News

National Heritage Listing

11th May 2017

It is with an immense amount of pride that we share the news that Moonta Mines State Heritage area has now achieved National Heritage listing. This is an outstanding achievement, made possible by the hard work, knowledge, dedication and perseverance of many dedicated supporters over the last 8 years. Moonta Mines has been recognised as being of great significance to South Australia for many years. Now it has been recognised that the Mines area is of outstanding significance to the entire nation. The history and heritage that we preserve on a daily basis will go on to be recognised even further in years to come we are sure.

It seems especially appropriate in this National Volunteers Week, that we achieved this incredible feat, and we would like to thank the hundreds of volunteers who have served with the National Trust in Moonta for over 50 years. Without these volunteers, our heritage area would not be what it is today, and we would be unable to operate our much loved venues so that visitors and their families can return time and time again over the generations.

Most of all we must remember the men and women who came to Moonta Mines, risked their lives, and even lost them to build a foundation for those that came later. What a very difficult life it must have been for them, and we learn more with every day about the struggles and tragedies they faced. What incredibly brave and stoic pioneers we had. Their memories will always live on in the National Heritage listed Moonta Mines. This is assured.

Quotes attributable to Premier Jay Weatherill:

Burra and Moonta Mines are well-known for their strong Cornish heritage and this recognition gives us a fantastic opportunity to highlight this to a global audience.

It will encourage more people from around the world to visit these two towns and South Australia more broadly, with these sites connected to the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape on the World Heritage List.

This listing also acknowledges the role these towns in particular played in the foundation of South Australia to the expansion of industry, technological change and wealth which transformed the world during the 1700s and 1800s.

Burra and Moonta Mines are Australia’s representatives of the international spread of this Cornish hard-rock mining technology.

Quotes attributable to Sustainability, Environment and Conservation Minister Ian Hunter:

The increasing recognition of Burra and Moonta Mines as significant heritage sites will support greater tourism for regional South Australia, particularly the Copper Coast and Mid North.

The inclusion of South Australia’s Cornish mining heritage sites at Burra and Moonta Mines on the National Heritage List is an outstanding achievement after an eight year process.

Thank you to the heritage volunteers and members of Burra and Copper Coast communities who have contributed time and enthusiasm to making this heritage listing happen.