History of the town and mine and main points of interest along the Kadina heritage and walking trails. Includes numerous current and historic photographs and a detailed Heritage Trail map. The discovery of rich copper deposits, at Kapunda in 1842 and Burra in 1845, added financial stability to an almost bankrupt colony and, by 1850, South Australia was one of the world's leading copper producers. That position was maintained with the discovery of copper deposits at Wallaroo in 1859 and Moonta in 1861. These mines were worked by separate companies until 1890, when they amalgamated to form the Wallaroo and Moonta Mining and Smelting Co. Ltd. These mines were on large, rich deposits which were worked continuously for more than 60 years. The township of Kadina, which abuts the former Wallaroo Mine, and the nearby towns of Moonta and Wallaroo, were established as a direct result of copper mining in the early 1860s. Wallaroo became a port and smelting town and served both Moonta and Wallaroo mines. The three towns form a triangle, now commonly called The Copper Triangle. By 1875, the district had a population of about 20 000, predominantly Cornish immigrants and their descendants. In the 1860s, the area was covered with dense mallee which was quickly denuded for firewood and mine timbers. This was aggravated by clearance for agriculture in the 1870s and 1880s and, within 30 years, the district was a treeless plain. The closure of the mines in 1923 led to a rapid decline in the mining population but Kadina has survived as an agricultural, commercial and administrative centre.