State Library of South Australia

New suburb in Roxby Downs [B 74342/1] • Photograph

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Summary

Prefabricated houses in a new area of Roxby Downs. The photographer writes about Roxby Downs, "I came across Roxby Downs in January 2013 after working in Oodnadatta and William Creek, like most mining towns Roxby Downs has a very clean and well ordered feel to it. If Coober Pedy is the wild west of the mining outback then Roxby Downs is the corporate core. A town built to house the miners of what is set to become the largest mine in the world. Extremely well paid employees are pulling copper, gold and uranium out of the ground in vast quantities. Instead of beat up trucks and utility vehicles Roxby streets are lined with 4x4s that have never seen anything other than tarmac. The streets are lined with green and manicured grass and there is not a real local in site. The town was purposely built in 1988 to service the Olympic Dam mine which is owned by BHP Billiton, it's 550 kilometers north of Adelaide and 250 kilometers north of Port Auguster: It's a semi isolated community of 4500 people with an average age of 29 years, it also has one of the highest birth rates in the country. During the day the surrounding streets seems to be deserted due to the fact that a large number of the residents are shift workers at the mines, and the summer heat in the desert is un-bearable. I found it really relaxing to wander around the older parts of Roxby Downs in the evenings following the tree lined streets which wind there way though the red sand dune that envelope the town. I was surprised about the amount of wildlife that can be seen around the street such as emus, lizards, and parrots. The town is also expanding with new suburbs popping up on the southern side of Roxby Down, due to practicality the houses are pre-fabricated and all look the same, I found that this gave these new streets a very clinical feel. In time this will soften with the growth of trees and vegetation. I really like the main street of Roxby Downs, Norman Place is where the culture center can be found along with the cinema, the community radio station, library, and restaurant, and child care facilities all housed in the same building. At the top of the Richard Place, is the Roxby Downs Oasis Motor Inn, its white circus like tent roof can be seen from most parts of the town, I was really taken back once I entered the complex and found an in ground swimming pool in the center of the complex surrounded by two stories of rooms and restaurants. All in all, my stay in Roxby Downs was a pleasant one and I think that it will be a great place to base myself next time I am working in that part of the state."

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Physical description

1 photograph : colour

Dates / Publication details

January 2013

Photographer

Clark, Darren

Collections

Part of Darren Clark Collection
Part of Roxby Downs Collection

Subject

Architecture, Domestic -- South Australia -- Roxby Downs
Streets -- South Australia -- Roxby Downs
Roxby Downs (S.A.)

Catalogue record

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Digitisation information

Date

15/04/2015

Format

image/tiff

Resolution

6,159 x 4,100 pixels (25.3 MP)

Size

151.55 MB

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