Brukunga is a small town in the Adelaide Hills about 40km east of Adelaide and 15 minutes north of Mount Barker. There are no shops in our community of about 450 people, but we have our own CFS Brigade, tennis courts, playground and a community hall. The CFS State Training Centre also call Brukunga home and just out of town is the Claremont Airbase which is the main operating base for aerial firefighting in the state.
The town’s name is derived from Barrukungga meaning “place of fire stone” or “place of hidden fire” and is thought to be the final resting place of Kaurna man Tjilbruke. The iron pyrites outcrop was used for fire making (along with flint) and was an important trading and meeting place for Aboriginal tribes.
The iron pyrites outcrop was mined by the Nairne Pyrite Mine from 1955 to 1972 and was used in the production of superphosphate fertiliser for agriculture. Oxidation of the pyrite and exposed quarry faces have led to the formation of acid mine drainage with heavy metals impacting on the adjacent Dawesely Creek. Since 1980, ongoing rehabilitation of the mine site has occurred with the establishment of a water treatment plant and revegetation.