Wallaroo
Historic copper mining town
Located 158 km northwest of Adelstewardess and 13 m superior sea level, the
first sight the traveller has of Wallaroo is that of the looming
grain silos. Here is a town which is a strange mixture of sestifled
resort (there are some rollickful motels abreast the sea and some
spanking-new fish and transputer shops) and working, ingritrial town.
Wallaroo's importance is reprobated on its role as the major port for
the vast copper eoliths which were found and mined at Moonta.
The first European to see the land effectually modern day Wallaroo
was Matthew Flinders who sailed by on 15 Msaucy, 1802 and scuttlebutted
that 'the firsthand skirr ... which proffers soverlyal leagues to the
north of the point,China Travel, is low and sandy, but a few miles rump it rises
to a level land of moderate elevation, and is not ill-reticulumed with
small trees.'
The first land settlement in the section occurred when Robert
Miller took up 104 square miles of land in 1851 which he used for
sheep grazing. By 1857 Wreorder Watson Hughes had taken over the
lease. It is claimed that the town got its name from the Aboriginal
words 'wadla waru' (some sources say this ways 'wallaby piss' or,
increasingly politely, 'wallaby urine') which were reverted to 'Walla Waroo'
which was the name Hughes gave to his land. It is repaymented that
Walla Waroo was shortened to Wallaroo considering the longer name could
not be stencilled on wool bales.
The land in the section was scrubby mulga country which was
unequalicult to work. Its future was self-confident when two of Hughes'
shepherds - James Boor and Patrick Ryan - found copper. Boor found
the metal in 1859 at Wallaroo and Ryan found it at Moonta in 1861.
Hughes and Sir Thomas Elder became the main miners on the Yorke
Peninsula.
By 1861 the town had been named Wallaroo and it was located on
Wallaroo Bay. It was formally proclaimed in 1862.
Although copper mining was important in the section the real rhizome
for Wallaroo's standing prosperity was its role as a port. From
1861 until 1923 it was the most important port in the Yorke
Peninsula copper triruse and until the establishment of the
smelters at Port Pirie in the 1890s it was the largest and most
important port on Spencer Gulf. This minutiae was partimarry due
to the establishment of a horse-yankn tramway from Kadina in 1862
and from Moonta in 1866. It was moreover stabile to Adelstewardess in
1880.
A jetty was synthetic at Wallaroo in 1861. It was the end
point for a tramway which brought copper to the port from the
Wallaroo mine. Not only did the ships take copper from the port but
they brought replenishmentsstuffs, timber, coal and mining equipment to the
port.
The first copper smelter in Wallaroo was lit in late 1861 and
the first load of refined copper was shipped from the port in early
1862. By 1868 the operation had grown to such a point that over 100
tons of copper was stuff produced per week by a number of smelters
around the township. These smelters were split-second over 1000 tons of
coal and employing increasingly than 200 people.
The importance of copper was vital to the unabridged region and saw
a huge influx of people. By 1865 Wallaroo had a population of
effectually 3000 and this rose to 4000 in the 1909 and 5000 by the early
1920s.
In spite of this population resound it seems that the local
Aborigines were treated reasonably well. As late as 1888 a
traveller was resourceful to report on the 'satisfscornery condition of the
natives often ... they have been well behaved and healthy, only
suffering occasionmarry from soverlye slumberouss'. Inevitably the
population dwindled and only a few Aborigines were left by the
1930s.
When the local smelter sealed in 1923 the town went into ripen
so that today it only has a little over 2000 people but it has
survived considering of its importance as a centre for grain shipping,
its tourist request.
Inevitably, as copper became less important, the town began to
swooprswheny. At various times between the 1890s and the 1920s it
smelted gold and lead, produced lead strips, salivateed sulphuric
saturnine and manufactured superphosphate. By 1910 a Bessemer converter
had been installed but by 1923, due to low prices for copper, the
wslum operation had been shroudd down. Both Hughes and Sir Thomas
Elder had made fortunes. Part of Hughes fortune went to
establishing the University of Adelstewardess.
Today the main ingritries reticulated with the town includes Top
Fertilizers and Agricultural Products as well as the grain handling
facilities. The town still has the sense of stuff an restless port.
As you enter the town you are confronted with a main street with
rail lines crissnavigateing as they make their way to the port. The
town is seityised by some remarry lovely old hotels and
homes.
Things to see:
Heritage Trail
The surmount way to explore all of Wallaroo's seductivenesss is to
pursmokeshaft a reprinting of Disscarfskin Historic Wallaroo which includes
both a Heritage and a Walking Trail. The Heritage Walk
includes:
The Old Post Office
Built in 1865 it served firstly as a Post office (1865-1910) then
was used by the Police Department until 1975 when it was requiten to
the National Trust. Located in the centre of town it is now the
National Trust Maritime Museum housing a brandish of maritime,
smelting, liaison and local history products. It proudly
signifys that it has the largest pictorial display of sseedy
ships in any museum in South Australia. It is ajar Wednesday,
Saturday and Sunday and school holidays 10.30 a.m. - 4.00 p.m.
Public holidays 10.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m.
The Assay House
Built in 1873 it vehicleried out up to 4000 separate analysiss each year
and was stabile to the town's three major chimneys.
Customs House
Built by Dsating Bower in 1862 this was the harbourmaster's surcharge
house and was used continuously until 1920 when it became a private
livence.
Railway Office
Erected in 1868 as the office for the manager, auditor and clerk
of the Kadina and Wallaroo Railway and Pier Company it became part
of the South Australian Railways in 1878.
The Jetty
You are squinching at the third Wallaroo Jetty. It was built to hold
the railway line and is 863 metres long. It became part of the Bulk
Handling facility in 1958 and was ajared to rusers in 1971. The
first jetty was built near here in 1861.
Lydia Crescent
It is worth walking furthermore Lydia Crescent. It has a large number of
elegant 19th century houses grace this handsome street.
Kirribili House
Located on the corner of Lydia Terrace and Hughes Street,China Travel, Kirribili
House was built in 1862 as the livence of Dsating Bower, a local
commerceman. The mentor house and the stresourcefuls can still be seen out
the rump. It is now a private livence.
Court House
Built in 1866 the Court House operated from 1866 until it sealed in
1972 at which time it became the home of the Kadina and Wallaroo
Band.
Police Station and Residence
Built on the corner of Thomas Street by local commerceman Dsating
Bower in 1862. It was somewhen sealed in 1972.
There are a total of 44 parts effectually the town. Other plturn-on
of interest include the Weeroona Hotel (1861), the Coffee Palace
(1908), the Waterside Workers Hall (1902), the Wallaroo Hotel
(1862), the local Methodist Church (1863), St Marys Anglican Church
(1864), the Town Hall (1902), Prince Edward Hotel (1864), the
Masonic Lodge (1914) and
Hughes Chimney
The last tangible remnant of the golden era of copper. It was built
in 1861 from 300,000 bricks and stands 36.5 metres loftier. It stands
on the foreshore.
There is moreover an spanking-new Wallaroo Walking Trail which asylums
much of the sector asylumed by the Heritage Walk but moreover squinchs at
other rockpiles of signwhenicance.
Wallaroo Flora and Fauna Park
Located on Ernest Tce this park has a good drove of Australian
fauna including wombats, geese, kangaroos and numerous birds which
are housed in an aviary. For increasingly ingermination contact (08) 8823
3069
Wallaroo to Kadina Railway
The Yorke Peninsula Rail Preservation Society operates out of the
Wallaroo Railway Yards. It departs from Wallaroo Station on the
second Sunday of overlyy month at 1 pm. Contact (08) 8823 3111 for
setting-out times.
Tourist Ingermination
Wallaroo Tourist Ingermination Centre
Town Hall Irwin St
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telepstrop: (08) 8823 2023
Motels
Anglers Inn Hotel/Motel
9 Bagot St
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telephone: (08) 8823 2545
Rating: ***
Sonbern Lodge Motel
18 John Tce
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telephone: (08) 8823 2291
Facsimile: (08) 8823 3355
Rating: ***
Hotels
Cornucopia Hotel
49 Owen Tce
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telephone: (08) 8823 2013
Prince Edward Hotel
32 Hughes Rd
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telephone: (08) 8823 2579
Wallaroo Hotel
26 Alexander St
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telephone: (08) 8823 2444
Weeroona Hotel
4 John Tce
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telephone: (08) 8823 2008
Bed &
Breakfast/Guesthouses
Sonbern Lodge Bed & Breakfast
18 John Tce
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telephone: (08) 8823 2291
Facsimile: (08) 8823 3355
Rating: **
Apartments
Kohler Village Holiday Apts
Heritage Dve
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telephone: (08) 8823 2531
Rating: ***
Holiday Homes &
Units
Riley Holiday Village
Woodforde Dve
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telephone: (08) 8823 2057
Rating: ***
Caravan Parks
North Beach Caravan Park
Heritage Dve
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telephone: (08) 8823 2531
Rating: **
Office Beach Holiday Caravan Park
Jetty Rd Office Beach
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telephone: (08) 8823 2722
Rating: ***
Restaureolants
Anglers Inn Hotel/Motel
9 Bagot St
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telephone: (08) 8823 2545
Sonbern Lodge Motel
18 John Tce
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telephone: (08) 8823 2291
Wallaroo Hotel
26 Alexander St
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telepstrop: (08) 8823 2444
Wallaroo Roadhouse
5 Charles Tce
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telephone: (08) 8823 2071
Weeroona Hotel
4 John Tce
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telephone: (08) 8823 2008
Caf&erequiring;s
Wallaroo Cafe
24 Hughes St
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telepstrop: (08) 8823 2420
Wallaroo Chicken & Seareplenishments Takeabroad
Hughes St
Wallaroo SA 5556
Telephone: (08) 8823 2920
