Church was then built in 1911.
5. Private Hospital 1880
Former Private Hospital. Erected about 1880 and run by Sister Berry. The hospital operated until the opening of the community hospital in the 1930’s. The Hospital has recently been demolished.
6. Bews Fountain 1892
Erected in 1892 in memory of David Bews. M.P. Bews was responsible for the reticulated water to Kadina from the Beetaloo Reservoir in 1890.
7. Rotunda 1897
Erected to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Jubilee in 1897. It was unveiled by Captain H.R. Hancock.
8. Royal Exchange 1874
The Exchange Hotel was originally established across the road in 1860. The prefix Royal was added after the Duke of Clarence stayed in 1880.
9. Dunstone’s Grain Storage 1912
Erected in 1912 and was used for some years by the Military Club. The building is currently a coffee shop.
10. Ascot Building 1921
Built in 1921 as the Ideal Theatre, it was remodelled and reopened in 1967 as the Ascot Theatre.
11. Mitchells Building 1872
The two-storey building was built in 1872 as a drapery store. Currently the local fruit and vegetable shop
12. Russack’s Building 1890
Formerly occupied by Dobbie Bros drapery store.
13. Bank of South Australia 1874
Formerly the Bank of South Australia. For many years this building was occupied by a privately-owned Money Museum. Currently an insurance company.
14. Senior Citizens Hall 1892
Formerly the Rechabite Hall. It was used by the Church of Christ from 1906 until 1920 and by the Methodist Church until 1968 when purchased by the Senior Citizens Clubs.
15. Butcher Shop c.1870
This has always and still is a butcher shop.
16. Wombat Hotel 1860
Erected as a boarding house. It was licensed as the Wombat in 1862.
17. YP County Times 1888
Formerly the Kadina and Wallaroo Times. The Country Times is located in a new building. The building is currently occupied by Accustom Consulting.
18. Kadina Hotel 1904
When erected in 1904 this was known as the Central Hotel. It became the Kadina Hotel in the 1960’s
19. Truscott Building 1922
Erected as offices for the AMP Society. The site was formerly occupied by Truscott’s grocery store. Currently occupied by YP Coaches and Peninsula Insurance Services.
20. Hairdressing Saloon 1906
Erected as a single storey saloon in 1906 by F Hancock. The second storey was added in 1914 and used as a billiard room. Currently occupied by a Chester’s Café and The Hair Beauty Room.
21. State Banking Building 1908
Former State Bank Building. Currently Occupied by Ray White Real-estate.
22. War Memorial Arch 1922
The Soldiers memorial Arch was originally erected in the memory of those who died in World War 1. It now also commemorates all those who have served in World War 2 and Post World War 2 conflicts.
Moonta Historical Town Walk
1. Town Hall 1885
Erected in 1885 by Pollard and Cowling of Moonta to the design of Thomas Smeaton of Adelaide. The clock tower was added in 1907.
2 . Roach’s Butcher Shop 1863
The Roach family came to Moonta from Burra and opened a butcher’s shop at Hamley Flat in 1862. The business remained in the Roach’s family until the mid 1980’s.
3. Martin’s Shop and Residence 1863
Henry Martin established a general store at Moonta Mines in 1862 and purchased this block at the first Moonta land sales in 1863.
4. Former Moonta Institute 1870
Erected as Moonta’s third Institute. After the erection of the town hall in1885, it was sold to friendly societies and used as a meeting hall until the 1950s.
5. Former Bank of SA c.1864
The first bank in Moonta. The branch moved to a new two-storey bank building in Ellen Street.
6. State Bank 1917
Formerly the savings bank of SA, this was built by Webber and Williams using stone from Moonta Bay and was opened in 1917.
7. Shop and Residence c.1875
Occupied as a music shop, grocers, motor cycle garage & car showroom, drycleaner, gift shop
8. Former Prince of Wales Hotel 1863
This was opened as the Prince of Wales Hotel with Mr Weeks as first licensee. It was delicensed in 1911.
9. Thomas Shop 1864
This corner shop was first occupied by J. Thomas, grocer. It was used as a butcher shop by the Giesecke family from the 1920s until the 1980s.
10. Birks Chemist Shop 1868
This two-storey building was erected for G. Birks, chemist.
11. Former National Bank 1867
The drinking fountain in front of the bank was erected in 1890 to mark the arrival of reticulated water.
12. Beytheins Shop c.1870
This building was built around 1870 and was occupied by one of Moonta’s first chemist.
13. Marshall Building 1873
This fine two-storey building was erected in 1873 by S.D Marshall of Wallaroo. The building contains four separate shops with original shop fronts.
14. Moonta Hotel 1863
Opened in 1863 with H. Latter and W. Oilfent as licensees. The veranda was added about 1890
15. Rossiter’s Store & Residence c.1870
This large residence with attached two-storey shop complex was erected by Rossiter and Davies about 1865 for Samuel Rossiter
16. Royal Hotel 1865
H. Lester was the first licensee. The upper-storey veranda was added about 1890.
17. Druids Hall 1866
The original Anglican Church was erected at the rear in 1865 and this building followed in 1866 as the school church room. It was sold to the Druids in 1902 when the present church hall was erected. It was used as a meeting hall by the Druids until 1988.
18. Post Office 1866
The Moonta Post Office and Telegraph Station was built by T.R Heath of Wallaroo in 1866.
19. Cornwall Hotel 1865
This was erected in 1865 as the Globe Hotel with W. Square as first licensee. In 1855, the building was extensively damaged by fire.
20. Shops c.1870
These well-preserved single and double-fronted shops with verandahs were built about 1870.
21. Former Union Bank 1873
This ornate two-storey building was erected in 1873 for the Bank of South Australia which opened a Moonta branch around 1864.
22. Salvation Army Hall 1901
The Salvation Army Hall established a corp at Moonta in 1883 and this hall erected in 1901.
23. School of Mines 1866\1903
The southern portion of this building was erected as a Baptist Church in 1866. It was then purchased in 1891 by the government and converted for use as a School of Mines, the first outside Adelaide. In 1903, the northern portion was added and the words School of Mines moulded across the front.
24. Row Cottages c.1880
This row of four cottages, built right on the footpath boundary, was erected about 1865.
25. Bible Christian Church 1873
Sir Samuel Way laid the foundation stone for the Bible Christians in September 1873. The building was purchased by the Church of Christ in 1913 and closed in 1976.
26. Methodist Church 1873
This Gothic-style church was built in 1873.
27. Queen Square 1897
Queen Square was named in honour of Queen Victoria on the 25th anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Moonta in 1897. The fountain was presented by the first mayor, Charles Drew in 1893.
Wallaroo Historical Town Walk
1. Old Post Office 1865
Built as the original Post Office for Wallaroo (1865 - 1910). In later years it was used as the Divisional Headquarters of the Police Department for Yorke Peninsula. In 1975 it was vacated by the Police and is now operated by the Wallaroo Branch of the National Trust of S.A. and is known as the Wallaroo Heritage and Nautical Museum.
2. Old Bond Store 1864
This large building was erected in 1864 and traded as "W.C. Eland's Wallaroo Bonded Stores, which sold wine, spirits, tobacco and other ship’s stores. In 1883 the building was converted for use as a Salvation Army Hall which continued until closure in 1971. It is currently being renovated.
3. Cornucopia Hotel 1862
This hotel was built in 1862 and Mr R. Hazelgrove was the first licensee. It was used for many public meetings until the Institute was erected in 1873. It has 52 rooms. The Cornucopia changed its name to the Copper Coast Hotel in 2017.
4. Town Hall 1902
Towards the end of the 19th century the towns people decided that a Town Hall was needed. On 31st January, 1901, construction began and in 1902, the building was completed and duly opened. However, on 26th December 1917 a disastrous fire destroyed almost everything except the outer walls. The building was quickly restored in 1918 with the addition of a clock tower to house the Town Clock donated by Councillor Richard Tonkin. The Town Hall is noted for its beautiful ornate ceiling and stage proscenium.
5. Railway Station 1914
Opened to replace 2 out-dated stations in other parts of the rail yards, it was used as the passenger station until 1969. It was also used as an Art and Craft Centre from 1970-1985. The building was restored in 1985 and converted for operation as the Railway Restaurant and Conference Centre. Currently used by the Copper Coast Council and is the local Community Library. A mural is being painted on the old railway platform, part 1 has been completed depicting parts of Wallaroo’s history
6. Sonbern Lodge Motel 1914
Built as a Coffee Palace and Guest Hotel to coincide with the opening of the Railway Station. It has been lovingly restored in early 1900s style.
7. St. Mary’s Anglican Church 1864
This lovely church with its beautiful stained-glass windows was erected in 1864. The altar and pews are made of teak. It is open for Sunday services and the Parish welcomes all visitors.
8. Wallaroo Primary School 1861
The first school in Wallaroo was opened in 1861 and a number of other private schools operated until 1877. The present Wallaroo Public School main building was built in 1877 at a cost of 4,455 pounds, including a headmaster's residence.
9. Residence of Caroline Carleton C1870
The residence at 20 Wildman Street was originally a private school conducted by Amy Carleton during the early 1870s. Her mother Caroline Carleton lived in the house for a short time until her death on 10th July, 1874. She is buried in the Wallaroo Cemetery. Caroline Carleton wrote the words of "Song of Australia". A memorial to Caroline Carleton with the words of the song inscribed is located next to the Wallaroo Town Hall.
10. Rotunda - Davies Square 1927
The Rotunda was the scene of carol concerts every Christmas night during the mining era. Carols, known locally as "curls", were one of the favourite forms of music. The Rotunda was also noted for its use by the Wallaroo Town Band for its many concerts. The Rotunda was originally built on land overlooking the Bay near the present silos but was relocated to Davies Square in 1927.
11. Globe Inn 1861
Built as the single storey Globe Inn, later known as the Globe Hotel, with Mr W. Square as the first licensee. The name was changed to the Weeroona Hotel in 1959.
12. Police Station & Residence 1862
The small police station on the corner of Thomas Street and John Terrace was erected by David Bower in 1862 at a cost of 1,075 pounds. In 1865 the Police Sergeant’s residence fronting John Terrace was erected with 4 stone cells and stables at the rear. A new Police Station was erected alongside in the 1940s and closed in 1972. It is now used as The Station, Community Mental Health & Wellbeing Centre
13. Court House 1865
The Wallaroo Court House was built in 1865. Many sailors, miners and others were put on trial here for various offences, such as murder and assault. The building is now used by the Kadina, Wallaroo and Moonta (KWM) Band, as their band room.
14. Customs House 1862
The Custom’s House, completed in 1862, was the original Harbour Master's Custom house, and is Heritage listed. It is now a private residence.
15. Copper Smelters Office c1880
Circa 1880 this building was erected for use as administrative offices for the Smelters by the Wallaroo Mining Company and gave its name to the nearby Office Beach. Presently ‘The Smelters Heritage Accommodation’. —a seafront holiday experience.
16. Hughes Chimney Stack
This is all that remains above ground to remind us of the many chimneys and furnaces erected by the Wallaroo Mining and Smelting Company. There are substantial below ground remains of flues, ducts, footings and retaining walls etc. The inscription 'W.W.H. 1861' on the land side commemorates the founder of the company, Sir Walter Watson Hughes. This stack which was the largest of what were 12 chimneys, stands almost 40 metres and contains over 300,000 bricks.
17. Bews Square
Located opposite the Museum. The memorial in this park was erected in 1895 in memory of David Bews M.P., a local man who was responsible for bringing reticulated water to Wallaroo from the Beetaloo Reservoir in 1890. Prior to this, water was obtained from underground storage tanks or wells and was always in short supply during summer months.
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50 Mines Road, KADINA SA 5554
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