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| Mt. Mulligan up close |
My wife and I currently live in Queensland, in a very small community in the Atherton Table lands called Walkamin, at elevation about 1,650 ft. Walkamin has three streets of houses and a general store that sells gas and diesel and serves as a post office. The town's location is shown as a red square on this map of Australia:
Closer up, Walkamin is about halfway between Atherton and Mareeba, an hour West of Cairns, a popular place for tourists to access the Great Barrier Reef:
Here's a map of Australia on the web that you can use to zoom in on Walkamin.
The last week of June, a couple we've met since arriving here suggested we go with them on a picnic to Mt. Mulligan. Little did I know it would turn into such an interesting day.
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| Mt. Mulligan in the distance |
A disaster in 1921 led to the closing of the coal mines. Wikipedia provides the following information:
The Mount Mulligan mine disaster occurred on 19 September 1921 in Mount Mulligan, Far North Queensland, Australia. A series of explosions in the local coal mine, audible as much as 30 km away, rocked the close knit township.Anyway, we went to Mt. Mulligan for a picnic. The mountain is about 100 miles inland, west of Walkamin, and about 60% of the road is dirt/gravel/rock. There are no bridges for crossing creeks and small rivers. This is the only time of the year you can get to it. Forget going in "the wet," which is summer. Remember, it's winter here now in Australia and anywhere north is mild and warm.
Seventy-five workers were killed by the disaster, which is the third worst coal mining accident in Australia in terms of human lives lost. Four of the dead had been at the mouth of the pit at the time of the explosion. Only eleven of the bodies were found. The disaster affected people in cities and towns all over the country. The mine, which was new at the time of the accident, was widely considered safe and had no previous indications of gas leaks. The miners hence worked using open flame lights instead of safety lamps.
After three hours of dusty, bumpy driving we found what Aussies call a billabong—a lake or pond—where we had lunch.
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| Actually, we had already put the lunch fixings away and were enjoying a cup of coffee |
We discovered that the town associated with the mines is no more, but modern street signs have been erected where the streets used to be.
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| What is left of one of the streets |
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| The miners who were killed in the explosion have their own memorial site with only the eleven graves of the ones that were foun |
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| The old smelter |
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Copyright © 2013 by Vic Midyett
| Please comment |
Enjoyed the pictures, Vic. Is there still coal there. If so you are lucky it isn't the States, because the fools there would say the hell with the tunnels and cut the top of the mountain off.
ReplyDeleteYou look like you are having fun, give Shirley a big hug from me.
Yes, there is still an enormous amount of coal there, but the Aboriginals have "claimed" it as sacred ground. In this country that's pretty much the end of messing with it anymore. At this point anyway. You know how dirty politics and greed can change everything though. Vic
ReplyDeleteI found out new information since I wrote this. One of the ladies that was in this park, (traveling in WA now) lived in that little town as a kid. She said, after the mine disaster, the govt. moved the buildings and people to another town. That is why it simply isn't there anymore. She said they have a town reunion every yr in May for the few that are still alive and it's like they never parted company. I didn't know her family name, or that she lived there, or I would have looked for the plaque. Vic
ReplyDeleteThat was a hell of a find. How often would something that come along?
ReplyDelete