North Queensland - 150 Years of Engineering Highlights

North Queensland

150 years of Engineering

Northern Engineering Conference

Mackay Entertainment & Convention Centre

5-7 November 2009

Thinking like an Engineer:

Building on our past, to shape our future

Index

• Barron River HydroElectric Power Station

• Ben Lomond Mine• Burdekin Falls Dam• Burdekin River Bridge• Cairns – Kuranda Railway• Cardwell Jetty and Dalrymple Track• Century Zinc Mine• Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal• Grasstree Gold Mine• Hail Creek Coal Mine• Homebush Sugar Mill• Kareeya HydoElectricity• Lucinda Bulk Sugar Terminal• Mackay Harbour• Macrossan Rail Bridge

• Magnetic Is. Submarine Pipeline• Mossman Sugar Mill• Mount Mulligan Gold Mine• Mt Isa Mines• Palmer River Alluvial Gold • Paronella Park HydroElectricity• Phosphate Hill Fertiliser Plant• Ravenswood Gold Mine• Ross River Dam• Sun Metals Zinc Refinery• Tinaroo Falls Dam• Venus Battery• Vulcan Mine • Weipa Bauxite

North Queensland -150 Years of Engineering

The setting was the prolonged North Queensland wet season of 1882. Desperate tin miners on the Wild River near Herberton were unable to obtain supplies and were on the verge of famine. The boggy road leading inland from Port Douglas was proving impossible. As a result, the settlers at Herberton raised loud and angry voices and began agitation for a railway to the coast.

Construction of the Cairns-Kuranda Railway was, and still is, an engineering feat of tremendous magnitude. This enthralling chapter in the history of North Queensland, stands as testimony to the splendid ambitions, fortitude and suffering of the hundreds of men engaged in its construction. It also stands as a monument to the many men who lost their lives on this amazing project.

Construction was by three separate contracts for lengths of 13.2km,24.5 km, 37.4km. The line was to total 75.1km and surmount the vast Atherton tablelands leading to Mareeba. Sections One and Three were relatively easy to locate and construct. But the ascent of Section Two was extremely arduous and dangerous due to steep grades, dense jungle and aboriginals defending their territory. The climb began near Redlynch 5.5m above sea level, and continued to the summit at Myola with an altitude of 327.1 m. In all, this section included 15 tunnels, 93 curves and dozens of difficult bridges mounted many meters above ravines and waterfalls.

By May 13th 1891, rail was laid to the end of the second section at Myola. On June 15th 1891, Mr Johnstone, one of three Railway Commissioners at that time opened the line for goods traffic only. Just ten days later, the Cairns- Kuranda Railway line was opened to passenger travel.

On January 21st 1887, John Robb’s tender of $580,188 was accepted for section two. He and his men tackled the jungle and mountains not with bulldozers, jackhammers and other modern equipment, but with strategy, fortitude, hand tools, dynamite, buckets and bare hands. Earthworks proved particularly difficult. The deep cuttings and extensive embankments that were removed totalled a volume of just over 2.3 million cubic metres of earthworks. The Barron Valley earth was especially treacherous. Slopes averaged 45 degrees and the entire surface was covered with a 4.6 m – 7.60m layer of disjointed rock, rotting vegetation, mould and soil.

http://www.kurandascenicrailway.com.au/the_history/overview

Kuranda Railway

Circa 1891


Barron Hyro Power StationCirca 1935 - decom 1960 Circa 1963

The conceptulisation for construction of a hydroelectric power station on the Barron River was first suggested back in 1906. It was nearly 30 years before completion was realised. The site presented many challenges including precipitous cliffs, torrential rain, and raging floods were foremost.

During the Power Stations initial construction phase the delivery of equipment was complex. It first came by train to a rail siding, was transferred over the falls and then lowered by tramway to the worksite below.Hauling equipment from Cairns was relatively easy. There was no road in the early 1930s but there was the railway on the opposite bank. Getting across the gorge was another matter. A flying fox was constructed to solve that problem.

A fragile bridge was also constructed across the top of the Barron Falls, however this failed to withstand the floods. Plans to build an outdoor station were abandoned as earthworks proved too unstable. Going underground proved relatively easy following construction of the tramway down the near vertical clifface.In November 1935 the Governor of Queensland officially opened one of Queensland's first hydroelectric power station. Demand for power soon exceeded supply and in 1940 the two 1200 kW turbo alternators were supplemented by a 1400 kW unit.

The original site was largely dismantled and decommissioned in 1959 and the present Barron Falls power station was commissioned in 1963 further down stream.

In September 2006, a $28 million refurbishment of the Barron Gorge Hydro was completed, extending the power station's life for another 40 years and ensuring Far North Queensland continues to benefit from secure, reliable, environmentally responsible energy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barron_Gorge_Hydroelectric_Power_Station,_Queensland

Circa 1935


A once-prosperous gold mining boomtown now almost a ghost town. Ravenswood was once a thriving gold mining town. Today it is almost a ghost town with a population of around 100 who service the surrounding area and cater for the growing tourism.

Gold was discovered in the area in 1868. A year later about 140 prospectors and fossickers had been attracted to the new fields. When three men, Jessop, Buchanan and Crane, found good alluvial gold near the present site of Ravenswood the news led to a gold rush.After the initial flurry of fossicking the prospectors were confronted with the task of extracting the gold from lodes. This process involved blasting and crushing and quite complex chemical processing. In 1870 the Government built a crushing mill at Burnt Point and the results from the first batch of crushed ore were so good that they prompted a further rush on the area and the establishment of five more crushing works. The success of the mine was short lived. By 1872 it had become extremely difficult to extract the ore and many of the miners had moved on to Charters Towers. Some persistent miners stayed on extracting about 300 kg of gold each year from the area.The continuing operation, plus the discovery of silver, led to the construction of a railway from Cunningham to Ravenswood.By the early 1890s the mines were once again nearly idle. A mine manager, Archibald Lawrence Wilson, took up an option and managed to interest English investors in the field. So successful was Wilson in finding backers for the mines that it was during the period 1900-1912 that the town prospered and Wilson became known as 'the uncrowned king of Ravenswood'. During this period the population of the Ravenswood area reached about 5000 and there was about 12 500 kg of gold extracted.

The mines finally ground to a halt in 1917 and since then the town has slowly declined. Today it is a true ghost town with a tiny population and a large number of interesting buildings

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-factsheet/ravenswood

Ravenswood Gold Mine

Circa 1868

North Queensland -150 Years of EngineeringCirca 1987

Burdekin Dam

The Burdekin dam forms Lake Dalrymple, which covers an area of 22,400 hectares (approximately five times the area of Sydney Harbour) and ponds water for 50 kilometres up the Burdekin River. As well as the 630,000 cubic metres of concrete that went into the main dam wall, earth and rock fill saddle dams also had to be built to prevent water held by the dam escaping through the low areas around the lake during flood events. These saddle dams are major constructions in their own right. The left bank saddle dam is 1,150 metres long and required 960,000 cubic metres of rock fill material, while the Mt Graham saddle dam is 3,500 metres long and required 900,000 cubic metres of earth and rock fill material.

Construction of the Burdekin Falls Dam was completed in 1987 and it filled to its storage capacity of over 1.8 million mega litres following the wet season in 1988. At the time the photos below were taken, the water was running .5 metre over the 504 m long spillway; a “spill” of about 20,000 mega litres per day. To put this figure into context, the average daily consumption for SE Qld is around 542 mega litres, so an amount equivalent to over a month’s supply of water for SEQ was flowing over the Burdekin Dam wall each day! (Extracts from http://www.clw.csiro.au/naif/documents/2007/ReportBurdekinDamFieldTrip04-07-07.pdf)

The dam is managed by Sunwater. Plans are in place to increase the safety of this dam in an extreme rainfall event by increasing the spillway capacity. This project is scheduled for completion over the next 5 to 20 years.The catchment area for the dam extends north to the Seaview Range west of Ingham, south to the Drummond Range near Alpha through the Suttor and Belyando Rivers, southeast to the coastal ranges west of Mackay, and west beyond Charters Towers to the Lolworth, Montgomery and Stopem Blockem Ranges through the Clarke River ( Extracts from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burdekin_Dam)

2009 Floods


A high level bridge was planned for the Burdekin River but when no rock foundation could be found in the bed, a low level bridge was designed and was officially named the Inkerman Bridge when the line was opened 1st September 1913.Rail traffic was repeatedly interrupted by floods and the bridge was out of action for long periods when sections of the bridge gave way including in `1945 when many spans were destroyed and two people lost their lives after the train was washed from the bridge by a wall of water.Continued agitation for a high-level bridge during the 1930s, the vulnerability of the north during World War II and the long interruption to rail traffic in 1945, brought a commitment from the Queensland Government of the day to build a high level bridge.Engineers were sent to India to investigate designs for a bridge to be built on a sandy river bed. The bridge, built using plate girder spans and truss spans is supported on 31 concrete piers across the river, carrying both the North Coast Rail line and the Bruce Highway. It was officially opened on 15 June 1957 after years of debate over whether it was needed.Problems arose during construction, chiefly the supply of material, lack of cement and steel, with steel having to be imported from overseas and slow delivery meant that the 1957 flood was the first one not to interrupt rail traffic.The construction of the bridge required technical innovation of a high order, involving pier construction of a type not previously undertaken in Australia. It remains the only rail or road crossing of the lower Burdekin River.(extracts from http://www.burdekinonline.com.au/community/events/archived/2007/burdekinbridge/documents/BURDEKINRIVERBRIDGE-INTERESTINGFACTS.doc)

•The Burdekin River Bridge is approximately 770 meters in length. 1103 metres including the northern and southern approaches.•The Burdekin River Bridge is longer than the Sydney Harbour Bridge•The Burdekin River Bridge is made up of approximately 7000 tonnes of steel.•The maximum height of vehicles that can travel across the Burdekin River Bridge is 4.62 meters.•The Burdekin River Bridge is approximately 13 meters high.http://www.history.qr.com.au/history/news/archive/press/burdekin_50th.asp

Burdekin River Bridge


Far from an overnight transformation, the history of the development of the Mackay Harbour has been infused with a century of petitions, inquiries and debates from both sides of the political spectrum. The start of the long struggle began in 1884 when a public meeting was held in Mackay to draw up a petition to the government of the day, in which Sir Samuel Griffith was Premier, urging the construction of a deep-water port “urgently required for the thriving trade of a growing district”. It was obvious that Mackay's first official port, the Pioneer River, was impractical for large vessels. “The majority of the community was determined in their quest for the new outer harbour, which was necessary because of the growing rural economy and increased population, both of which could not be ignored by the government of the day,” . The harbour foundation stone was put in place on September 1935. The completed harbour was officially opened on August 26, 1939, with VIP guests coming from Brisbane on the ship the Sydney Star. The bulk sugar handling terminal was approved in 1952. At the time of its opening in 1957 it was the world's largest sugar storage shed. In 1998 the Mackay Marina and Marina Village took over the shoreline of Harbour Beach. The region's residents and visitors now love to soak up the cosmopolitan sea-port atmosphere along its palm-lined esplanade. The purpose-built Mackay Marina, opened in 1998.

Milestones of Mackay Harbour

The first inquiry into a new port for the township of Mackay was in 1887. In 1933 the outer harbour site was put forward and the State Government negotiated a loan of one million pounds with a grant of 250,000 pounds. The people of Mackay were strongly in support with 10,528 voting for the loan and only 1510 against. The Harbour foundation stone was put in place on September 14, 1935. The official opening was on August 26, 1939. Bulk handling facilities were approved in 1952, with the first consignment of bulk sugar shipped from Mackay in 1957. In October 1989 the Mackay Seaport expanded its operations to include responsibility for Mackay Airport, which lasted until December 2008. In July this year the Mackay Ports Limited changed to North Queensland Bulk Ports organisation

Extracts from: http://www.dailymercury.com.au/story/2009/08/26/mackay-harbour-70-today/

Mackay Harbour Today

Mackay Marina

Sugar Terminal

Opening of the new Mackay Harbour - 1939


In December 2005, North Queensland Water completed installation of a new six point eight kilometre potable water submarine pipeline from PallarendaBeach to Magnetic Island through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.The old pipeline, originally constructed in the mid 1970s was in need of replacement due to increasing maintenance costs and forecast water supply requirements. The new pipeline is expected to supply fresh water to Magnetic Island residents for 30-50 years.Sensitive EnvironmentsThe pipeline was installed through a range of environments of varying ecological sensitivity including sandy beach, seagrass meadows, silty clay seafloor, coral reef slope, reef and mud flat and mangrove communities. Additionally, the pipeline works were located near Middle Reef and Virago shoals in Cleveland Bay.Sediments produced during trenching and pipe laying may pose a risk to seagrass meadows and reef areas through increased turbidity and deposition of sediments. The primary environmental objective was to minimise suspended sediments impinging on the sensitive environments near the works.Pipe laying methodsThe installation method through the dunes, intertidal area at Pallarenda and Magnetic Island reef flat utilised backhoes and excavators.The main method of pipeline installation through the sub-tidal area in West Channel was by means of a pipe laying barge known as a ‘lay-barge’incorporating an anchor block assembly platform.The lay-barge and jetty-in system were effective at keeping turbidity and sedimentation to a minimum during construction and ensured the trenching through the channel was completed quickly.Environmental monitoring programmeTrigger levels for turbidity were used to manage installation works in the sensitive areas. Baseline nephelometer readings were used to establish agreed trigger levels and measured in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) to provide weekly readings throughout the project. Trigger levels were set at 60 NTU, 100 NTU above 10 knots; 30 and 50 NTU below 10 knots dependant on weather conditions and measured at 300 metres from the pipeline installation point. Daily reactive monitoring was undertaken with hand held instruments.

http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/management/eim/project_examples/pipeline

Originally constructed 1970Replaced 2005

6.8km

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Discovered in 1889 by Italian wood-cutters, Vulcan mine was the main stay of tin production in Irvinebank. The Vulcan lode was developed into Australia's deepest (1440 feet) and richest tin mine and had a working life of over 40 years. The Vulcan mine is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register and the Australian Heritage Register of the National Estate.

Originally known as Gibb's Camp, the name was changed to Irvinebank by North Queensland mining legend John Moffat to remind him of his birth place of Newmilns on the river Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland.John Moffat purchased the original claims from Gibb's and party in 1883. By 1884 Moffat had erected a battery and smelter which was to become the largest smelter in Australia for a number of years.

By 1893 with the expansion of the plant ten additional head of stamps were added. In 1900, a further five head were added, followed by a further five in 1901. In 1904 an addition of another ten head brought the total to 40. The first town dam was built 1884 to provide water for the mill. It has been washed away several times with the present wall built in 1943. The Queensland State Government purchased the Loudoun Mill on the 25th October 1919 and renamed it the State Treatment Works. The works remained in the hands of the Queensland government until 1984 when it was occupied by a private operator. The Queensland Government regained control of the works in 2004. The State Treatment works is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register and the Australian Heritage Register of the National Estate.

Extracts from: http://users.qldnet.com.au/~loudounhouse/irvinebankHeritage.html

The Loudoun mill was commissioned in 1884 with the production of metallic tin beginning in 1885 when two furnaces of the reverberatory type were built. The mill originally had a five head of stamps.

Vulcan mine poppet head

Irvinebank township


The land on which the Homebush run was located was first selected by John Mackay in 1862. The Colonial Sugar Refining Company (CSR) bought the Homebush and neighbouring selections to cash in on the new sugar boom. Up until 1880 the land had only been used for grazing.

Preparations commenced for the construction of the new 4000 ton capacity mill in July 1881. The mill machinery was ordered from Mirrlees, Tait and Watson of Glasgow. The plant comprised of one six and one five foot diameter mill both of 32 inches in diameter. Double crushing became the norm in the 1880's with the second mill squeezing extra juice out of the residue from the first mill. The mill also included two triple effets from Fives, Lille Company to ensure that the milling power was matched by adequate evaporating power. The bagasse was conveyed by tramway trucks direct from the mills to the boiler, dispensing with the old labour intensive practice of spreading it out in the sun for drying. The mill was designed to crush 45 to 50 thousand tons of cane per season and was housed in a building measuring 60 by 33 metres.Crushing began successfully on 3 September 1883. Initially the mill operated a single shift like the CSR mills in New South Wales from 6.00 am to 5.30 pm. The new mill was designed to work around the clock which meant not only increased throughput, but greater efficiency avoiding the daily lighting up and fewer problems in crystallization. To make this possible, electric lighting was installed and an extensive two foot gauge tramway system was constructed to ensure sufficient cane was brought in each day to last through the night.

In 1891 CSR decided to subdivide their land as a solution to the labour problem giving farmers the option to purchase the land. The lessees were required to give the company an annual lien on the crop as a guarantee of payment of rent, to cultivate the land with cane, and, during the first year, to buy rations from the company store. CSR then gave the farmer the right to purchase at anytime in the first three years, paying one fifth in cash and the rest over 4 years at five per cent interest. The scheme was an outstanding success with many of the new farmers former employees of the company.By 1895 there were 150 farmers supplying cane to the mill.

Homebush Sugar MillThe Homebush mill became the dominant mill of the di strict for nearly 40 years .However the 1918 cyclone severely damaged the mill with all buildings except two houses and the office losing some or all of their roof. The stables and one barracks collapsed as did the loco running shed and an old barracks for coloured labourers which had been converted to a temporary sugar store due to shipping delays. A third of the 3,900 tons of sugar in storage had been lost. Repairs to the buildings were not all completed until December.The mill last crushed on 6 January 1922. The final crop of 71,721 tons was the largest on record

Extracts from: http://www.mackayhistory.org/research/sugar_mills/homebush.html


Construction of the Ross River Dam Stage 1 commenced in 1970 and was completed in 1973. Following this, Douglas Water Treatment Plant was constructed on the banks of Ross River downstream from the dam. Initially consisting of 2 pressure filtration modules, its capacity has been almost tripled with the addition of two further modules using updated filtration processes. In 1974, the Council received confirmation of a grant from the Australian Government to the State Government for half the cost of Stage II of the Ross River Dam. Stage 2a construction was completed in 1982 with further enhancements to the earth embankmentin 1984.(extracts from www.townsville.qld.gov.au/resources/2888.pdf)

It was constructed by Leighton Holdings in 1971 for the purposes of flood mitigation and water storage.The Ross Dam Pump Station supplies up to 232 megalitres of water to the Douglas Water Treatment Plant, where the water undergoes aeration, sedimentation, rapid sand filtration and chlorination treatment before being pumped to the Reservoir where the water is distributed to Townsville.(taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_River_Dam)

Ross River Dam today

Ross River Dam during construction 1970’s

The Ross River Dam is located at the end of Riverway Drive in the city of Townsville, Australia, and is the is the major water supply for the region.


A comparative economic study was undertaken to determine the best option for the supply of power to the developing region and it was determined that the present day Kareeya Hydro, not far below the Tully Falls, was the best option. On 25 February 1950, an Order-in-Council was made authorising the Coordinator General to allocatefinance and supervise the civil engineering works.

Kareeya Hydro has been providing clean, efficient electricity to Queenslanders since 1957. It has a capacity of 86.4 megawatts (MW) which is bid into the National Electricity Market. The station’s ability to start quickly is important in ensuring a secure, reliable power supply for distribution to consumers. Taking its name from the Aboriginal word meaning ‘big water’, the Kareeya Hydro project originally comprised construction ofKoombooloomba Dam, the Tully Falls Weir, and Kareeya Hydro.http://www.stanwell.com/Files/Fact_Sheets/Kareeya_Hydro_April_2009.pdf

Kareeya Hydro

Koombooloomba Dam

The Koombooloomba Dam, operational since 1960, provided an ideal opportunity to maximise the use of this renewable resource to increase the amount of renewable energy generated by Stanwell Corporation.http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/cec/resourcecentre/casestudies/Hydro/Koombooloomba.html


In the early years Mount Isa Mines Ltd faced hardship in developing the mine and transporting ore to port in Townsville. Before the construction of a rail line, ore was transported 135km to Cloncurry on camel back and cart. The first train pulled into Mount Isa in April 1929 and offered the town, and the mine, hope by providing an efficient method of transport for workers and ore. The line was officially opened by the Honourable John Mullan MP, Attorney General for Queensland on April 6th. This rail line went on to become the State’s most profitable and provided the state government with the capital to revitalise other rail lines throughout Queensland. By 1955 Mount Isa Mines Ltd had become the largest mining company in Australia. It had weathered technical and financial difficulties, and industrial unrest, to become Australia’s largest single creator of export income. Mount Isa Mines Ltd has mined and processed minerals continuously since establishment, initially only lead but as the mine was developed silver, zinc and copper as well.http://www.celebrateisa.com.au/history.html

In Mt Isa in, 1923 the orebody containing lead, zinc and silver was discovered by the miner John Campbell Miles. The company Mount Isa Mines was founded 1924 but full scale production was not reached before 1931. The lead and zinc mining continued with a break between 1943 and 1946. The copper ore was first discovered in 1927 and production grew steadily with a peak between 1957 and 1965. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Isa_Mines

Mt Isa Mines todayMt Isa Mines 1930’s


Weipa began as a Presbyterian Aboriginal mission outpost in 1898.In 1955 a geologist, Henry Evans (1912 - 1990), discovered that the red cliffs on the Aboriginal reserve, previously remarked on by the early Dutch explorers and Matthew Flinders, were actually enormous deposits

of bauxite - the ore from which aluminium is made - and to a lesser extent tungsten. The "Comalco Act of 1957" revoked the reserve status, giving the company 5,760 square km (2,270 square miles) of Aboriginal reserve land on the west coast of the Peninsula and 5,135 square km (1,932.5 square miles on the east coast of Aboriginal-owned (though not reserve) land. Mining commenced in 1960. The mission became a government settlement in 1966 with continued attempts by Comalco to relocate the whole community elsewhere. The company then built a new town for its workers on the other side of the bay. The present town was constructed mainly by Comalco (now called Rio Tinto Alcan), a large aluminium company, which began making trial shipments of bauxite to Japan in 1962. A railway was constructed to transport the ore from the mine at Andoom to the dump of the export facility at Lorim Point. The bauxite mine is the world's largest. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weipa,_Queensland

Weipa Mine

Weipa Plant


In 1990, CRA discovered the Century zinc deposit, north-west of Mount Isa. This world class resource contains 118Mt of ore averaging 10.2 percent zinc, 1.5 percent lead and 35 g/t silver and will be developed by Pasminco Century Mine Limited (PCML). The Century mine will produce 450,000t of zinc concentrate and 45,000t of lead concentrate per year for export from the port of Karumba. In May 1997, an agreement between the Waayni, Mingginda, Gkuthaarn and Kukatji peoples, the State and Century Zinc was ratified and the Government obligations under the agreement are being implemented. http://www.dropbears.com/m/morning_glory/century_zinc.htm

Century Zinc Mine

The Century zinc-lead-silver deposit is located 250km northwest of Mount Isa in the Gulf of Carpentaria region of Queensland. Initial discoveries of lead and silver in the region by prospectors in 1887 led to sporadic small-scale mining and exploration activities up to the 1970’s. In 1987 (hence the name Century), CRA Exploration (CRAE) commenced a regional exploration program in the area resulting in the discovery drill hole intersecting the Century deposit on the 4th April 1990. Resource definition drilling and feasibility studies from 1990 to 1996 by CRAE and Century Zinc Limited (CZL) resulted in the estimation of an in-situ mineral resource of 167Mt grading 8.2% zinc, 1.2% lead and 33 g/t silver. In 1997, Pasminco acquired the deposit from RTZ-CRA Limited and commenced project development culminating with the first ore mined and treated in the Pasminco Century Mine concentrator on the 6th November 1999. The Century open pit occupies an area approximately 300ha and extend to a final depth of 340 m. The mining rate is scheduled at 5Mtpa of ore by selective mining and around 80Mtpa bulk waste mining by truck and rope shovel fleet. The ore will be processed on site and then pumped as zinc and lead concentrates along a slurry pipeline 300km to the port facility at Karumba in the Gulf of Carpentaria. The Pasminco Century Mine will be the world’s largest zinc mine producing 780,000 tpa of zinc concentrate over a 20-year mine life. http://www.aig.asn.au/aigjournal/kelso_et_al.htm

The former Burdekin River Bridge is a metal truss bridge running parallel to the current bridge and was designed to carry the Great Northern Railway over the Burdekin River at Macrossan in 1899. The Northern or Townsville Railway was intended principally to connect the important goldfield at Charters Towers to the port of Townsville, although it was also of great value to the pastoral industry and the general development of the north. In order to cross the Burdekin River, the line was carried over a road bridge at Macrossan which had been opened for traffic in mid 1879 and was converted for railway use in 1881. A temporary line was laid on the upstream side to enable the passage of freight from November 1882 even before work was completed. A contract for the Macrossan bridge (at a projected cost of £52,143) and a three mile deviation was let to Swanson Brothers on 26 May 1896. Although completion was planned for 1897, the bridge was not finished until 17 January 1899 and, after tests, it was passed for use by the Government Inspector for Bridges in March 1899. At the time of its construction, it was one of the largest bridges in Queensland and was the last of the series of its type built. http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/chims/placeDetail.html?siteId=15217


This bridge, which allowed the railway to cross a major river, demonstrates the way in which Queensland was developed by linking important inland resources with ports. It is a good example of a metal truss bridge of its era and was the first of a number of this type built during this period, many of which have since been replaced. It was one of the largest bridges in Queensland at the time of its construction and it demonstrates the skill with which the technology of the era was used to solve the problems of severe climatic conditions and terrain encountered by railway engineers. It is an important example of the work of Henry Stanley, Chief Engineer for Railways and a major figure in the early history of engineering in Queensland.

Phosphate Hill

Macrossan Rail Bridge


Construction of the Tinaroo Falls Dam allowed conservation of the waters of the Barron River and the utilization of this water to irrigate some 9000 ha annually in portion of the basins of the Barron, Walsh and Mitchell Rivers at the northern end of the Atherton Tableland. Some 800 farms are supplied with water from the channel system or by private diversion from streams supplemented by Tinaroo Falls Dam.Water is also released into the Barron River to stabilize the flow and provide an assured supply to the Barron Gorge Hydro Electic Power Station at Kuranda.A mini hydro power station at the dam wall was added in May 2004. This uses water released as part of the irrigation scheme and water that is released into the Barron River to generate power. The storage also assures urban supplies to several Local Authorities, and has the capacity to mitigate flood run-off in the Barron River.http://www.tinarooeec.eq.edu.au/Kids/tindam.html

In 1952, The Tinaroo Dam and Mareeba-Dimbulah Irrigation Scheme was approved by the state government.Construction on the dam was started in 1953 and completed in 1958, at a cost of $12,666,000. The dam wall is 45.1 metres high and traps enough water from the Barron River to create a lake 3/4 the size of Sydney Harbour with a capacity of 407,000 megalitres. When the dam was filled in 1959, the old township of near Yungaburra went underwater, and all of the residents relocated to Yungaburra and surrounding towns.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Tinaroo Tinaroo Dam

Tinaroo Dam


The old girl has been through some changes since the first foundation stone was laid on September 14, 1935 and its official opening in 1939. Far from an overnight transformation, the history of the development of the Mackay harbour has been infused with a century of petitions, inquiries and debates from both sides of the political spectrum. The start of the long struggle began in 1884 when a public meeting was held in Mackay to draw up a petition to the government of the day, in which Sir Samuel Griffith was Premier, urging the construction of a deep-water port “urgently required for the thriving trade of a growing district”. The harbour foundation stone was put in place on September 1935. The completed harbour was officially opened on August 26, 1939, with VIP guests coming from Brisbane on the ship the Sydney Star. The bulk sugar handling terminal was approved in 1952. At the time of its opening in 1957 it was the world's largest sugar storage shed. In 1998 the Mackay Marina and Marina Village took over the shoreline of Harbour Beach. The region's residents and visitors now love to soak up the cosmopolitan sea-port atmosphere along its palm-lined esplanade. The purpose-built Mackay Marina, opened in 1998.Milestones of Mackay Harbour• The first inquiry into a new port for the township of Mackay was in 1887. • In 1933 the outer harbour site was put forward and the State Government negotiated a loan of one million pounds with a grant of 250,000 pounds. The people of Mackay were strongly in support with 10,528 voting for the loan and only 1510 against. • The Harbour foundation stone was put in place on September 14, 1935. • The official opening was on August 26, 1939. • Bulk handling facilities were approved in 1952, with the first consignment of bulk sugar shipped from Mackay in 1957. • In October 1989 the Mackay Seaport expanded its operations to include responsibility for Mackay Airport, which lasted until December 2008. • In July this year the Mackay Ports Limited changed to North Queensland Bulk Ports organisation. http://www.dailymercury.com.au/story/2009/08/26/mackay-harbour-70-today/

Opening of Mackay HarbourMackay Harbour


The land on which the Homebush run was located was first selected by John Mackay in 1862. Ownership was transferred to Edward Brooking Cornish in 1863 and then the 25 square mile Homebush run was transferred to John Walker in 1867. Young and Gilchrist then acquired the run and combined it with the Cape Palmerston run into a single holding. John Walker once again bought Homebush in 1879 but died in June of that year. The Colonial Sugar Refining Company (CSR) then bought the Homebush and neighbouring selections to cash in on the new sugar boom. Up until 1880 the land had only been used for grazing. The CSR company had been concerned with competition which its own white sugars were facing from Queensland sugar. The company dominated the production of sugar in the northern New South Wales area and was looking to expand its operations. The most attractive areas then were the Mackay and Herbert River areas. Preparations commenced for the construction of the new 4000 ton capacity mill in July 1881. The mill machinery was ordered from Mirrlees, Tait and Watson of Glasgow. The plant comprised of one six and one five foot diameter mill both of 32 inches in diameter. Double crushing became the norm in the 1880's with the second mill squeezing extra juice out of the residue from the first mill. The mill also included two triple effets from Fives, Lille Company to ensure that the milling power was matched by adequate evaporating power. The bagassewas conveyed by tramway trucks direct from the mills to the boiler, dispensing with the old labour intensive practice of spreading it out in the sun for drying. The mill was designed to crush 45 to 50 thousand tons of cane per season and was housed in a building measuring 60 by 33 metres. Crushing began successfully on 3 September 1883. Initially the mill operated a single shift like the CSR mills in New South Wales from 6.00 am to 5.30 pm. The new mill was designed to work around the clock which meant not only increased throughput, but greater efficiency avoiding the daily lighting up and fewer problems in crystallization. To make this possible, electric lighting was installed and an extensive two foot gauge tramway system was constructed to ensure sufficient cane was brought in each day to last through the night. By 1895 there were 150 farmers supplying cane to the mill. http://www.mackayhistory.org/research/sugar_mills/homebush.html

Homebush Sugar Mill


http://www.aard.com.au/#/mt-haden/4533986191

Phosphate Hill

Phosphate Hill

On the Grasstree Field, 10km north-east of Sarina, at the Zelma Nine, shoots of higher grade gold ore have been worked to shallow depth within an ill-defined zone of mineralisation.http://www.treasureenterprises.com/Gold%20Prospecting%20Information/Gold_Occurrences_in_Central_Qld.htm

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North Queensland - 150 Years of Engineering Highlights