Kadina, South Australia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids KadinaSouth Australia |
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Kadina Town Hall
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 Kadina
Location in South Australia
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| Population | 4,587 (2016 census) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1861 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5554 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 44 m (144 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | 144 km (89 mi) NNW of Adelaide | ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Copper Coast | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Narungga | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Grey | ||||||||||||||
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Kadina ( kə-DEE-nə) is a town on the Yorke Peninsula of the Australian state of South Australia, approximately 144 kilometres north-northwest of the state capital of Adelaide. The largest town of the Peninsula, Kadina is one of the three Copper Triangle towns famous for their shared copper mining history. The three towns are known as "Little Cornwall" for the significant number of immigrants from Cornwall who worked at the mines in the late 19th century.
Kadina's surrounds form an important agricultural base for the region, and are used for growing cereal crops. Kadina used to be a mining town but now the majority of Kadina's land is used for farming.
Contents
History
Copper was discovered at Wallaroo Mines in 1859 and adjacent land north east of the site was surveyed in 1861 to house miners. The township was named Kadina. Exceptional amounts of copper were found in the following years. Copper was also found in large amounts at the nearby Matta Mine and Doora Mine. The copper mines attracted many highly experienced Cornish miners to Kadina. In 1872 Kadina became a municipality and by 1875 the population had increased to 20,000, mostly composed of Cornish miners.
In 1862 a horse-drawn railway was opened from Kadina to the port at Wallaroo west of the town. Further lines connecting Kadina to Port Wakefield to the southeast and Bute to the northeast opened in 1878 and 1879 respectively. These rail lines fell into disuse and were closed in 1989. Mining ceased completely in 1938.
The town today consists of important historical colonial and federation buildings gathered around Victoria Square. Kadina and its surrounds are experiencing some minor growth due to the Copper Cove housing development at Wallaroo.
Kadina also contains the Farm Shed Museum & Tourism Centre (Kadina Heritage Museum) and remnants of the Wallaroo Mines. Kernewek Lowender, a Cornish festival, is held every odd year in May in Kadina (as well as Moonta and Wallaroo where each location hosts the festival for one day)
Heritage listings
Kadina has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Drain Road: Kadina Cemetery
- 36-38 Taylor Street: Humphries Barber Shop
- 51 Taylor Street: Kadina Town Hall
Geography and climate
Kadina exists in a semi-arid location, above Goyder's Line, and is surrounded by mallee scrub. It is located 8 kilometres inland and 44 metres above sea level. Kadina has a dry Mediterranean climate with seasonal temperatures a few degrees above Adelaide's temperatures. The average winter temperature is 15.4 °C and the average summer temperature is 30.5 °C. Average rainfall of Kadina is 388.8 millimetres. The weather patterns are similar to those of Adelaide.
Kadina's surrounds are used for growing barley, wheat and other crops such as legumes, canola, chickpeas and field peas. Barley and wheat from the region is considered to be some of the best in the world.
Local economy
Mining
Kadina was once chiefly a copper mining town with the Wallaroo Mines being south-westerly adjacent to the township. Since the closure of the mine in the 1920s, agriculture has been the dominant local industry.
Broadacre cropping
Kadina is surrounded by lands used for broadacre cereal cropping. Staples such as barley, wheat as well as various oilseeds and legumes like canola, chickpeas and field peas are commonly grown in the area. Barley and wheat from the region is considered to be some of the best in the world.
Tourism
The town today consists of important historical colonial and federation buildings gathered around Victoria Square. Kadina also contains the Farm Shed Museum & Tourism Centre (Kadina Heritage Museum) and remnants of the Wallaroo Mines. Kernewek Lowender, a Cornish festival, is held every odd year in May in Kadina (as well as Moonta and Wallaroo, with each location hosting the festival for one day). Kadina and its surrounds benefit generally from the tourism throughout the Copper Triangle and has experienced general growth due throughout the 2000s and 2010s due to the Copper Cove housing development at Wallaroo.
Notable people
- Oliver Badman (1885-1977), politician
- Richard Champion (b. 1968), former AFL footballer
- Lynton Crosby (b.1957), political strategist
- John Olsen (b. 1945), former South Australian Premier and South Australian Federal Senator
- Rex Pearson (1905-1961), politician
- Steve Prestwich (1954-2011), musician
- Cameron Sutcliffe (b.1992), AFL Footballer
- Horace Wilson (1864-1923), cricketer
- Leslie Heath (1902-1957), politician
Images for kids
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Aerial view of Kadina (centre, inland), looking west toward Spencer Gulf
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Miners, 1900
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Copper City Brass Band, 1907
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Shops in Graves Street, Kadina
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Banking & Currency Museum
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Introduced snails
