160 km north of Adelaide. Once upon a time this pleasant small town was a copper-mining hell. Copper was discovered here in 1847, and within a couple of years unemployed miners from England and Scotland were flooding in. As many as 1,500 of them were forced to live in primitive dugouts down by the creek – and you can still see a couple of these, which have been preserved to chill the hearts of posterity.

In its heyday 5,000 people lived in Burra, and this settlement provided 5 per cent of the world’s copper. In the process they dug out what is now known as the Monster Mine, a large pit 13 km wide and 6 km long. Then in 1870 the copper ran out, and almost everyone else ran out too. Nowadays, the place has been heavily restored, and is something of a historic spot. You can still see the original Cornish Miners’ Cottages at Paxton Square. These date from the 1850s. Nearby is the Market Square Museum (open 1 pm to 3pm weekends), opposite the Tourist Office. In the latter you can find out about the local Heritage Trail, which takes in such wonders as the Monster Mine and Redruth Gaol.

There are a number of other museums, and art galleries of interest in Burra, as well as guided tours of the historic buildings and sites, comprehensive information on these can be found on the Visitor Information Site, www.visitburra.com.

The Scottish miners were even less fortunate. When they dug in at the Bon Accord Complex all they discovered was water. But they quickly turned this disaster into profit by selling it to the town water department.