The Queen River is a river that flows through Queenstown Tasmania, to the west of the West Coast Range in particular Mount Lyell and Mount Owen.
For over 80 years the main carrier of Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company mining residue, and the local sewage. It is estimated that 100 million tonnes of tailings were disposed of into the Queen River. This in turn flowed into the lower part of the King River, and then into a delta at the mouth of the river where it met Macquarie Harbour.
Following the Mount Lyell Remediation and Research and Demonstration Program construction of tailings dams, and general reduction of waste into this river, it is now rusty in colour rather than silvery grey as it was previously.
It passes under and adjacent to the revitalised railway now known as the West Coast Wilderness Railway
South of Queenstown on the edge of the river is the early settlement of Lynchford where a gold mine and other mining activity supported a small community in the early days of the railway.
Famous quotes containing the words queen and/or river:
““The king died and then the queen died” is a story. “The king died, and then queen died of grief” is a plot.”
—E.M. (Edward Morgan)
“We approached the Indian Island through the narrow strait called “Cook.” He said, “I ‘xpect we take in some water there, river so high,—never see it so high at this season. Very rough water there, but short; swamp steamboat once. Don’t paddle till I tell you, then you paddle right along.” It was a very short rapid. When we were in the midst of it he shouted “paddle,” and we shot through without taking in a drop.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)