MOONTA

Today we decided to do something a bit “touristy” as we never do things like that, much preferring to just find our own way around the towns we visit.

Being that Moonta has such a big Copper Mining History.....we got on board Ryan’s Express and went on an hour long tour of the mining industry.

I thought it might have just been an excuse to sit on my bum and be driven around for an hour instead of walking...but it was actually quite interesting.

From 1861 to 1923, it was the centre of the largest mining enterprise in S.A. and became the biggest copper mine in the world.

Patrick “Paddy” Ryan..(hence Ryan’s Express) was the shepherd who discovered copper near the Wombat burrow.

The town of Moonta is also referred to as Little Cornwell as the Cornish miners arrived in Moonta in large numbers. This little mining town grew to have a population of over 12,000.

As the town grew so quickly, the Government allowed the people to build houses as they liked without paying taxes...and from anything they liked, with a lot of houses being made from mud. 

The downside of all of this was they forgot about sanitation...and that’s when a plague of measles and typhoid swept through the community, sadly killing over 600 children.

******now we have stupid people fighting over toilet paper in shops for no reason whatsoever*****

Sorry...just a side rant..... :)

Ed said that if we sat at the back of the train we would get a longer ride....oh please! Hahaha! 

The green on the rocks is the patina from the copper...

So we had a very interesting day!! Ed said he felt like he was back at school and was worried we’d get tested on arrival back at the station! Silly sod!

And over the road was the lolly shop that used to be the old post office.

We got some lollies “for the train ride” I was told!

Tomorrow we leave Moonta....but we’ve had a lovely time again. It’s not so much the ride.....but the things you learn on the way, and it may sound a bit boring, but you learn so much about our history.

I know I keep banging on about history, but I learnt today about the young boys that would be sent off to work in the mines aged from 10...they would work through the day, then go off to school for a couple of hours at night. But...if they didn’t get that token for attending school...they would not be paid for working in the mines! 

Can you imagine our kids of today......

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