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2009 Sept  -  The Australian Cornish Mining Heritage Site (ACMHS)

cws-logo2.jpgThe ACMHS has been shortlisted for consideration for National Heritage Listing with assessment by the Australian Government to be completed by mid-2011.  The nomination was submitted by the South Australian Heritage Council following an approach from the Cornish World Heritage Site.

Link to the Cornish Mining World Heritage website

The ACMHS consists of two areas - the Burra and Moonta Mines State Heritage Areas - which contain the most authentic and historically significant components of the Cornish Mining Landscape in Australia for the period 1845 to 1923.  The site contains the mines, remains of infrastructure including Cornish beam enginehouses and distinctive settlement patterns

In 2006, the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape was inscribed on the World Heritage List.  World Heritage status recognises Cornish mining’s fundamental influence on world hard rock mining, ore dressing and in particular steam engine technology during the nineteenth century.  During this time Cornwall developed a distinctive regional identity whick took on global significance with mass migration of Cornish culture after 1840.  The Cornish mining World Heritage Site is a serial listing of ten sites containing mining areas and associated settlements from the period 1700 to 1914.

The aim is have the ACMHS joined as a Transnational World Heritage Listing involving Cornwall, South Australia, Mexico, Spain and South Africa to the existing Cornish World Heritage Site.  This would recognise that the distinctive mining landscapes in those locations were derived directly from the Cornish mining landscape.

moonta.jpgburra.jpg
Photos:  Moonta Mines State Heritage Area and Burra Mine Historic Site

2009 - Churchill Fellowship

heartland.jpgDuring 2009 Corinne Unger was awarded the James Love Churchill Fellowship to study leading practice abandoned mine rehabilitation and post-mining land use projects in Austria, Germany, England and Canada.  The use of mining heritage to develop new economies for communities was a key aspect of successful projects including;

  • IBA-SEE project in eastern Germany which is transforming more than 20 lignite mining pits into lakes with several important heritage features conserved and used as part of the new landscape;
  • The Heartlands project in Cornwall incorporates conservation of mining heritage (see photo) with creation of a new parkland and businesses for the local communities of Redruth, Camborne and Pool; and
  • The cooperation between the National Trust in the United Kingdom, Geevor Community Heritage and Cornwall Council (Geevor Tin Mine, levant and Botallack) showed how socio-economic benefits flow to small isolated communities.Click to read Corinne’s Report