Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Moonta S.A.

Old Moonta Railway Station and now Info Centre
Moonta was a quaint historical old Copper Mining Town, with traces back to Cornwall.  Apparently they first discovered copper there years ago when a chap fell down a wombat hole and discovered unusually coloured stone and hence began the first copper mine.  I am not sure if that is true or if it is just hearsay.  We decided to try the Cornish pasty for lunch.  Now as a bit of trivia the miners used to get their lunchtime pasties served with the pasty separated into two one side was for the meat or the main dish and the other side of the pastry was apple or something sweet or the dessert and the reason why they were crimped at the top was because the men were extremely dirty from working the mines and they used to hold the pastry from the top and eat the rest and throw away the crimped part as it was too dirty.  Interesting theory!!! 
A lovely church in moonta
Now I was always led to believe that the difference between a normal pasty and a Cornish pasty is because the Cornish version doesn’t contain carrot, this is what I learnt in cooking class as school.  I asked in a bakery in Burra and was told by the very young assistant that the difference was because of the crimping at the top instead of the side, and another bakery said it was because the Cornish pasty didn’t contain meat.  Now I am pretty sure my version is the correct one, even though nowadays they do put carrot in the pastries.  It could be an interesting debate.
This Quilt was hand Made by Quilters in Cornwall and sent over to Moonta in 1999.  It now has pride of place hanging in the Old Railway Station.
Moonta Town Hall C1900
The Jetty at Moonta
Simms Cove

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