Roxby Downs 20 th Anniversary: Lisa explores this mining town in the Outback region of South Australia
When you fly into the South Australian Outback you need to redefine your understanding of the word 'big'. It seems everything in this vast landscape is big and that's especially the case when you get to the Olympic Dam Mine - the biggest deposit of uranium and copper in the world.
BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam operation is mining an ore body seven kilometres long, four kilometres wide and more than a kilometre deep. It's massive - just like plans to expand it all into an open cut.
While we hear lots about the Olympic Dam Mine, we don't hear nearly as much about the town built to service it. Roxby Downs rose out of the desert and is now home to four and a half thousand people with another 900 or so who work here on a fly in fly out basis.
Roxby Downs is a modern-day mining town purpose built twenty years ago by BHP and has grown into an up-to-date, well laid out place with all the modern amenities. That includes a cemetery on the outskirts of town - although no one's buried here yet. The only resident is a lonely garden gnome perched in a tree!
The Average age in Roxby Downs is just 29 and nearly 30 percent of the population is under fifteen. It also has one of the highest birth rates in Australia so who better to show us around than some kids from the local area school - one of the biggest in South Australia.
Not surprisingly, our first stop is the most popular spot during the scorching hot summers. When the mercury climbs beyond 40, the swimming centre is the place to be. Spend a bit of time with the local kids and it's clear they like where they live.
"I like how it's so small and everyone's kind in it. Yeah, that's what I like about. It's small you can ride around to different places and it's not as hard to get around in a car - there's not much traffic either so it's good."
To mark Roxy Downs' twentieth year BHP Billiton has joined Carclew's CARGO project where artists team up with local schools.
For the past few months, Adelaide artist Gerry McMahon and Roxby-based artist, Rachel Young have been working with 400 local kids designing and building a public sculpture. Gerry and Rachel have held a series of workshops to find out what the kids think about their patch and what they want included in the sculpture.
Gerry McMahon, Artist in Residence: "Kids are kids and they just love being involved in art. The fact that they get a chance to have a say in something that quite often they don't get to have a say in … is really good. They have a chance to do something that they're going to be able to look at forever…"
Not surprisingly, nature, wide-open spaces, big blue skies and the red desert were reoccurring themes from the kids. Their ideas went though a number of stages before settling on three final pieces.
It's been a great experience too for local jewellery maker, Rachel Young. After living in Roxby for 14 years she's considered 'an oldie'.
Rachel Young, Artist in Residence: "The kids have actually been able to see the process along the way. They've been involved in the marquette making but they've also been able to see us build the sculpture…"
In the workshop, Rachel roped in her boilermaker husband, Mark to help put the pieces together. Based on the Sturt Desert Pea, they include elements suggested by the kids - the environment, industry and community. Appropriately the sculptures incorporate copper produced from the nearby Olympic Dam Mine.
The finished pieces will be unveiled at a Roxby Downs' 20th anniversary Family Day, sponsored by BHP Billiton on Saturday the 15th of November, 2008. That's still a few weeks away leaving you lots of time to arrange a visit for the big day.
Roxby Downs Family Day
Sat 15 Nov 2008
12 noon - 4pm (sculpture unveiled at 3pm)Carclew CARGO
Ph 8267 5111Published 26th October 2008
