MINTARO, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

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A tranquil village located among rolling hills in rich pastoral country. It has been classified as an Heritage Town. Once a major stopping place on the copper carting route in the late 19th century, the village was left in something of a time warp when it became a forgotten backwater in later years except for its excellent slate quarry. This idyllic rustic village has in recent years become a highlight on the itenerary of any Clare Valley traveller, in part because of its faithfully restored buildings and first class wineries, but also because of Martindale Hall, a grand mansion on the edge of town executed in Georgian style with great artistic talent.
Location: 126 km north of Adelaide; 15 km east of Clare.
Origin of name: some sources claim it to be a corruption of an Aboriginal word 'mintadloo' or 'Minta - Ngadlu' meaning 'netted water' while others claim it is derived from a Spanish word meaning 'camp or resting place'. The latter argument is based on the fact that the Burra Mining Company imported Spanish-speaking mule drivers from Uruguay to transport copper from Burra to Port Wakefield. As many as 100 mule drivers would pass through the town each day.
Brief history: The area was first opened up for farming in 1849 under the name 'Mintara'. The town was surveyed in 1854 by Joseph and Henry Gilbert and prospered on the passing trade of mule and bullock dray drivers carting copper from Burra to Port Wakefield. The town's economy collapsed when the copper from Burra began to be moved by rail and the town was "frozen in time", hence its classification today as a State Heritage Area. | History
Built features: wineries; Mintaro Slate Quarries.
Heritage features: Robinson's Cottage (1851); Martindale Hall (1879-1880, featured in the film, 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'); Magpie & Stump Hotel (1851); Council chambers; historic bullock stables; Reilly's Cottage Gallery and Wines (1870s); Teapot Inn; The Old Manse; Pay Office Cottage; The Mintaro Institute (1878); Mintaro Mews; Olde Devonshire Arms (1856); ' Kadlunga' (c.1874); St Mark's Church of England (1850-51); State Heritage Area information