The miner dugouts were created by miners wanting to have a dwelling to live in. The dugouts were carved into the banks of Burra Creek, extending 3 miles on each side.
The mining boom led to a shortage of housing for the minors and their families. The dugouts helped fill the void of the housing shortage. The 1851 census recorded a population of 4400, 1800 lived in the dugouts, a third under the age of fourteen years, along Burra Creek and its tributaries.
These dugouts are the last two remaining intact dugouts in Burra.
