The Cobar Sign

The Cobar Sign serves as Cobar's red carpet into this small outback town. After a long drive, Cobar is an oasis for the traveller. The Cobar Sign sits on the remains of the original Great Cobar Copper Mine workings. The mine was one of the largest mining and processing operations in the world at the time and would have been a magnificent sight. Huge smelters, a 64-metre chimney stack and electric generators supplied lighting for the whole town. Over 2000 employees were engaged in mining, wood carting and smelting at the height of the activity. The main mine shafts of the Great Cobar, located south of the Museum building and now fenced off, have deep shafts running down to 430 metres. The sign is an authentic creation by local metalwork students. Students from Cobar High School produced this sign as part of a project led by the school and working with Cobar Shire to install it. The metal cut-out miners were added at a later date.