Outback Ghost Mines: Trekelano (North West Queensland, Outback Australia)
A deposit of copper bearing ore 14km southeast of Duchess at Trekelano was exploited by the Hampden Co for use at its Kuridala smelter. The ore body was one of the richer ones in the Cloncurry area, averaging around 13% copper and lesser amount of silver and gold. Trekelano ore was particularly valuable as a smelting aid.
The deposit was first worked in about 1906 in a small way, mostly for development work, and gradually increased its output of economical volumes by 1915. In time, the mine was equipped with a semi-marine type Babcock & Wilcox boiler, a Walker geared winding engine, Fraser & Chambers compressor, electric light from a 40hp Hornsby gas engine and wood producer, a picking plant, and ore bins. Narrow gauge tramways were used to move the ore to the dumps to the loading state and to fart firewood to the boiler house. Associated facilities were a change room, an engine room, a boiler shed, magazines, offices, stores, and staff quarters. At its peak, the mine employed 60 men. A school and post office were provided from 1918 and these remained viable until 1928.
When the railway was extended from Malbon to Duchess, the company began sending Trekelano ore to Duchess using a traction engine and wagons. This arrangement was not satisfactory in the long term so as soon as the railway was extended from Duchess to Dajarra, the company immediately took steps to lay a connecting tramway. The link was 12.3km in length.
The line was funded and built by the company under the Tramways Act. Engineering specifications were based on QR standards but were more economical in regard to the road bed and ballasting. The company sourced the rails and sleepers from QR and secured them on time payment based on a rebate from a premium placed on every ton carried. The company also paid the line maintenance fees.
Construction commenced on the 10th of September 1917 some 7.5km from Duchess at 553 miles and 21 chains, later known as Juenburra. Accommodation comprised a loop siding on the left from which was laid the branch proper which consisted of a curve to the southeast where another loop was placed on the right. From here the line continued southeast to the mine, which was 130 rail kilometres from Cloncurry.
A passenger service was offered but it was minimally supported because the Trekelano community had a road coach service to Duchess station. The coach departed Duchess at 7am on Monday and Friday for a same day return. Passenger rail journeys were around 200 per year to 1921 and then tailed off to virtually nothing, ceasing altogether soon after.
From 1941 the train day became a Monday and was worked by the Cloncurry-Dajarra-Cloncurry weekly mixed running on a Sunday-Monday overnight rest schedule. Ore loadings had dropped by half at this time to around 3500 tons due to shortages of labour and machinery spare parts. One train a week sufficed. Loadings diminished even further to less then 2000 tons by 1943. The mine closed that year and the train service ceased at this time. A small community remained until the end, and this included several school aged children who were driven to Duchess each day for their education.
The mine owners retired to the coast and after the war put the mine and tramway on the market. There were no takers for the assets as a going concern so the plant was sold for scrap. The rails were purchased by the North Eton Sugar Mill and were removed by 1947. The telephone pole line was dismantled at the same time. The sleepers had no value and were left in situ. The official closure of the tramway is the 14th of May 1947.
The original Trekelano mine produced 220 000 tons of ore over its lifetime to yield 20 000 tons of copper and 3000 oz of gold. In the 1990s the site was gone over by the drivers of Mineral Commodities NL to locate and estimated 400 000 tonnes of 2.2% copper and 0.6 grams/tonne of gold. The deposit was reopened in 2005 by Osborne Mines and worked as a massive pit, this development swallowing the remains of the original mine and tramway. The Trekelano ore was carted to a concentrating plant at Mount Osborne, south of Selwyn, and the treated ore despatched by rail through to Phosphate Hill.
The mine is no longer in use.
Source: Copper in the Curry by Norman Houghton.
Outback Ghost Mines: Trekelano (North West Queensland, Outback Australia)
A deposit of copper bearing ore 14km southeast of Duchess at Trekelano was exploited by the Hampden Co for use at its Kuridala smelter. The ore body was one of the richer ones in the Cloncurry area, averaging around 13% copper and lesser amount of silver and gold. Trekelano ore was particularly valuable as a smelting aid.
The deposit was first worked in about 1906 in a small way, mostly for development work, and gradually increased its output of economical volumes by 1915. In time, the mine was equipped with a semi-marine type Babcock & Wilcox boiler, a Walker geared winding engine, Fraser & Chambers compressor, electric light from a 40hp Hornsby gas engine and wood producer, a picking plant, and ore bins. Narrow gauge tramways were used to move the ore to the dumps to the loading state and to fart firewood to the boiler house. Associated facilities were a change room, an engine room, a boiler shed, magazines, offices, stores, and staff quarters. At its peak, the mine employed 60 men. A school and post office were provided from 1918 and these remained viable until 1928.
When the railway was extended from Malbon to Duchess, the company began sending Trekelano ore to Duchess using a traction engine and wagons. This arrangement was not satisfactory in the long term so as soon as the railway was extended from Duchess to Dajarra, the company immediately took steps to lay a connecting tramway. The link was 12.3km in length.
The line was funded and built by the company under the Tramways Act. Engineering specifications were based on QR standards but were more economical in regard to the road bed and ballasting. The company sourced the rails and sleepers from QR and secured them on time payment based on a rebate from a premium placed on every ton carried. The company also paid the line maintenance fees.
Construction commenced on the 10th of September 1917 some 7.5km from Duchess at 553 miles and 21 chains, later known as Juenburra. Accommodation comprised a loop siding on the left from which was laid the branch proper which consisted of a curve to the southeast where another loop was placed on the right. From here the line continued southeast to the mine, which was 130 rail kilometres from Cloncurry.
A passenger service was offered but it was minimally supported because the Trekelano community had a road coach service to Duchess station. The coach departed Duchess at 7am on Monday and Friday for a same day return. Passenger rail journeys were around 200 per year to 1921 and then tailed off to virtually nothing, ceasing altogether soon after.
From 1941 the train day became a Monday and was worked by the Cloncurry-Dajarra-Cloncurry weekly mixed running on a Sunday-Monday overnight rest schedule. Ore loadings had dropped by half at this time to around 3500 tons due to shortages of labour and machinery spare parts. One train a week sufficed. Loadings diminished even further to less then 2000 tons by 1943. The mine closed that year and the train service ceased at this time. A small community remained until the end, and this included several school aged children who were driven to Duchess each day for their education.
The mine owners retired to the coast and after the war put the mine and tramway on the market. There were no takers for the assets as a going concern so the plant was sold for scrap. The rails were purchased by the North Eton Sugar Mill and were removed by 1947. The telephone pole line was dismantled at the same time. The sleepers had no value and were left in situ. The official closure of the tramway is the 14th of May 1947.
The original Trekelano mine produced 220 000 tons of ore over its lifetime to yield 20 000 tons of copper and 3000 oz of gold. In the 1990s the site was gone over by the drivers of Mineral Commodities NL to locate and estimated 400 000 tonnes of 2.2% copper and 0.6 grams/tonne of gold. The deposit was reopened in 2005 by Osborne Mines and worked as a massive pit, this development swallowing the remains of the original mine and tramway. The Trekelano ore was carted to a concentrating plant at Mount Osborne, south of Selwyn, and the treated ore despatched by rail through to Phosphate Hill.
The mine is no longer in use.
Source: Copper in the Curry by Norman Houghton.