Chillagoe, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Chillagoe in northern Queensland
, Australia
, was once a thriving mining town for a range of minerals, but is now reduced to a small zinc mine and some marble
quarries. At the 2006 census
, Chillagoe had a population of 227.
Just out of town is the Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park
containing limestone
caves. There are between 600 and 1,000 caves in the Chillagoe-Mungana area. The caves, the spectacular karst
landscape and the mining and smelting history are the main tourist attractions to the region.
It has been stated by leading geologist
Professor Ian Plimer
that the Chillagoe region has the most diverse geology
in the world.
: "Hikey, Tikey, Psyche, Crikey, Chillagoe, Walabadorie". James Mulligan had explored the area in 1873 and Atherton backed up his reports of rich copper outcrops in the area. John Moffat (mining pioneer)
sent prospectors to the field in 1888 and quickly monopolised the field. A receiving office opened in 1891 (with W. Atherton as Receiving Office Keeper) but closed in 1893. A post office
opened in 1900 with F. Donner as the storekeeper and postmaster. The Chillagoe Railway and Mining Company's line opened from Mareeba
in 1901 and a Town Reserve was proclaimed 27 October 1910.
Chillagoe is sometimes remembered for its involvement in the Mungana affair
, a mining scandal which brought down the government. In 1919, after fluctuating fortunes and closures, ownership of the smelter was transferred to the Queensland Government. This acquisition by the Labor Government brought allegations of political corruption which persisted for many years. Closures plagued the smelter again in the late 1920s. When the Australian Labor Party
lost power in 1929, the new government ordered a Royal Commission
into the incident. The political careers of two former Queensland Premiers, 'Red' Ted Theodore
and McCormack, were ruined by the Commission’s report.
Read the famous book by Frank Hardy
's "Power without Glory
".
Woothakata is a property on beautiful Chillagoe creek named after the early Tableland shire which Chillagoe was apart of.
Woothakata an Aboriginal
word which describes the way they traveled to Ngarrabullgan
Mount Mulligan an important meeting place.
The heritage listed Chillagoe smelters
, the cemetery and the many old mines attract history buffs to the area.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, was once a thriving mining town for a range of minerals, but is now reduced to a small zinc mine and some marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
quarries. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Chillagoe had a population of 227.
Just out of town is the Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park
Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park
Chillagoe-Mungana Caves is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1455 km northwest of Brisbane....
containing limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
caves. There are between 600 and 1,000 caves in the Chillagoe-Mungana area. The caves, the spectacular karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
landscape and the mining and smelting history are the main tourist attractions to the region.
It has been stated by leading geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
Professor Ian Plimer
Ian Plimer
Ian Rutherford Plimer is an Australian geologist, academic, professor of mining geology at the University of Adelaide, and a director of four mining companies...
that the Chillagoe region has the most diverse geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
in the world.
History
Chillagoe was named by William Atherton in 1888. The name is taken from the refrain of a sea shantySea shanty
A shanty is a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. Shanties became ubiquitous in the 19th century era of the wind-driven packet and clipper ships...
: "Hikey, Tikey, Psyche, Crikey, Chillagoe, Walabadorie". James Mulligan had explored the area in 1873 and Atherton backed up his reports of rich copper outcrops in the area. John Moffat (mining pioneer)
John Moffat (mining pioneer)
John Moffat was a Scottish-born entrepreneur who developed a mining and industrial empire around Loudoun Mill and Irvinebank in North Queensland which drove the development of north-eastern Australia....
sent prospectors to the field in 1888 and quickly monopolised the field. A receiving office opened in 1891 (with W. Atherton as Receiving Office Keeper) but closed in 1893. A post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
opened in 1900 with F. Donner as the storekeeper and postmaster. The Chillagoe Railway and Mining Company's line opened from Mareeba
Mareeba, Queensland
Mareeba is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia. The town is above sea level on the confluence of the Barron River, Granite Creek and Emerald Creek. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning meeting of the waters...
in 1901 and a Town Reserve was proclaimed 27 October 1910.
Chillagoe is sometimes remembered for its involvement in the Mungana affair
Mungana affair
The Mungana Affair involved the selling of some mining properties in the Chillagoe-Mungana districts of northern Queensland, Australia to the Queensland government, at a grossly inflated price...
, a mining scandal which brought down the government. In 1919, after fluctuating fortunes and closures, ownership of the smelter was transferred to the Queensland Government. This acquisition by the Labor Government brought allegations of political corruption which persisted for many years. Closures plagued the smelter again in the late 1920s. When the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
lost power in 1929, the new government ordered a Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
into the incident. The political careers of two former Queensland Premiers, 'Red' Ted Theodore
Ted Theodore
Edward Granville Theodore was an Australian politician. He was Premier of Queensland 1919–25, a federal politician representing a New South Wales seat 1927–31, and Federal Treasurer 1929–30.-Early life:...
and McCormack, were ruined by the Commission’s report.
Read the famous book by Frank Hardy
Frank Hardy
Francis Joseph Hardy, or Frank, was an Australian left-wing novelist and writer best known for his controversial novel Power Without Glory. He also was a political activist bringing the plight of Aboriginal Australians to international attention with the publication of his book, The Unlucky...
's "Power without Glory
Power Without Glory
Power Without Glory is a 1950 novel written by Australian writer Frank Hardy. It was later adapted into a mini-series by the Australian Broadcasting Commission .- Publication :...
".
Woothakata is a property on beautiful Chillagoe creek named after the early Tableland shire which Chillagoe was apart of.
Woothakata an Aboriginal
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
word which describes the way they traveled to Ngarrabullgan
Ngarrabullgan
Ngarrabullgan , officially named Mount Mulligan by the State, is a large tabletop mountain located 100 kilometers west of Cairns in the north of Queensland .The tabletop mountain is a monolith bounded by high cliffs that fall 200 to 400 m to the surrounding...
Mount Mulligan an important meeting place.
The heritage listed Chillagoe smelters
Chillagoe smelters
The Chillagoe Smelter operated in the early 1900s. At this time it was the centre of a thriving mining industry that brought wealth and development to the Chillagoe area....
, the cemetery and the many old mines attract history buffs to the area.