Photographing Burra

About Burra

Burra is an old (1848) company mining town about 160km due north from Adelaide in South Australia. The Burra mines supplied 5% of the world's copper for 15 years, and this brought a lot of wealth to the company, town and South Australia. Apart from a brief period in the 1970's the mine closed in 1877, and the area became the centre of pastoral activities. This means that the town has kept many old buildings and it is now a tourist location for both these buildings and the mine itself.

The Visit Burra Website is handy for details on the area and what is on.

Planning the photographic story

A varied set of photographs connects burra mining heritage and stone buildings with the wider setting. Begin with a broad view, then a tighter study and one distinctive detail.

Viewpoints

The town has dozens of old buildings, each offering several photographic opporunities. In addition, there is a lookout, river (stream) and parks.

Working the viewpoints

Use a wide environmental frame to place historic structures in the landscape, then photograph stonework, windows and machinery as a coherent detail series.

Other Things to Look Out For

How I photographed the Burra

What I took - what was in my kit

I took my LowePro Backpack loaded with Canon 5DSR body, Canon 24-70mm zoom, Manfrotto 190 Tripod, and of course a range of lens wipes, spare batteries, sunscreen and bug repellant. I tended to shoot 35-50mm, expect for some shots at the lookout where I went wider.

Techniques

Most of the photos here are architectural in nature. This means that little is required in the way of techniques except composition. As almost all of the building are single level, not even tilt-shift techniques are required. I did, as usual, shoot-to-the-right though.

Nearby Locations

Nearby photographic locations

1. Adelaide
2. Flinders Ranges
3. Woomera

Location

Burra, Mid North, South Australia

Approximate coordinates: -33.68100, 138.93800

Markers identify photographic objectives, not guaranteed parking positions or open access.

Apple Map – Location and Nearby Photographic Locations

This Apple Map shows the principal photographic subjects and nearby locations. Verify cultural restrictions, signs, road status and track conditions before relying on a marker for access.

How to Get There

From Adelaide

Use the Apple Maps route as a planning reference, then confirm road type, closures, fuel and final access with the relevant authority or operator. Allow additional time for remote roads and photographic stops.

Driving from the State Capital

The state capital is used as a consistent reference point. Apple Maps calculates the automobile route to this location; your actual route may vary with your starting point, traffic, roadworks and temporary closures.

Current Access / Conditions

Obey closures and remain on formed public routes. Carry water, offline navigation and clothing appropriate to rapid weather changes.

Best Time to Visit

The area around Burra is dry, cool to warm in Winter, but hot in Summer. If you wish to avoid hot days, then I suggest you avoid summer, but apart from that, it is good all year round. From a photographic point of view, I would avoid school holidays and public holidays.

Light in the field

Side light brings out masonry and earth colours; overcast conditions suit interior or sheltered detail.

Accessibility

Getting to the town is the biggest issue. Once there, the town has all the normal footpaths and ramps. While you could walk around the town - and I suggest you do - some of the sites are a kilometer or so from the centre, so I suggest a car.

Field access and safety

Respect heritage barriers and private property; check access arrangements for individual mining sites.

Where to Stay

Burra has hotels, cottages, bed & breakfast accomodation as well as caravan parks. We stayed a the Burra Showgrounds. These are just on the edge of town. They have toilets and showers but are more suited to self-contained travellers. I beleive the Caravan Park is more suited to those that are not self contained.

Photography Recommendations

Photography recommendations

• Burra rewards a mix of heritage architecture, mining remains, streetscapes and surrounding dry-country landscape.
• Use early or late light for stone and corrugated-iron texture; overcast light can be useful for close architectural detail.
• Keep verticals controlled on buildings—use a tilt-shift lens if available or keep the camera level and correct modestly later.
• A telephoto is useful for isolating mine structures and compressing buildings against the surrounding hills.

Composition and exposure

Use a wide environmental frame to place historic structures in the landscape, then photograph stonework, windows and machinery as a coherent detail series. Side light brings out masonry and earth colours; overcast conditions suit interior or sheltered detail. Review highlights and make a second deliberate framing rather than repeating the same viewpoint.

Suggested Photographic Sequence

1. Begin with quiet streets and key heritage buildings in low-angle light.
2. Work mining and industrial subjects with both environmental and detail compositions.
3. Use midday for interiors or close architectural details where access allows.
4. Finish at an open heritage/landscape viewpoint for late light.

Suggested field sequence

Begin with burra mining heritage and stone buildings. Follow with a tighter detail and a context photograph; return to the strongest composition if the light changes.

How Long Should a Photographer Stay?

Allow at least half a day; a full day is preferable if you want both the town and the wider mining/heritage landscape.

My Priority Photographs

1. A defining environmental view of Burra
2. A tighter photograph of its characteristic details
3. A composition communicating scale
4. A weather-driven or low-light image

Priority frames

Secure an establishing photograph of burra mining heritage and stone buildings, a selective detail and one image that explains the surrounding setting.