Moonta, South Australia Totally Explained

Everything about Moonta South Australia totally explained

Moonta is a town located on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia, 165 kilometres north-northwest of the state capital of Adelaide. It is one of the three Copper Triangle towns known as "Little Cornwall" and for their shared copper mining history.
It is about 20 kilometres southwest of Kadina and 19 kilometres south of the port town of Wallaroo. At the 2001 census, Moonta had a population of 3,068. There are several distinct localities or hamlets surrounding Moonta, including Yelta, North Yelta, Moonta Bay, Port Hughes and Simms Cove.
It is thought that the name "Moonta" is derived from Moontera, a (indigenous) Narungga tribe word meaning 'impenetrable scrub'.

History

Prior to European settlement, the Moonta area was occupied by the indigenous tribe of Narungga. When he was navigating the coastline of Southern Australia in 1802, Matthew Flinders explored the coastline near Moonta. Settlers arrived in the Moonta area in the 1830s. The scrub in the area was indeed difficult to penetrate, as testified by the town's name, and settlers had a hard time clearing the land. Large and rich deposits of copper were discovered at Moonta in 1861 by shepherds from Walter Watson Hughes' sheep farm, now Wheal Hughes. The town was laid out in 1863 and a horse drawn tramway to Wallaroo was established in 1863. Through advertisement by the South Australian Government, Cornish miners arrived in Moonta soon afterward. The mines at Moonta proved to be the richest mines in the whole of South Australia by 1917, exceeding the total wealth created by all other mines since 1836, the year of establishment of South Australia. The population of Moonta in 1875 was 12,000. The initial copper mining operations ceased in 1923, but smaller-scale modern operations, recommenced in the area in the 1990s.

Geography and climate

Moonta exists in a semi-arid location, above Goyder's Line. Moonta is surrounded by mallee scrub. The centre is located four kilometres inland and is 20 metres above sea level. Moonta has a dry Mediterranean climate with seasonal temperatures a few degrees above Adelaide's temperatures. The temperature ranges are similar to those of Kadina and the weather patterns are similar to those of both Kadina and Adelaide.
Moonta's surrounds are used for growing barley and other crops such as legumes, canola, chickpeas and field peas. Barley from the region is considered to be some of the best in the world.

Economy

Moonta, the town centre, consists of old limestone miners' cottages and churches, giving the town a historical feel. There are several eateries in the town centre, as well as at Moonta Bay.
   The nearby locations of Moonta Bay, Port Hughes and Sims Cove are on the foreshore and are rapidly developing. They are extremely popular locations for retirement. The beaches are wide with fine, white sand, and are popular with recreational anglers and sailboarders. The natural state of the coast has largely been retained.
   Tourism is a significant local industry, focussing on the availability of beachside accommodation- including several caravan parks and a motel.
   North Yelta is an old mining village just north of Moonta. Like Moonta, it has an historic ambience.
   Moonta also contains the Wheal Hughes Tourist Mine at the site of Wheal Hughes, the Moonta Heritage Site, the Moonta School of Mines and a folk museum.
   The popular three-day Kernewek Lowender Cornish festival is held every odd year in May in the Copper Triangle towns, where each of the three towns hosts the festival for one day.

Governance

The District Council of the Copper Coast governs Moonta at the municipal level. Moonta lies in the state electoral district of Goyder and the federal electoral Division of Grey.

Further Information

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