Australian Cornish Mining sites at Burra and Moonta in South Australia have been added to Australia’s UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
The sites show the first major transfer of Cornish hard-rock mining and Welsh smelting technology in the 1840s. The distinctive high-pressure steam engine houses are icons of Cornish mining. The listing will support protection and preservation of the historic mines. Burra and Moonta accounted for 10% of the industrial metal’s total global production at one time. Both mines were important in the progress of mining in Australia and around the world.
Miners from Cornwall, West Devon and Wales migrated with their families to work in the mines. As such, Burra and Moonta would both become hubs of Cornish culture.
Mining on traditional land had a large impact on the Ngadjuri people around Burra and the Narungga people on the Yorke Peninsula.
Today, distinct beliefs, cultural practices, and languages are actively sustained. This listing will help to tell this important story of these lands and its peoples.
Throughout the nomination process, we will continue to work alongside:
- the South Australian Government
- Traditional Owner Groups
- regional councils
- heritage groups.
Being added to the Tentative List is the first step towards a World Heritage nomination. This marks an important milestone to further preserve and protect these sites for future generations.
