Burra Heritage Loop

The plan

Burra sits at the northern edge of the Clare Valley region, and it rewards a dedicated day of its own. The key is the Burra Heritage Passport - a self-drive package that includes a map, a key to locked historic sites, and entry to the town's museums. With it you can move at your own pace through mine workings, miners' dugouts and cottages that tell the story of the 1840s copper rush that drew Cornish, Welsh and German miners to this corner of the Mid North.

The route

Start at the visitor centre to collect your Heritage Passport and key, then drive out to the Monster Mine site to stand at the edge of the great open cut. Work through the Bon Accord and other museums for the human story, walk the preserved miners' dugouts along the creek, and finish among the stone terraces of Paxton Square. If you can, stay the night in one of those very cottages.

Tips

The passport sites are spread around town, so this is a self-drive loop rather than a walk. Allow most of a day. Wear decent shoes for uneven ground at the mine, bring water in summer, and check museum opening hours before you go. For the full effect, book a night in a Paxton Square cottage and let the town empty out around you after the day-trippers leave.