Queen Square, Moonta

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Queen Square is located in the centre of Moonta between George, Henry, Robert and William Street. Queen Square itself was named in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria's 25th anniversary, establishing the park as a central public space. Moonta is a historic town located on the Copper Coast of the Yorke Peninsula, about a 2-hour drive (approximately 165 km) northwest of Adelaide, and known for its rich Cornish copper mining heritage, beautiful beaches like Moonta Bay, and popular holiday spots


Queen Square is a community reserve that offers various facilities for visitors to enjoy a relaxing time with family or friends. Visitors to Queen Square, Moonta, can explore, relax, and unwind. Completed with benched seats, bins, grassed areas, shaded areas, tables and chairs, turf area suitable for ball sports, picnic area, newly updated public toilets and drinking fountain. This well-maintained garden is a great place to sit and enjoy Queen Square as well as Moonta in general.


The reserve also proudly showcases its history through the heritage water fountain and rotunda that link to mining heritage and Cornish connections. There 2019s also a pair of wombat statues that highlight the significance of the wombat and its role they played in the discovery of Copper in the area. In 1861, on land owned by retired ship captain, Walter Watson Hughes, one of his shepherds, an Irishman Patrick Ryan, was travelling through a patch of thick scrub which the local Aboriginals called Moonta Monterra (meaning place of impenetrable scrub). He found a green stone at a wombat burrow, which led to the discovery of copper. The resulting mining claim by Walter Watson Hughes became the first mine to return 1 million pounds and dividends, and significant contributor to South Australia 2019s prosperity.


Near the rotunda, The Piano Park Bench has been erected in Queen Square by the family of John and Elizabeth Thomas. John was born in Cornwall and was a man of exceptional musical ability who was a composer, vocalist, choir and band master and instrumentalist who gave loyal service to Moonta and district for over half a century. Many of the Carols he composed are still sung in Moonta or when the Cornish gather at Christmas.


A tribute to the RAAF founder, adding another layer of national significance to the square. A life-size bronze statue of Air Marshal Sir Richard Williams (1890-1980), the Father of the RAAF, by Tim Thomson, showing him pointing skyward, as if telling a story from his Australian Flying Corps days. Installed in late 2021 to commemorate the RAAF Centenary and to honour his significant contribution to air power and the establishment of an independent RAAF. The statue sits on a granite bench with a plaque, creating an interactive memorial for the community and visitors.


At the corner of George and Henry Streets of Queen Square, there 2019s a memorial monument, The Shaftman, to honour Moonta miners who lost their lives due to accidents in the mines or from industrial diseases contracted while working. The monument includes a small winch tower, symbolising underground mining operations, and several plaques on its concrete base detailing aspects of the region's rich mining heritage, as well as an inscription with a notable quote on the memorial summarises the miners' sacrifice: No dividends had they to prize, with toil and pain they gave their lives.


Queen Square is also the start and end point for the Moonta Heritage Drive. This scenic drive allows visitors to explore the rich history and cultural heritage of Moonta. It offers the opportunity to visit other historical sites in the region, including the Moonta Mines Museum and the Moonta Mines State Heritage Area, among others. There is a big map where you can see all the places to go around the Moonta area.

Many community events are held here throughout the year. Queen Square Moonta is open throughout the year, and visitors can access it anytime.

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