The early period of South Australia's mining history was dominated by Cornishmen as large numbers of miners and their families migrated to escape closure of the Cornish copper mines. Records show that Carthew families migrated from Kent and Cornwall to South Australia. Those from Redruth, Cornwall, were miners and their family history provides an insight into the condi- tions under which early miners lived and worked._x000D_
Carthews are one of the oldest surviving mining families in South Australia and their movement pattern has been typical of many other early Cor- nish mining families.