PIG AND WHISTLE INN
| The Pig and Whistle Inn once stood proudly at the corner of Lower Thames and Stock Streets, trading from 1854 to 1883. The hotel was granted its liquor licence in March 1854 and quickly became known as the miners’ pub, serving the workers living in cottages across Mitchell’s Flat near the creek.
The inn changed hands several times over the years. As copper mining in the district declined through the 1870s, trade slowed, and the hotel may have even closed temporarily. Tragedy struck in the early hours of 28 February 1883, when the Pig and Whistle was destroyed by fire. According to the inquest, publican’s wife Elizabeth Calloway accidentally dropped a kerosene lamp while extinguishing it after closing time. The blaze spread rapidly, and her husband John Calloway, reportedly too drunk to help, was unable to save the building. Elizabeth briefly renewed the hotel’s licence the following year, possibly hoping to rebuild, but soon withdrew her application, marking the end of the Pig and Whistle Inn. No known photographs or detailed descriptions of the building survive. However, evidence on site suggests it was a small stone structure with a cellar. Its signboard was memorably described as featuring “a green pig with a yellow whistle tied to its tail with a blue ribbon.” The hotel was originally built by William Paxton, a director of the South Australian Mining Association (SAMA), who dominated the beer trade in Kooringa, owning the town’s three hotels and the local brewery. In 1860, these remained the only three licensed premises in Kooringa. Today, the Pig and Whistle site lies on the outskirts of Burra’s settlement, a reminder of how much larger the town once was during the mining boom. In its later years, the property was owned by Catchlove & Company, operators of the Unicorn Brewery. No building has stood on the site since the devastating fire of 1883. Heritage Impact Statement Lots 2,3 & 4, Lower Thames Street, Burra Report to Leedwell Strategic & Unity Housing Company Peter Bell Adelaide November 2013  |
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| PIG AND WHISTLE INN | 1854 | 1884 |
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