Mintaro, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Mintaro is an historic town in the eastern Clare Valley
, about 128 km north of Adelaide
, South Australia
. The town lies at the south-eastern corner of the Hundred of Clare.
Originally, Mintaro was a watering stop for bullock
teams travelling between the copper mining
town of Burra
and Port Wakefield
transporting copper and coal
for the Patent Copper Company. The bullock teams were replaced with mule
teams in the 1850s and up to a hundred mule teams were seen to pass though the town each day. The town’s economy collapsed when the teams where rerouted to the new railway
at Gawler
from 1857, but soon recovered with the growth of slate
quarry
ing and agricultural production. The town now has tourism
as its current primary industry.
Mintaro features many original Victorian
buildings, including Martindale Hall
which was used in the 1975 movie Picnic at Hanging Rock
, Mintaro Slate Quarries and numerous vineyard
s and wineries
. In 1984, Mintaro was the first entire town to be declared a State Heritage Area.
and the Township of Mintaro in an advertisement of November 5, 1849. Although it has been claimed that the name comes from a Spanish
word meaning camp or resting place, based on the prevalence of Spanish mule teams passing through, this is unlikely as the first mules did not arrive until 1853. Some sources have claimed that the name is derived from either the Ngadjuri
word mintadloo or Minta - Ngadlu meaning netted water.
era slate has a reputation for quality and has been used around the world for the manufacture of billard tables
, monuments, pavements, and many other items. Slate mining began in the 1856, helping to keep the town alive after rerouting of the mule trains. The slate received an honorable menton at the 1868 London International Exhibition and Walter Lindrum
, Australian billiards champion, wrote to the quarry with congratulations on the slate’s quality.
Clare Valley
The Clare Valley is one of Australia's oldest wine regions, best known for Riesling wines. It lies in the Mid North of South Australia, approximately 120 km north of Adelaide. The valley runs north-south, with Main North Road as the main thoroughfare....
, about 128 km north of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. The town lies at the south-eastern corner of the Hundred of Clare.
History
The town was founded in 1854 by Joseph and Henry Gilbert on land purchased by Henry Gilbert in July 1849.Originally, Mintaro was a watering stop for bullock
Ox
An ox , also known as a bullock in Australia, New Zealand and India, is a bovine trained as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration makes the animals more tractable...
teams travelling between the copper mining
Copper extraction
Copper extraction techniques refers to the methods for obtaining copper from its ores. This conversion consists of a series of chemical, physical, and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ore source, local environmental regulations, and other...
town of Burra
Burra, South Australia
Burra is a pastoral centre and historic tourist town in the mid-north of South Australia. It lies east of the Clare Valley in the Bald Hills range, part of the northern Mount Lofty Ranges, and on Burra Creek. The town began as a single company mining township that, by 1851, was a set of townships ...
and Port Wakefield
Port Wakefield, South Australia
Port Wakefield was the first government town to be established north of the capital, Adelaide, in South Australia.Port Wakefield is situated approximately 98.7 kilometres from Adelaide and lies on the Port Wakefield Road section of the A1 National Highway...
transporting copper and coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
for the Patent Copper Company. The bullock teams were replaced with mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
teams in the 1850s and up to a hundred mule teams were seen to pass though the town each day. The town’s economy collapsed when the teams where rerouted to the new railway
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
at Gawler
Gawler, South Australia
Gawler is the first country town in the state of South Australia, and is named after the second Governor of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is located north of the centre of the state capital, Adelaide, and is close to the major wine producing district of the Barossa Valley...
from 1857, but soon recovered with the growth of slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
ing and agricultural production. The town now has tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
as its current primary industry.
Mintaro features many original Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
buildings, including Martindale Hall
Martindale Hall
Martindale Hall is a Georgian style mansion near Mintaro, South Australia which appeared in the film Picnic at Hanging Rock. It was built in 1879. The architect was Ebenezer Gregg of London, and the chief supervisor was Adelaide architect Edward John Woods...
which was used in the 1975 movie Picnic at Hanging Rock
Picnic at Hanging Rock (film)
Picnic at Hanging Rock is a 1975 Australian feature film directed by Peter Weir and starring Anne-Louise Lambert, Helen Morse, Rachel Roberts and Vivean Gray. The film is adapted from the novel of the same name, by author Joan Lindsay....
, Mintaro Slate Quarries and numerous vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s and wineries
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
. In 1984, Mintaro was the first entire town to be declared a State Heritage Area.
Naming
The district was called Mintara in some advertisementsAdvertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
and the Township of Mintaro in an advertisement of November 5, 1849. Although it has been claimed that the name comes from a Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
word meaning camp or resting place, based on the prevalence of Spanish mule teams passing through, this is unlikely as the first mules did not arrive until 1853. Some sources have claimed that the name is derived from either the Ngadjuri
Ngadjuri
The Ngadjuri people are a group of Indigenous Australians whose traditional lands lie in the mid north of South Australia with a territory extending from Gawler in the south to Orroroo in the north...
word mintadloo or Minta - Ngadlu meaning netted water.
Slate and Flagstones
Mintaro’s CambrianCambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
era slate has a reputation for quality and has been used around the world for the manufacture of billard tables
Billiards table
A billiard table or billiards table is a bounded table on which billiards-type games are played. In the modern era, all billiards tables provide a flat surface usually made of quarried slate, that is covered with cloth and surrounded by vulcanized rubber cushions, with the whole elevated above...
, monuments, pavements, and many other items. Slate mining began in the 1856, helping to keep the town alive after rerouting of the mule trains. The slate received an honorable menton at the 1868 London International Exhibition and Walter Lindrum
Walter Lindrum
Walter Albert Lindrum, OBE , often known as Wally Lindrum, was an Australian professional player of English billiards who held the World Professional Billiards Championship from 1933 until his retirement in 1950. He was named Walter Albert to have the initials of the state where he was born - W.A....
, Australian billiards champion, wrote to the quarry with congratulations on the slate’s quality.