Things to do
Being nestled between the
Clare and Barossa Valleys, Kapunda is ideally centrally located to see and
explore many interests of the region. There are many great places to wine and
dine as well as shop throughout the region, Nurioopta, Tanunda and Angaston are
all within 15 - 25 minutes and offer many well renowned local produce and retail
outlets, with some wineries as close as 15 minutes away. The growing town of
Gawler is only a 20 minute drive and offers a further shopping precinct.
Local attractions
Map the Miner
The first sight that will greet visitors to Kapunda is that of 'The Big Miner'. This is a depiction of 'The Cornish Miner' who was instrumental in the development of this whole region. The plaque on the miner reads:
'THE CORNISH MINER. The Kapunda Mine. This statue is a monument to the profound, role and contribution of the Cornish miner in the Kapunda and in due course in other mines in South Australia. The Kapunda mine, established in 1844, was the first successful metal mine in Australia and contributed greatly to the economic development of South Australia. Up to its closure in 1878 ore to the value of more than £1 million was produced and up to 340 men and boys, mainly from Cornwall were employed.
'THE STATUE. The statue was named Map Kernow, being the Cornish dialect for 'Son of Cornwall'. It was unveiled on 5
June 1988. The sculptor was Ben Van Zetten who was commissioned.'
Historic Buildings - A walking tour of the Town
The first stop off point in Kapunda needs to be the Kapunda and Light Information Centre at 76 Main Street. There you will find an excellent brochure which covers 34 venues in a walking tour of the town. The quality of the town's historic buildings means so many are still beautifully preserved and make them worth inspecting.
The walk starts in Hill Street (turn west off Main Street and start at the large building which is the Historical Museum) and includes the following highlights:
Parks
The local playground has grown immensely over the last couple of years, it is maintained by the local Lions group and is a firm favorite with families and a great location for birthdays, it is located directly across from the Kapunda practice. The local 'duck pond' very recently underwent major upgrades with new plantings and walkways being put in by the Light Regional Council, with benches and tables supplied it is a peaceful place for picnics or a lunch break.
Kapunda
Museum
This large building was originally the local Baptist church and was built in 1866 with some financial assistance from George Fife Angas, one of South Australia's most important early citizens. The building ceased to be a church in 1948 and was used as a technical school until the 1960s. The unusual architectural style of the building is known as French Romanesque, it is well worth visiting. It has one of the finest collections of old record players (from cylinders through the 78rpm machines) in the country and also has a particularly interesting collection of early motorcycles.
Herald Printing Office - Bagot's Fortune.
Two or three doors along at 5 Hill Street is Bagot's Fortune, the perfect introduction for anyone wanting to understand the rich mining history of the district. Through a series of excellent displays it depicts the lives of the early miners. The building, the old Herald Printing Office, was completed in 1866 to house the operations of the Northern Star, a local newspaper which had started in 1860. The Kapunda Herald was published in this building from 1864-1950.
Buildings on the West Side of the Main Street.
On the corner of Hill and Main streets are the old Elder Smith offices which date from 1907. Turn the corner and walk one block and you will pass the ANZ Bank (formerly the Bank of Adelaide) which was built of sandstone and bluestone in 1866 (it was the first branch office of the Bank of Adelaide) and the Kidman Buildings (1909) which can be seen better from the other side of the street where, if you look up, you can still see 'Kidman Buildings' and 'Bank of NSW' in the upper part of the building. There are more 'Kidman' buildings over the road next to the North Kapunda Hotel.
North Kapunda Hotel
On the corner of Crase
and Main streets is the North Kapunda Hotel which was first licensed in 1849. The yard behind the hotel was
used for stock sales from the 1850s onwards but it came
into its own when Sir Sidney Kidman began using it for his horse sales. There
was one famous auction where a
total of 3,000 horses were offered in an auction which lasted a week. The horses
were all the property of Kidman. The yard was the centre of Kidman's empire from
1904 to the 1930s. The rear section of the hotel was probably built in 1866 when
the hotel was completed. The rest is a series of more recent modifications.
Around the Town
Here is a very small selection of the best buildings and destinations around Kapunda. Another way to see the town is to purchase 'Discovering Historic Kapunda' from the Museum. It includes the Kapunda Heritage Trail which has an easy-to-follow drive around the town with a good map. It is worth taking the effort because the end result leaves the visitor with a sense of the historic richness of the town as well as a great understanding of the early mining industry.
Gundry's Hill Lookout
Head north along Main Street and turn left into Clare Road and then right into West Terrace. Follow the road until you come to the signs to Gundry's Hill Lookout. This offers an excellent overview of the township and the surrounding agricultural land. It was here that a Captain Gundry managed an early copper mine.
On the way up to Gundry's Hill you will pass :
Kapunda High School
The average state high school isn't worth investigation but this high school is built around 'Eringa' a beautiful house full of excellent woodwork and characterised by some superb ironwork. This was the home of Sir Sidney Kidman. When he left Kapunda in 1921 he presented the house to the Department of Education. It is located on West Terrace Kapunda.
Mine Lookout and Main Open Cut
The Mine Lookout can be accessed by taking Lucas Street east from Main Street, turning south into Whittaker Street which becomes Mine Street and then turning into Morton Street which leads towards the Mine Lookout chimney. There is a fence around the site so you have to walk to the chimney.
There is no better way to understand the process of mining which occurred in the district than to visit the main open cut mine. There is a walk around the edges of the cut and it is possible to go down into the valley where the miners worked and look into the various small cuttings in the sides of the valley. The area has a large number of descriptive displays which point out the features of the mine and provide fascinating early photographs which show the views, which are full of buildings and activity. The mine chimney (which was built in 1852) stands like a sentinel on the hill above the operations. It is still possible to see the sides of the cuttings covered in the distinctive bright green of copper washed down by the rains.
Below the Mine Lookout is a pleasant and interesting walk around the edges of the old Open Cut mine. There are descriptive panels with old photographs around the edges of the mine and at various points it is possible to walk down into the valleys where the ore was mined. You can still see the green in the rocks.
Continue around Mine Street and into Mugg Street. A short distance along are the
Mine Square Cottages
This Mine cottage is all that remains of three rows of six attached stone cottages built by the Kapunda mine owners on their property to house mining families. The first two rows were built by 1845 and the third by 1849. This is a portion of the third row. It is unfortunately not available for inspection it may only be viewed from the fence, Lot 7/8 Mugg St, Kapunda, SA.
Hotels
Clare Castle
Hotel
105 Main St
Kapunda SA 5373
Telephone: (08) 8566 2103
Prince of Wales
Hotel
Mildred St
Kapunda SA 5373
Telephone: (08) 8566 2034
Railway Hotel
Railway Pde
Kapunda SA 5373
Telephone: (08) 8566 2305
Sir John
Franklin Hotel
Main St
Kapunda SA 5373
Telephone: (08) 8566 3233
Sir Sidney
Kidman
50 Main St
Kapunda SA 5373
Telephone: (08) 8566 2205