Exploring Burra

15th May 2014

Today we did the walking tour around Burra visiting many of the preserved buildings.  As the mining company owned the town [originally called Kooringa] and everything in it they could charge the miners and their families whatever rent they liked.  To avoid paying rent altogether some families made dugouts along the Burra creek banks and lived in these.  Possibly nice and cool in the summer but must have been freezing in the winter.  In 1851 about 40% of the towns population of 5,000 was living in these.

Dugout homes on Burra Creek 185

To entice people from the dugouts, the mining company built several terraces of workers cottages at a reasonable rent, the best preserved being Paxton Square Terraces.  One of these 4 room cottages has been furnished in the style of the mid 19th century, very well done.

Paxton Square Cottages 1849

Rear garden of Paxton Cottage

Interior of Paxton Cottage

Also, to avoid company control there were several villages formed to the north of Kooringa; these are now collectively known as North Burra.  The  villages were named and lived in according to the origin of the inhabitants.  These men and their families came from Cornwall, Wales, Scotland and England.

As the town grew so did the number of churches, hotels and public buildings.  There was a brewery to service the town and surrounding farms, a school which is still in use today and of course the inevitable police station, lock up and court house.  Later a goal was added.

Police lockup 1847

Redruth Courthouse 1857

Redruth Goal 1856