PRIMITIVE HOMES

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 17 August 1929, Page 11

PRIMITIVE HOMES

JgARLY settlers at Burra, Australia, who arrived soon after the discovery of copper in the district, did not wait to erect houses, but made dugouts in .the banks of Burra -Creek. ■These extended for nearly half a mile along each bank, and housed hundreds of families.

-Some of the dug-outs comprised two and -three rooms, which were connected by passageways. They had fireplaces with a hole up through the bank for a chimney, and had ledges cut in the walls for keeping supplies and crockery says the "Adelaide News.”

Mr. Charles Grow, of Kooringn, through .whose .property the creek runs, opened up several of the old huts.for the jubilee 'celebrations 'of the town about four years ago. The fronts had been broken down so that horses could use .the creek for grazing with safety.

The whitewash with which the walls and floors of the old dug-outs were thickly coated made it possible fa correct outline of the different rooms and connecting passages. They were comparatively large, some measuring afbout 10ft by 10ft, and about 7ft to Bft. bigh.

Mr. Grow was born in one of the dug-outs on his property 71 years ago this month. Tie said that it was not until many of the huts were ‘washed out by floods that the inhabitants began to build homos for themselves. lie lived there until he was three years old.

When the jubilee celebrations of the town were held a. number of implements and household utensils used in the early days of the mines were gathered together, and placed in the excavated dug-outs in something like the wav thev were in the old da vs.

One trnversty that was perpetrated by the celebrations committee was the

CREEK BANKS USED

bringing of a heavy iron barrel about sft. high from the old Burra mine and placing it in front of one of the dugouts. On it was painted "Miners’ Egg Boiler.” and many persons went a-.vay with -the belief that it had been used for boiling eggs which were alleged to have been retailed to the miners at so much -a dozen.

In his spare time, Air. Grow keeps the dug-outs in fairly good order, and they arc frequently inspected by visitors to the town. Jt would be difficult to estimate bow many of the old huts exist in the banks •of the creek, with the entrances fallen or c-losed in, but it is possible that many interesting relics will be found in them in future years.

Air. R. Reed, who is probably the oldest resident of (Burra, lived in the dugouts along Burra Creek, before the earlv- settlers had built, houses for thenfamilies.

Born at .'Loswithiel, 'Cornwall, lie came to South Australia when about •ten years -of age. With his parents be set out .for Kapunda, where the copper mines were being worked. From there he went on to Burra, and is one of tlie few residents who lean still remember that town in the height of its fame as a mining centre. Air. Reed is in bis ninety-third year. I'li his youth he was employed carrying ore in bullock drays to Port Wakefield, and occasionally to Adelaide. The trip to Port Wakefield was 70 miles, and the return journey usually took from eight to ten days. At the time there were no dividing fences, and it was possible to icnm.p anywhere along the route where feed and water were good. When the mine closed. AH- Reed interested himself in sheep.breeding. Tie achieved success, and continued in the industry for many years. Tie is living in retirement at Redruth.