Boyne Valley (Queensland) - Gold Miners

Gold Miners

Next came the miners. In 1853 Mrs Brennan had found a 3oz nugget on the northern slopes of the Boyne Range but it was not until the proclamation of the Calliope Gold field ten years later that the rush began.

The Milton Goldfield was proclaimed in 1879. Norton Township grew on the site and with a population of several thousand boasted a police station, School of Arts, two hotels and a brick furnace. Estimates show the mine produced over 20 000 ounces of gold before it closed. Other mines followed at Eastern Boyne, Barmundoo, Mt Jacob and Monal.

Following names through the various fields allows the timeline of mining development to unfold. Mark Mansfield was listed as registered proprietor of the Grassvale Hotel at Ten Mile in 1892, The Miners Arms, Mt Jacob in 1894, The Milton Hotel at Lakeview in 1989 and The Commercial Hotel, Norton in 1905.

The discovery of copper and gold at Many Peaks and Glassford Creek in the late 1890s led to the construction of the Gladstone - Many Peaks railway line by The Mount Morgan Gold Company who used the local ore as flux in their Mount Morgan gold smelters. The Governor of Queensland opened the railway line at a gala function on the 25 July 1910.

At its height, the population of Many Peaks rose to over 3 000. Lamplighter Mr T Tighe lighted the streets. The school had a head master and four assistant teachers. There were 5 hotels, a hospital, stores, cordial works and café. A brass band provided entertainment and a horse-drawn cab transported passengers about town.

Only Many Peaks remains as testimony to this bygone era. The police station, which began life at Glassford Creek, still serves the valley. The Grand Hotel, which was originally the Railway Hotel in Gladstone, was systematically numbered, dismantled and carted by horse team to its present site in 1907. Here it was re-erected and still operates, with John and Janice Hopf as proprietors since 1980. The hospital and school remain although no longer serving their original purposes. The railway dam and gravity fed water tank used to water steam driven trains are also able to be seen. The Post Office, removed first to Littlemore as a Memorial Hall then to Ubobo now serves as a QCWA hall.