Only 148 kilometres from Adelaide, Kadina is the largest town on the Yorke Peninsula and is the main commercial centre for a very prosperous agricultural region. Copper mining, however, was once the main industry for this town when it was found nearby in 1859.
Kadina offers all the facilities of a large town including supermarkets, variety stores, medical services and much more. The wide range of accommodation as well as being close to a number of stunning scenic and family friendly beaches in Moonta Bay, Port Hughes and Wallaroo makes it a popular destination. In addition Kadina is a great base for exploring the northern end of the Yorke Peninsula and its rich history.
Attractions:
Explore Kadina on the Kadina Historic Walk and look at the old buildings with Cornish architecture including the Royal Exchange and Wombat Hotels (originally a boarding house for new miners), the Kadina Hotel (originally a single storey hotel called the Miner’s Arms) and a number of the churches.
The Kadina Historic Drive takes you around the surrounding mine areas and the suburbs of Kadina, a legacy from its mining heyday.
The Farm Shed Museum and Tourism Centre.
Ducatoon Park.
Copper was first found in 1859 at Wallaroo Mines near Kadina. The population in this area quickly grew and the town of Kadina was surveyed in 1861. The main ethnic group to arrive in this area was the Cornish, bringing with them their mining techniques, labour practices, architecture and the Methodist religion. In 1862, the Wombat Hotel (named after the animals that had discovered the copper) was open for business and a horse-drawn railway was operating at the Wallaroo Mine. By 1891, there were 12,000 people living in the Copper Coast. The mines closed in 1923, however in this time they removed 170,000 tons of copper.
The three towns of Kadina, Wallaroo and Moonta make up the Copper Coast, which is also known as ‘Australia’s Little Cornwall’. The three towns are the home of the Kernewek Lowender, the world’s largest Cornish Festival which has been held every two years in odd numbered years since 1973.