Burra Travel Guide

 balhannah Says:  To gain entry to the Cellars, once again we needed to use our "passport Key." Once upon a time, in they year 1873, there was a Brewery located here, with a tall Malting tower, cooperage, steam driven pumps and many cellars. It went into stiff competition with another Brewery... 

 balhannah Says:  Shopping for gifts or souvenirs isn't bad in Burra. In Commercial street, there is a Gift shop, with plenty of gifts. I found the Sheep, I didn't buy them, just thought they were cute! The tourist information centre has gifts too. I found a Antiques and collectables shop in... 

 balhannah Says:  The Burra Market Square is where the lovely Rotunda is located. It really isn't a square, but more of a triangle, and is the centre of Burra, where roads from Adelaide, Morgan and Broken Hill meet.In its earliest days, it consisted only of a standpipe and horse trough shaded... 

 balhannah Says:  There is no shortage of Hotel's in Burra. In a mining area, you would expect plenty. I took photo's of these three historic ones.The Royal Exchange Hotel was built after a fire destroyed the Aberdeen Hotel which was standing here in 1879. It wasn't long, and the Royal... 

 balhannah Says:  Burra, as you know, is a very old South Australian town. When I was looking at the Uniting Church, I happened to notice this old home on the street corner. It has the biggest, thickest, Chimney I have ever seen on a home. I wondered if inside, four fireplaces went into the... 

 balhannah Says:  These cottages were located opposite the Uniting Church. Built for a Mr. McBride in 1910 for elderly citizens, they were handed over to the District Council in 1986. They are now cottages for the elderly. 

 balhannah Says:  This is lovely church on the heritage drive!Built on the site of the original Kooringa Wesleyan Church in 1847, it was the 1st Church in Burra.I thought this Church looked a little modern for one built back then, and it was. The original Church has been demolished, and this... 

 balhannah Says:  The Dug-outs were fenced off, so once again, we used our "passport key" to open the gate and gain entry.Kooringa, Burra in the 1840's, and Miners were pouring into Burra in hope of finding work. The trouble was, where were they going to live, there wasn't enough housing... 

 balhannah Says:  Malowne Lowarth Cottage we could enter with our "Passport Key."This Cottage is the end Cottage of the Paxton Square Cottages. It was built in 1850, as a Captains residence, and is furnished as if one still lived there.So, now we will put the key in the lock, open the door,... 

 balhannah Says:  Paxton "square" cottages?..... Are the cottages square?......NO!The square comes about, as there are 33 Cottages, all joined and forming a complete square!The Cottages were named after a William Paxton, who was a Chemist in Hindley street, Adelaide, and one of the... 

 balhannah Says:  Miner's had wives and children, and children needed a school, so in 1878, the Burra Community School was built on a site donated by the Mining Company. The school was built to hold at least 800 students.It is now a big school, that includes Primary and secondary schooling.I... 

 balhannah Says:  Back in 1849, one hundred horses used to be housed in these stables. Surrounding the stable complex, was a strong, stone fence, still standing well today. The Horse's didn't have to travel far to be shoed, as there was a Blacksmith's shop and store-rooms on site. The stables... 

 balhannah Says:  Leaving Hampton, our next stop on the heritage route, was the more upmarket old house, which belonged to Heinrish Fuss, the Charge Yard Supervisor of the Burra Smelter.He came to Burra, from the Hartz mountains in Hannover, Germany, and built this home in 1855.It now looked... 

 balhannah Says:  Hampton was was a model of an English village and home to 30 Miner's cottages and a Bible Christian Chapel.This township was founded by Thomas Powell in 1857 and named after the home town of his wife in England. It was once the site of stone quarries that supplied stone for... 

 balhannah Says:  The Gaol rooms are now used as a Museum, and have many interesting reads. There are quite a few rooms, so do make sure you see all of them. One of the last we came across, and nearly missed, was the one where they had lists of the prisoners, and what crimes they had... 

 balhannah Says:  Redruth Gaol, one of the main sights on the Heritage tour, and one I was looking forward to seeing!We needed our passport key to gain entry here.The Gaol is very interesting, and I think a MUST VISITThe Gaol, built in 1856, at a cost of 3200 pounds, was the first Gaol built... 

 balhannah Says:  After looking at Tiver's Cottages, I saw more attached Cottages across the road.These 4 Cottages, similar to Tiver's, are of Cornish style and also built in the 1850's. This group was built as materials became available, and show the lower economic standing of the...