27-555: Moonta may refer to: Places [ edit ] Moonta, South Australia , a locality in the Copper Coast Council including: East Moonta Moonta Bay Moonta Cemetery Moonta Mines North Moonta Corporate Town of Moonta , a former local government area New Moonta , a suburb in Bundaberg, Queensland Ships [ edit ] MV Moonta ,
54-540: A cruise ship now used as a casino SS Moonta (refer Moonta Herald and Northern Territory Gazette ) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Moonta . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moonta&oldid=1143292065 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
81-474: A few pioneering British settlers arrived in the Moonta area in the 1840s, as pastoralists, but there was no significant development until the 1860s, primarily because of the lack of water. The scrub in the area was difficult to penetrate (as testified by the town's name) so the first settlers had a hard time clearing the land. Large and rich deposits of copper were discovered at Moonta in 1861 by Patrick Ryan,
108-585: A group of Aboriginal Australians whose traditional lands are located throughout Yorke Peninsula , South Australia . Their traditional language, one of the Yura-Thura grouping, is Narungga . In Norman Tindale 's estimation the Narungga held some 2,500 square miles (6,500 km ) of tribal land on the Yorke Peninsula, running north as far as Port Broughton . Their eastern limits were around
135-522: A narrow gauge railway through the former mining works, a museum in the former Moonta Mines Model School, a sweet shop, former mining cottage and surviving buildings associated with the mines. The former Moonta railway station is now a visitor information centre. Moonta is located within the local government area of the Copper Coast Council , which was formed in 1997 (replacing the Corporate Town of Moonta , which existed from 1872 to 1984, and
162-542: A number of heritage-listed sites listed on the South Australian Heritage Register , including: 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 about the same as Adelaide 's temperatures. The temperature ranges are similar to those of Kadina and
189-513: A shepherd from Walter Hughes ' property. This became a prosperous mine, named Wheal Hughes , with other mines soon to follow. The government town of Moonta was surveyed in March 1863, while an informal township of mining workers also grew at Moonta Mines . A horse tramway from Moonta to the port at Wallaroo opened in July 1866. Starting in the 1880s, agitation for conversion of the horse tramway to
216-556: A steam locomotive railway commenced. Following advertising by the South Australian Government, Cornish miners arrived in Moonta in large numbers. The government town of Moonta incorporated as the Corporate Town of Moonta in 1872. 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
243-459: A variety of fish species were often traded for tobacco and other goods. Close to a decade after the British colonisation of South Australia and the establishment of Adelaide in 1836 or earlier. Settlers began moving into Yorke Peninsula, though native memory states that, before the beginning of occupation (1847), their area was visited occasionally by sealers. At this time, it was estimated that
270-420: Is about 17 kilometres (11 mi) south west of Kadina , site of Wallaroo Mines , and 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of the port of Wallaroo . There are 11 suburbs surrounding central Moonta, each being a distinct historic locality or hamlet. These are: Cross Roads , East Moonta , Hamley , Kooroona , Moonta Bay , Moonta Mines , North Moonta , North Yelta , Paramatta , Port Hughes and Yelta . At
297-543: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Moonta, South Australia Moonta is a town on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia , 165 km (103 mi) north-northwest of the state capital of Adelaide . It is one of three towns known as the Copper Coast or "Little Cornwall " for their shared copper mining history. The town's centre
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#1732780704278324-400: The 2011 census , the Moonta township and the adjacent suburbs of Cross Roads and Yelta had a combined population of 681. The broader Moonta urban centre, also including Moonta Bay , North Moonta and Port Hughes , had a population of 3,659. By 2016, the area had grown to a population of 4,700, and by 2021 the population had grown further to 5,219, making it the fastest growing area on
351-620: The District Council of Northern Yorke Peninsula ). As such, it remains part of the Hundred of Wallaroo which itself is part of the County of Daly . It is also part of the federal division of Grey , the state electoral district of Narungga . Moonta was served by The People’s Weekly (17 May 1890 – 22 September 1961). The newspaper was then renamed to Moonta People’s Weekly (29 September 1961 – 31 March 1966), which then merged with
378-625: The Hummock Range . The following places all lay within Narungga tribal territory - Bute , Wallaroo , Ardrossan , Marion Bay , and Cape Spencer . Their borders with the Kaurna lay at the head of Gulf St Vincent . The Narungga people's language is Narungga , which in the 21st century is being revived under various language revival projects. The Narungga are known to have been composed of at least four groups , according to Norman Tindale , one being Wallaroo. Later sources say that
405-621: The Kadina and Wallaroo Times (1 August 1888 to March 1966) to form the short-lived Kadina, Wallaroo and Moonta Times (7 April 1966 – 29 August 1968). In 1968 that paper then merged with the South Australian Farmer (9 January 1948 – 28 August 1968) to form the Yorke Peninsula Country Times , which still serves the entire peninsula. Narungga The Narungga people, also spelt Narangga , are
432-471: The Copper Coast. The Moonta area is part of the traditional lands of the indigenous Narungga people. The name "Moonta" is reportedly derived from munta-muntara or moontera , an Aboriginal word for "thick scrub place" or "impenetrable scrub". The Yorke Peninsula coastline near Wallaroo was separately navigated by Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin in 1802. The next Europeans to explore
459-420: The Narungga comprised four clans who shared the Yorke Peninsula (which was known as Guuranda to them): Kurnara in the north, Dilpa in the south, Wari in the west and Windarra in the east. The Narungga were a nomadic people who practised fire-stick farming to flush out wildlife and control vegetation. Their diet also included seafood; their expertise at fishing was much admired by early European settlers and
486-409: The Narungga numbered approximately 500. Within a decade (1856), a white resident stated that their numbers had been halved. By 1880, the same observer stated that they had been reduced to less than 100. The introduction of scarlet fever and measles in the 1870s also devastated the tribe. The British concepts of property ownership were incompatible with the Narungga's nomadic lifestyle, resulting in
513-499: The coast has largely been retained. The popular three-day Kernewek Lowender Cornish festival is also held every odd year in May in the Copper Coast towns of Moonta, Kadina and Wallaroo, with events staged across the three towns over several days. It was awarded South Australia's Inaugural Top Tourist Town by TICSA in 2021. The National Trust of South Australia operates a number of heritage attractions in adjacent Moonta Mines , including
540-423: The district were John Hill and Thomas Burr . Under instructions from Governor Gawler , the pair were landed about 15 kilometres south of Point Riley, near Moonta Bay , on 28 April 1840 from the government cutter Water Witch . They then made their way back to Adelaide on horseback, traversing Northern Yorke Peninsula . They reported the discovery of 'a very excellent tract of country'. Based on that report
567-622: The gradual displacement of the Indigenous population. In 1868, the Point Pearce Aboriginal Mission was established by the Moravian missionary Julius Kühn. After ten years, the mission was largely self-sufficient, though Kühn's early success in securing the confidence of the Narungga by using his medical knowledge suffered a notable blow when 16 residents died of whooping cough and croup over several months in
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#1732780704278594-414: The neck of a strong swimmer, so that it hangs down his back. With this he swims out to sea a mile or more, and then returns to the sandy beach, the roasted fish still hanging behind him. When near the shore, the swimmer attaches the fish to a spear stuck in the sand, where the water is about three feet deep. In the meantime the men have got ready their long nets, and the shoal of fish, as soon as it arrives on
621-534: The region is considered to be some of the best in the world . A horse drawn tramway between the Port at Wallaroo and the mines at Kadina was extended to the mines at Moonta in 1866. This was originally constructed 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) broad gauge. At that time, a separate isolated horse-drawn tramway was constructed to deliver grain from the plains east of Port Wakefield in the areas of Balaklava, Halbury and Hoyle's Plains (now Hoyleton) to that port. It opened in 1869. This
648-547: The weather patterns are similar to those of both Kadina and Adelaide. Tourism is a significant local industry, focusing on the availability of beach-side accommodation, including several caravan parks, holiday houses, bed and breakfast and a motel. The nearby locations of Moonta Bay, Port Hughes and Simms Cove are on the foreshore and are rapidly developing. They are extremely popular locations for retirement and holiday makers. The beaches, with fine white sand, are popular with recreational anglers and sailboarders. The natural state of
675-409: The winter of 1872. Many of the buildings remain today. Norman Tindale undertook a linguistic and cultural salvage interview with a woman, Louisa Eglinton, whom he deemed to be the sole survivor of the southern Yorke Peninsula people. The following is a description of a Narungga technique for catching snapper . A good-sized fish being roasted, and tied up in a bundle of rushes, is fastened round
702-496: Was 12,000. The main copper mining operations at Moonta Mines ceased in 1923, although a number of smaller mines continued to be worked for some years. Smaller-scale operations recommenced in the area in the late 1980s but had closed by the mid-1990s. Following the demise of copper mining, the district successfully merged into dry-land farming. Moonta's surrounds are used for growing barley , wheat and other crops such as legumes , canola , chickpeas and field peas . Barley from
729-500: Was converted to a railway and extended to Wallaroo in 1880 and later to Moonta in 1891. Passenger services ceased in 1969. The line from Wallaroo to Moonta closed on 23 July 1984. Moonta railway station is now a National Trust Museum and is now home to the Moonta Mines Tourist Railway. Moonta's town centre, consisting of old limestone miners' cottages and churches, gives the town a historical feel. Moonta has
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