Section of former Managers' & Accountants' Offices where miners lined up to receive pay: & Seafarers' Mission for 76 years. Now private accommodation. Wallaroo Yorke Peninsula
“The Smelters Heritage Accommodation” c1874
In 1860 there was a depression, due to wide-spread drought and low wool prices.
South Australia was financially strapped. The discovery of huge mineral deposits saved the day – both major finds being indirectly due to a wombat hole revealing the copper, and both on the pastoral holding of Captain Walter Watson Hughes. Hughes immediately called upon Cornish miners from Burra to test the site. One miner hurled a pick around his head and, digging at the spot where the pick fell, made an accurate dig exposing the heart of the main ore body.
There were no copper mines in Wallaroo itself – copper was discovered at Kadina in 1859 and Moonta in 1861. The two related companies realised they controlled a very large resource. Therefore, in order to enable smelting of the copper from the two mines they planned a large central smelter near a port.
In 1861 the Wallaroo Mining Company started work on a smelter by the sea at the new town of Wallaroo. Wallaroo was connected to the two mines by train, forming the “Copper Triangle”. Hence, the beginnings of the Wallaroo and Moonta group of mines, Sixty three years of mining produced copper worth nearly 21 million pounds, giving steady employment to thousands of men, predominantly Cornish miners, engineers and managers. This formulated the area being known as “Australia’s Little Cornwall”.
Sir Thomas Elder and Robert Barr Smith became joint owners of the vast Copper Mines along with the Sir Walter Watson Hughes. As the banker, Elder began to accrue vast wealth. Hughes and Elder became philanthropists, offering bursaries to The Adelaide University, Elder Park, The Art Gallery, Adelaide and much more.
This grand building was purposely built as the Managers’ and Accountants’ Offices c1874 based on the design of Mr T Ward. The miners lined up here to receive their wages from the miners pay office – hence aptly named “Office Beach” which is directly in front of the building.
Wallaroo became one of the biggest and richest smelting sites in the world, with skilled miners coming from Swansea in Wales. The Welsh trademark square plan chimney “The Hughes Stack” – directly south east of this building – is the only remaining Welsh chimney in the southern hemisphere.
Between 1926 and 1940 the property was in private ownership.
Between 1940 and 2016 the property operated as the” Seafarers’ Mission-The British sailors Society in Hampshire, England”.
This building was vital as a safe haven in which to harbour and comfort sailors from all around the world. The seafaring sailing ships would dock at Wallaroo for up to weeks at a time whilst the ships were being stocked, hence the sailors required a landmark in which to rest and relax. Sailors were fed and entertained in this home and cared for beyond all measure by the house Caretaker – Mrs Mary Sawyer – for over 50 years.
The property has been privately owned locally and is now a State Heritage listed building.
Section of former Managers' & Accountants' Offices where miners lined up to receive pay: & Seafarers' Mission for 76 years. Now private accommodation. Wallaroo Yorke Peninsula
“The Smelters Heritage Accommodation” c1874
In 1860 there was a depression, due to wide-spread drought and low wool prices.
South Australia was financially strapped. The discovery of huge mineral deposits saved the day – both major finds being indirectly due to a wombat hole revealing the copper, and both on the pastoral holding of Captain Walter Watson Hughes. Hughes immediately called upon Cornish miners from Burra to test the site. One miner hurled a pick around his head and, digging at the spot where the pick fell, made an accurate dig exposing the heart of the main ore body.
There were no copper mines in Wallaroo itself – copper was discovered at Kadina in 1859 and Moonta in 1861. The two related companies realised they controlled a very large resource. Therefore, in order to enable smelting of the copper from the two mines they planned a large central smelter near a port.
In 1861 the Wallaroo Mining Company started work on a smelter by the sea at the new town of Wallaroo. Wallaroo was connected to the two mines by train, forming the “Copper Triangle”. Hence, the beginnings of the Wallaroo and Moonta group of mines, Sixty three years of mining produced copper worth nearly 21 million pounds, giving steady employment to thousands of men, predominantly Cornish miners, engineers and managers. This formulated the area being known as “Australia’s Little Cornwall”.
Sir Thomas Elder and Robert Barr Smith became joint owners of the vast Copper Mines along with the Sir Walter Watson Hughes. As the banker, Elder began to accrue vast wealth. Hughes and Elder became philanthropists, offering bursaries to The Adelaide University, Elder Park, The Art Gallery, Adelaide and much more.
This grand building was purposely built as the Managers’ and Accountants’ Offices c1874 based on the design of Mr T Ward. The miners lined up here to receive their wages from the miners pay office – hence aptly named “Office Beach” which is directly in front of the building.
Wallaroo became one of the biggest and richest smelting sites in the world, with skilled miners coming from Swansea in Wales. The Welsh trademark square plan chimney “The Hughes Stack” – directly south east of this building – is the only remaining Welsh chimney in the southern hemisphere.
Between 1926 and 1940 the property was in private ownership.
Between 1940 and 2016 the property operated as the” Seafarers’ Mission-The British sailors Society in Hampshire, England”.
This building was vital as a safe haven in which to harbour and comfort sailors from all around the world. The seafaring sailing ships would dock at Wallaroo for up to weeks at a time whilst the ships were being stocked, hence the sailors required a landmark in which to rest and relax. Sailors were fed and entertained in this home and cared for beyond all measure by the house Caretaker – Mrs Mary Sawyer – for over 50 years.
The property has been privately owned locally and is now a State Heritage listed building.