9 heritage highlights of the Yorke Peninsula
Cornish mines, shipwrecks, lighthouses and ghost towns, the peninsula's richest history in ten stops.
The Yorke Peninsula wears its history in the open: in the gaunt engine houses of the old copper field, in the ribs of shipwrecks on its beaches, and in the chimneys and jetties of industries long gone. From Little Cornwall in the north to the gypsum ghost town in the south, here are ten places where the past is still vivid.
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1
MoontaMoonta Mines
The gaunt engine houses and chimneys of one of the empire's richest copper fields.
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2
Innes National ParkInneston Historic Township
A complete gypsum-mining ghost town set among the salt lakes of Innes.
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3
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4
MoontaMoonta Mines Museum
The definitive collection on Cornish mining life in Little Cornwall.
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5
WallarooWallaroo Smelter Chimney
The towering brick chimney of the old copper smelting works.
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6
KadinaKadina Farm Shed Museum
Farming and mining history under one roof, with historic Matta House.
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7
MaitlandPort Victoria Maritime Museum
The story of the windjammer grain ships at the last of the sailing-ship ports.
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8
Marion BayCape Spencer Lighthouse
A historic lighthouse guarding the wild bottom of the peninsula.
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9
EdithburghWool Bay Jetty
A heritage jetty and beautifully preserved lime kiln on the quiet east coast.
Time your visit for the biennial Kernewek Lowender festival and the whole Copper Coast comes alive with its Cornish heritage.
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Image credits
- Hughes Enginehouse, Moonta Mines, North view 20230210 1.jpg by DXR , CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons