The Abandoned Mary Kathleen Uranium Mine (North West Queensland, Australia)
The first showings of copper and gold in the Cloncurry district were reported in 1867 and the area has been prospected for minerals ever since. It was not until 1954, when a syndicate of eight men, headed by Messrs Clem Walton and Norm McConarchy, discovered the uranium deposit.
On the 6th of July 1954, two days after the discovery, the leases were pegged and the deposit was named Mary Kathleen in memory of the wife of Mr McConachy, who had died prior to the discovery.
By March 1956 development had proceeded to the extent that a contract for the supply of 4, 802 tonnes of uranium oxide to the value of $80 million was negotiated to the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). Mary Kathleen uranium Limited and Rio Tinto Mining Company of Australia. The necessary funds for the venture (26 million) were provided by the UKAEA, Rio Tinto, and Australian banks.
The Mary Kathleen township was located approximately 5km from the mine sit in an attractive valley at the convergence of two creeks. This location was selected because of the large area of good soil available, the open location, and the isolation from the mine and associated works.
On the 1st of June 1958, the plant was commissioned and the first uranium oxide concentrate was drummed soon after. Concurrent with the construction programme, mining equipment was being acquired and the development of the orebody was proceeding. At the end of May 1958, a stockpile of 227, 000 tonnes of ore had been accumulated and the orebody had been developed to the state where it could yield 31, 750 tonnes of ore per month.
Water supply to the town was from Lake Corella and Lake Mary Kathleen (East Leichhardt Dam). Adjacent to Lake Corella, a park and picnic spot had been established and named Clem Walton's Park, which is still used by the public to this day.
Production ceased on the 4th of October 1963 after the contract tonnage had been produced. The plant and mine were then 'mothballed' and placed on a maintenance basis until additional contracts could be negotiated.
It was not until 1970 that contracts for the sale of uranium were finally obtained, with the first delivery due in 1974. Various aspects of the mine and plant re-opening were studied during the shutdown period. A complete study of the recommissioning was made in late 1971 and early 1972, and showed that a viable operation could be mounted.
In 1982 the contract for uranium oxide was filled and it was decided to close the mine and disband the township due to an oversupply of uranium on the world market. Operations ceased and the houses were sold, everything else was auctioned off on Easter Weekend 1984 (it is said to be Australia's largest auction).
Mary Kathleen was the site of Australia's first major rehabilitation project of a uranium mine. This involved the plant site, a 28 hectare tailings dam, and a 60 ha evaporation pond area. All this has now returned to being a cattle station, with unrestricted access. The rehabilitation project was completed at the end of 1985 at a cost of some $19 million, and won an award for engineering excellence.
The size of the open cut is quite extensive, covering at least 1 - 2 km in length.
Source: Cloncurry Tourist Information Centre & World Nuclear (world-nuclear.org/)
The Abandoned Mary Kathleen Uranium Mine (North West Queensland, Australia)
The first showings of copper and gold in the Cloncurry district were reported in 1867 and the area has been prospected for minerals ever since. It was not until 1954, when a syndicate of eight men, headed by Messrs Clem Walton and Norm McConarchy, discovered the uranium deposit.
On the 6th of July 1954, two days after the discovery, the leases were pegged and the deposit was named Mary Kathleen in memory of the wife of Mr McConachy, who had died prior to the discovery.
By March 1956 development had proceeded to the extent that a contract for the supply of 4, 802 tonnes of uranium oxide to the value of $80 million was negotiated to the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). Mary Kathleen uranium Limited and Rio Tinto Mining Company of Australia. The necessary funds for the venture (26 million) were provided by the UKAEA, Rio Tinto, and Australian banks.
The Mary Kathleen township was located approximately 5km from the mine sit in an attractive valley at the convergence of two creeks. This location was selected because of the large area of good soil available, the open location, and the isolation from the mine and associated works.
On the 1st of June 1958, the plant was commissioned and the first uranium oxide concentrate was drummed soon after. Concurrent with the construction programme, mining equipment was being acquired and the development of the orebody was proceeding. At the end of May 1958, a stockpile of 227, 000 tonnes of ore had been accumulated and the orebody had been developed to the state where it could yield 31, 750 tonnes of ore per month.
Water supply to the town was from Lake Corella and Lake Mary Kathleen (East Leichhardt Dam). Adjacent to Lake Corella, a park and picnic spot had been established and named Clem Walton's Park, which is still used by the public to this day.
Production ceased on the 4th of October 1963 after the contract tonnage had been produced. The plant and mine were then 'mothballed' and placed on a maintenance basis until additional contracts could be negotiated.
It was not until 1970 that contracts for the sale of uranium were finally obtained, with the first delivery due in 1974. Various aspects of the mine and plant re-opening were studied during the shutdown period. A complete study of the recommissioning was made in late 1971 and early 1972, and showed that a viable operation could be mounted.
In 1982 the contract for uranium oxide was filled and it was decided to close the mine and disband the township due to an oversupply of uranium on the world market. Operations ceased and the houses were sold, everything else was auctioned off on Easter Weekend 1984 (it is said to be Australia's largest auction).
Mary Kathleen was the site of Australia's first major rehabilitation project of a uranium mine. This involved the plant site, a 28 hectare tailings dam, and a 60 ha evaporation pond area. All this has now returned to being a cattle station, with unrestricted access. The rehabilitation project was completed at the end of 1985 at a cost of some $19 million, and won an award for engineering excellence.
The size of the open cut is quite extensive, covering at least 1 - 2 km in length.
Source: Cloncurry Tourist Information Centre & World Nuclear (world-nuclear.org/)