Burra Passport Key Trail - Fragments Of Past

A cold damp day in Burra . . . just the weather to get a feel for those early miners and their families who seemed destined to live their days underground.

These are the dugouts along the banks of Welsh Creek . . . and back in the 1850s this was part of a bustling subterranean metropolis.

"So, Maureen how many people lived in the Dug Outs in the peak of the mine's operation"?

"Uhm, close on two thousand"

"Along the creek banks?"

Up to eight people lived in here . . . . literally a hole carved out of the river bank and roof slapped on top.

"And these little alleyways . . . they continue to other compartments".

"That's right . . . extra bedrooms".

Cosy. Well, not really . . . freezing in winter and . . . without decent sanitation . . . a haven for disease in summer. More than a third of the children who lived in the dugouts died of typhoid, small pox and cholera. The families lived here because it was cheap. If they built on other parts of the Burra lease . . . they had to pay rent to the mining company. Later the company built the Paxton Square cottages in the town, and these creek dwellers were resettled . . . but not before they'd left plenty for Flinders University students to pick over. These archaeology students have a passion for the dugouts and what they've unearthed kept many a visitor enthralled at the town's main gallery earlier this year.

"Yep, that's a common item that was sort of used for smoking in the nineteenth century, and we usually find lots of bits and fragments of clay pipes".

And plenty more . . . from old pay cheques from the Burra Copper Works to a host of other local treasurers. And for many, the clues to where to dig are contained in these paintings by ST Gill done in the 1850s. They were once rotting away in a back storeroom until someone recognised their true importance.

"A lot of the information is pertinent to the current research that is going on around Burra about the shape of the settlement, the way in which the mine was developed. "The people in it. The Native peoples who lived in this area . . . the Nadjeri people and so. It's very important to have this reference point.

"So, at a time when there were no camera . . . . effectively he was the photographer if you like"?

"He was the cameraman".

ST Gill's paintings are in the regional Art Gallery in Burra which is open daily. Admission is free. The Welsh Creek Dugouts are just some of the many heritage sites on the Passport Key Trail. A key can be obtained from the Visitor Information Centre.

For more information you can email info@postcards.sa.com.au for any further enquiries.