Notes on Adelaide podcast: Out of sight, out of mind
In South Australia’s north lies an alien landscape – scarred by more than a century of mining. The huge site desperately needs further rehabilitation but, in this week’s episode, we detail allegations of regulatory failure in relation to this and many other mine sites across the country.

Image: Angela Skujins/CityMag
For almost 150 years, the hills of Mount Gunson have been mined for copper – a metal integral to South Australia’s modern history and increasingly important for the world’s electrified future.
The huge site south of Woomera has passed through many hands over that time, with mining companies riding numerous copper booms, making their money and moving on.
Today, Mount Gunson’s mining past has left huge scars on the country – the legacy of 50,000 trucks’ worth of copper being pulled out of this epic landscape.
The site, experts have told CityMag’s Angela Skujins, is a classic case study in a worrying phenomenon across Australia – a mining landscape left largely unrehabilitated.
How did this happen?
To unpack this story is reporter Angela Skujins and, later, RMIT University researcher Gavin Mudd.
About Notes on Adelaide
Notes on Adelaide is a weekly current affairs podcast driven by the independent journalism of InDaily, CityMag and SALIFE, and produced by Solstice Podcasting.
New episodes are uploaded weekly. You can find the podcast on InDaily or on your favourite podcast app including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Listen to our previous episodes here.
RELEVANT LINKS FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE
Angela Skujins’ story on Mount Gunson is in the summer 2022 print edition of CityMag. To find your nearest outlet to pick up a free copy, go here: citymag.indaily.com.au/find-citymag/
To find out more about Gavin Mudd’s research, go here: rmit.edu.au/contact/staff-contacts/academic-staff/m/mudd-dr-gavin