The best 6 things to do in Burra, South Australia

Things to do in Burra, South Australia, include discovering copper mining heritage at the Monster Mine. Other Burra attractions include Redruth Gaol and Midnight Oil House.

Burra, South Australia, lies between the vineyards of the Clare Valley and the red dirt of the South Australian outback. You’ll pass through on the drive from Adelaide to Broken Hill.

The best things to do in Burra, South Australia, are:

The Monster Mine.
Redruth Gaol.
The Unicorn Brewery Cellars.
The Miners Dugouts.
Midnight Oil House.
Red Banks Conservation Park.

Things to do in Burra, South Australia: Burra Heritage Passport

Things to do in Burra, South Australia, tend to focus on the copper mining heritage. The town often feels like it has been frozen in the 1840s, the peak of the mining boom. Several heritage buildings from that era

The Burra Heritage Passport, available from the Burra Visitor Centre, covers several of these heritage sites. These include the Monster Mine, Redruth Gaol, the Unicorn Brewery Cellars and the old miners’ dugouts.

The Monster Mine is a big open cut mine which has been turned into something of an open-air museum. Self-guided walking trails are lined with interpretive panels.

Redruth Gaol takes a look at what prison conditions were like back in the bad old days, with entertaining stories of escape attempts.

What to do in Burra, SA: Unicorn Brewery Cellars and Miners Dugouts

The Unicorn Brewery Cellars belonged to the Unicorn Brewery, which stopped production in 1902. There’s a network of tunnels, with arched stone vaults, stretching 600 metres in total. It looks like a rediscovered mini underground town.

The Miners Dugouts, meanwhile, give an idea of how grim living conditions were during the copper mining era. This rudimentary accommodation was cut into the rock, and was massively unsanitary. The conditions contributed significantly to the scarily high death toll amongst the miners.

Things to do in Burra, South Australia: Midnight Oil House

Perhaps the most famous of the Burra attractions, however, is the ruins of an old cottage about 3km to the north of town. On the Barrier Highway, this cottage is known as Midnight Oil House. It featured on the album cover of Midnight Oil’s Diesel and Dust album.

Midnight Oil House in Burra, South Australia. Photo courtesy of the South Australian Tourism Commission.

Other things to do in Burra, South Australia, include stargazing in the Red Banks Conservation Park. The night skies are notoriously clear in this park.

Turn up during daylight hours, however, and you can walk the 5km Landscapes of Change Hike. This walking trail is lined with signs explaining the megafauna that once lived here.

Burra accommodation picks

The best Burra accommodation options are:

For plenty of space and homeliness: Paxton Square Cottages.
For heritage and charm: Burra Railway Station Bed and Breakfast.
For decent rooms and relatively cheap rates: Burra Motor Inn.

The distance from Clare to Burra is 42km. The Adelaide to Burra drive is 164km long.

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