Callington was surveyed in 1848, at which time John Kiernan noticed copper in the rocks. Callington was named after the copper mining town Callington in Cornwall, UK.[5] The Callington Inn opened in 1851. Little copper was mined at first, before the miners followed the Victorian gold rush. Mining restarted a few years later in the Bremer Mine, digging the lode down until the water table was reached. In 1857 a forty-inch steam engine was installed to pump out 500,000 litres (110,000 imp gal; 130,000 US gal) of water per day. An even bigger pump was brought from Hallett Cove in 1859. In 1860–61, 150 workers were mining 250-300 tons of ore a month, which was smelted at Callington. Despite some good years, the Bremer Mine eventually fell into liquidation in 1870 due to low copper prices.[6]
Demographics
Callington Primary School main building
According to the 2006 census, Callington had 387 residents, almost half aged 25–54 years, and the median age was 34. Almost 90% of them were born in Australia.[7]
Callington has a kindergarten[10] and a primary school in the town.[11] Students need to travel to Mount Barker, Strathalbyn or Murray Bridge for high school.
^"Placename Details: Callington Railway Station". Property Location Browser, gazetteer layer. Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. 5 February 2007. SA0037288. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
^"Placename Details: Callington". Property Location Browser, gazetteer layer. Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. 5 February 2007. SA0011694. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
