Mintaro Slate Quarries

Useful Information

Location:	Kadlunga Road, Mintaro SA 5415. (-33.919536, 138.708864)
Open:	All year Mon-Fri 8:30-17. Closed on weekends, Public Holidays, Good Friday and Christmas Day. [2023]
Fee:	free. [2023]
Classification:	Slate Mine proterozoic siltstones, 900 Ma.
Light:	n/a
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Mintaro Slate Quarries Pty Ltd, 3 Coglin Street, Hindmarsh SA 5007, Tel: +61-8-8346-0971, Fax: +61-8-8346-0884. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1840s	Mintaro founded and mining started for local use.
1856	leased by the English settler and stonemason Thompson Priest, who began excavating No. 1 Quarry.
1861	Mintaro was described as being superior to any slate previously known.
1879	Sir Samuel James Way, Chief Justice of South Australia, added the land to his Kadlunga estate.
1888	Thompson Priest died and his quarry was acquired by a Melbourne firm.
1911	Mintaro Slate and Flagstone Company Limited was formed.
1912	an area of 16-24 ha was purchased from Sir Samuel Way.
1978	takeover of the Mintaro Slate and Flagstone Company Limited.
1981	again sold and reformed as Mintaro Slate Quarries Pty Ltd..

Geology

The Mintaro shale of the Belair Subgroup is the upper part of the Neoproterozoic Burra Group. It is located within the Adelaide Geosyncline. Near Adelaide, the base of the Belair Subgroup begins with the coarse Sturtian arkose known as the Mitcham and Leasingham Quartzites.

Description

Mintaro Slate Quarries are, as the name quarry suggests, open-cast mine works for quarrying slate. This is not exactly the topic of this website, which is dedicated to underground locations. Also, this is actually not a show mine, it is an operating slate quarry and does not offer tours. But Mintaro Slate Quarries is quite important, probably the best slate found on earth, so we thought we should at least mention this place.

The slate at Mintaro is a natural sedimentary rock, not a metamorphic rock as most other slates. It has an exceptional flatness and straightness even in its hand split form. Other superior properties are durability and slip resistance in dry and wet conditions.

The company is now located at Hindmarsh, but the quarry is actually located at the small town Mintaro. The official name of the road is Kadlunga Road, but its first section is generally called Slate Quarry Road. Visitors are allowed but only with restrictions, as this is a working quarry. If you are a group you should definitely make an appointment because special guided tours show more of the quarry and processing plant.