Kapunda

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For the British ship that sank in 1887, see Kapunda (ship).
Kapunda
South Australia

Looking towards the Baptist church
Kapunda
Coordinates 34°20′0″S 138°54′0″E / 34.33333°S 138.90000°E / -34.33333; 138.90000Coordinates: 34°20′0″S 138°54′0″E / 34.33333°S 138.90000°E / -34.33333; 138.90000
Population 3,152 (2011)[1]
Established 1839
Postcode(s) 5373
Elevation 245 m (804 ft)
Location 77 km (48 mi) North of Adelaide
LGA(s) Light Regional Council
State electorate(s) Stuart
Federal Division(s) Wakefield
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
21.6 °C
71 °F		 9.8 °C
50 °F		 493.8 mm
19.4 in

Kapunda is a town on the Light River and near the Barossa Valley in South Australia. It was established after a discovery in 1842 of significant copper deposits.

The southern entrance to the town has been dominated since 1988 by the 8-metre-tall statue of Map Kernow ("the son of Cornwall"), a traditional Cornish miner. The statue was destroyed by a fire on the morning of 1 June 2006 [2] but has since been rebuilt by its creator, Ben van Zetten.

History

Francis Dutton and Charles Bagot, who both ran sheep in the area, discovered copper ore outcrops in 1842. They purchased 80 acres (32 ha) around the outcrop, beginning mining early in 1844 after good assay results. Mining began with the removal of surface ore and had progressed to underground mining by the end of the year.[3]

Kapunda is famous as the home of Sir Sidney Kidman. He was a major cattle pastoralist who at one time owned 68 properties with a total area larger than the British Isles. He held annual horse sales at Kapunda with up to 3,000 horses sold during the week. His house, Eringa, was donated to the Education Department, and is still used as the administration building for Kapunda High School. The town also has the unfortunate honour of being titled the most haunted town in Australia after a television documentary focused on the town. Most locals were not amused, however it has led to an increase in the amount of tourists that visit the area. Due to this, the ruins of the Reformatory, located outside the town, were bulldozed, although some locals still believe in the ghost stories popular in town. The town is also close to the historical Anlaby Station and the manor, houses, gardens and other buildings on the property, many of which are being restored by its current owners.

Copper was discovered at Kapunda in 1842 and was mined from there until 1879. There are also quarries near the town which provide fine marble ranging from dark blue to white. Marble from the Kapunda quarries was used to face Parliament House in Adelaide.

Kapunda was home to several notable manufacturers of farm and mining machinery: Robert Cameron, Joseph Mellors, James Rowe and Adamson Brothers.[4] It was with this last-named company that T. J. Richards, the founder of one of Australia's largest coach-building firms, started his career.

Today, Kapunda is a producer of cereal crops, mainly wheat, barley and oats. Value-added services carried out by local industry include stock feed milling and hay processing. Kapunda is a contributor to the wine-growing industry centred in the nearby Barossa Valley.

Kapunda has played host to the Kapunda Celtic Music Festival since 1976. Each year the town celebrates its Celtic heritage with concerts, dancing and pub sessions.

Government

Kapunda is in the state electoral district of Stuart, the federal Division of Wakefield, and the centre of the Light Regional Council.

Panoramic view of the town of Kapunda, as seen from Gundry's Hill Lookout on the outskirts of the town.

Gallery

  • View of the Anglican and Catholic churches from Gundry's Hill Lookout

  • The restored Map the Miner statue

  • Institute and soldiers' memorial hall

  • The main open pit mine, now part of a museum site

Notes

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ "Map the Miner destroyed in fire". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 June 2006. Retrieved 2006-06-06. 
  3. ↑ Drew, G.J. and Jones, J. (1988), p. 6
  4. ↑ "Agricultural Implement & General Machine Manufactories. Kapunda". South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900) (Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia). 18 July 1868. p. 4. Retrieved 17 December 2012. 

References

  • Drew, G.J.; Jones, J. (1988). Discovering historic Kapunda, South Australia. Adelaide: Department of Mines and Energy, Kapunda tourism committee. ISBN 0-7243-4277-X. 

External links

Media related to Kapunda, South Australia at Wikimedia Commons

Towns and localities of the Light Regional Council
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