Top Things to do in Moonta
Top Restaurants in Moonta
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The 10 Best Things to do in Moonta, South Australia
Discover the best top things to do in Moonta, Australia including Simms Cove, Splash Town - Copper Coast, Moonta Mines Museum, Miner's Cottage and Heritage Garden, The Copper Coast, Moonta Heritage Trail 38, Moonta Bay Jetty, Moonta Mines Uniting Church, Port Hughes Jetty, Wombat Statues - Moonta.
Restaurants in Moonta
1. Simms Cove
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
2. Splash Town - Copper Coast
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 26 reviews
Splash Town has closed for the 2019/20 season, dates and times for the next season will be advised once they are confirmed. Splash Town is the Copper Coasts FREE water park for children and families alike! Located at the Moonta Bay foreshore, Splash Town will provide hours of fun in the sun!
Reviewed By DML - Hallett Cove, Australia
Fabulous outside water play facility for kids (young and old). Different water slide options, tipping bucket and more. Seating and toilets available and parking nearby. Water is (of course) very chlorinated but the hug smile on my daughter's face when here was a joy to see. Wish there were more facilities like this in SA.
3. Moonta Mines Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 124 reviews
The museum is located in the former Moonta Mines Model School, erected in 1878. The school remained an active and important centre for the Moonta Mines community for ninety years and closed in 1968. The museum has 15 rooms and houses thematic displays on the Cornish miners' lifestyles - mining, lodges and friendly societies, sports and pastimes, death and hardship, extensive displays of costumes, china, silverware, photographs and memorabilia and a classroom furnished c.1900.
Reviewed By SusanC4948 - Melbourne, Australia
The Moonta Mines Museum consists of the museum itself, a 45 minute train ride at the adjoining Moonta Mines Railway and the self-guided Moonta Mines Walking trails that allow you to explore the geology and mining ruins in the area. We started our visit with the Hughes walk about 650 metres from the complex. It is a heritage walk around the Hughes Engine House and the ruins near it. There is a brochure available online and from the Moonta Mines Museum and Moonta Tourist Office but the walk is well sign-posted. I found the main structures quite evocative and excellent photography subjects. One of the children we know, who visited separately, was enamoured with seeing the “Repunzel” tower. Nearby is the Moonta Mines Uniting Church along Bower St with a Sunday School Museum but the tourist services are currently suspended due to COVID but you can peek in the windows from the steps that take you to the higher storey. The Museum itself in located in fourteen rooms of the old Moonta Mines Model School. I found it a well-structured display of the Moonta miner’s lifestyle. Highlights for me were the mining exhibits at the start, the Cornish heritage, the cartoons and biography of Oswald Prior and, towards the end, the old classroom looking like a small lecture theatre. Another family member found the geology exhibit interesting. The music, death and societies rooms (at the end) were the least engaging but were still presented in a manner that made them interesting. There was a sign saying a photography permit was required but that is only for more professional photography; hand-held no-flash photography was allowed without one. This attraction is run by the National Trust of SA. It was free for us Vic Trust members but $8 for the museum for my sister who used her ticket to come back the same day with her grandchildren. It can close a little early (as the museum did when we visited) or run extra trains (as it did when we visited) depending on availability of volunteers. There is also the Moonta Mines Sweet Shop with old-fashioned and more current sweets but there is always quite a queue not helped by COVID restrictions. My husband finished the museum early and queued for us for over 15 minutes to get our goodies. We were operating on a time limit and weren’t organised enough to take a ride on the train. I think it takes you through similar areas to the also not-taken Ryan’s Walk and Hancock’s Walk. As the museum is open 11:00 am to 4:00 pm school holidays (after Dec 26th) and 1 pm to 4:00pm otherwise I would visit the outside walks in the morning, schedule a train ride (only Wednesdays, Saturday & Sunday unless public / school holidays where more are scheduled (check website for times when planning and be aware that very hot and very wet weather can cause closures)). All-in-all it is a place I will revisit to take the train, the other walks and re-explore the museum again.
4. Miner's Cottage and Heritage Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 29 reviews
Beautifully maintained and furnished example of a Miner's Cottage from the 1860s. Relive the historic days of Moonta's early settlement by making a visit to the cottage. Explore the lovingly tended heritage garden and relive the heady days of copper mining in the region.
Reviewed By Terrymoonta2016 - Moonta, Australia
See how Cornish miners lived True old time cottage and furniture See the old cottage garden Take a picnic and eat in the garden
5. The Copper Coast
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 38 reviews
The Copper Coast is made up of the towns of Moonta, Kadina and Wallaroo. Located approximately 2 hours from Adelaide, the Copper Coast is full of rich mining heritage and beautiful beaches.
Reviewed By Country_girl00 - Pambula Beach, Australia
Loved the history around the Copper Coast, beautiful architecture and wonderful cafes, featuring (of course) Cornish pasties in acknowledgement of the early Cornish settlers.
6. Moonta Heritage Trail 38
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 9 reviews
Reviewed By davidsY8473EV - Melbourne, Australia
Mainly dirt roads (but in good condition) to explore the area. Lots of old ruins and some buildings still in pretty good condition and the informations boards provided certainly give you a great insight into the history of the area. Easily spend a couple of hour exploring.
7. Moonta Bay Jetty
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 27 reviews
Reviewed By Terrymoonta2016 - Moonta, Australia
We are lucky to have this old wooden pier Authentic and historical Fancy a spot of fishing or safe swimming in the ocean
8. Moonta Mines Uniting Church
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By Michael-4551 - Caloundra, Australia
Visited on Wednesday 4th March. Was lucky enough to be in Moonta when the church was open, entry is a gold coin donation. The guide there was very informative.
9. Port Hughes Jetty
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 20 reviews
Reviewed By KERRIEC90 - Adelaide, Australia
Great jetty for fishing or just a stroll. Beautiful views. Tavern and shop next door with plenty of food options.
10. Wombat Statues - Moonta
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By branham2016 - Adelaide, Australia
Within a two drive from Adelaide, the Copper Coast is scenic and historical. Named Copper Coast as it was here that copper was discovered in the Kadina area in 1859, and in Moonta in 1861. Many stories exist of the Cornish miners that migrated to mine in the area. Amongst the tales of fossicking for copper, was that in Moonta that it was found in a wombat hole by an Irishman shepherd Patrick Ryan. Erected in 2018 to commemorate the discovery, in Queen’s Square in central Moonta is a sculpture of two wombats, named Digger and Wanda, about to enter their “copper filled” hole. The wombats are life size and situated on a diagonal pathway through Queen’s Square. Evidently the now central area of Moonta is where Digger and Wanda discovered copper. The park itself is well laid out with a pavilion, a fountain, picnic areas and toilets. The toilets also have a touch of humour with their naming as Cousin Jenny and Cousin Jack. Colourful murals also identify the appropriate facility. Parking is also readily available on the roads on the perimeter of the Square. Return? Yes! Great place to spend some time relaxing before continuing to explore in the history of Moonta.
