A Day in Historic Mount Morgan Preview

Prior to European migrants settling in the area, the area was part of the Kangulu (or Gangulu) peoples. The Gangulu people, also written Kangulu, Kanolu, Kaangooloo and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people from the Mount Morgan.

Gangulu traditional lands occupied an estimated 16,000 square kilometres about the Dawson River as far south as Banana and Theodore. To the northwest, they extended as far as the Mackenzie River and the vicinity of Duaringa and Coomooboolaroo. Their eastern frontier lay towards Biloela, Mount Morgan, Gogango Range, and the upper Don River. Thangool and the headwaters of Grevillea Creek marked its southeastern limits.

In the year 1853, the Leith Hay family moved from the South to settle on a cattle property near Rannes. In 1855 the Archer brothers settled at Gracemere near Rockhampton. In 1853 the Archer brothers had travelled northward through Rannes, up the Dee Valley, coming out on the edge of the Razorback ranges, not very far from where the Stopford Highway drops over into Poison Creek. They then descended onto the Fitzroy flats. They were probably the first white men to see Ironstone Mountain (now known as Mount Morgan), although to them it would have appeared to be nothing more than an insignificant hill amongst the various peaks and ridges at the northern end of the Dee Valley.

Ironstone Mountain (or Mount Morgan) was a subsidiary spur of the main coastal range, having a bearing of W.N.W. and E.S.E., and had an altitude of 1276 feet (389m) above sea level.

Shortly afterwards Hugh Robinson selected a cattle property (Calliungal Cattle Station) which stretched from Rannes northwards to the Razorback Ranges, taking in most of the Dee Valley through which the Dee River flows and in which, at the northern end of the valley, lies Mount Morgan.

As far back as 1865 prospectors were fossicking in the gullies in the vicinity of Ironstone Mountain, and alluvial gold was found in the district long before the mountain itself was found to be gold-bearing. The reason for this was, of course, that fossickers were only interested in alluvial gold from the gullies, and perhaps tracing its source to reefs in the surrounding hills; this alluvial gold did not come from the ironstone outcrop of Ironstone Mountain.

Around this period William Mackinlay, a stockman on Calliungal Station, was sent to set up an outstation on the Northern end of the Calliungal run. He built a hut for himself and his family on Box Flat, which is only a short distance from Ironstone Mountain, and was living there when John Gordon, a Scottish migrant, came to the district. Box Flat was later named Maranu by the Railway Department. Horses carting a load up the Razorback Road Carrying a load up the Razorback.

Mackinlay was interested in prospecting, so it was only natural that he prospected in his spare time. In about 1870 he discovered that the ironstone outcrop of Ironstone Mountain was gold bearing. However, we are told that he failed to interest anyone in the specimens of rock (the source of which he kept secret) that he had taken from the mountain. One of his daughters, a Mrs. Healy who lived at Talban on the outskirts of Mount Morgan until 1940, would tell how she, her father and other members of the family would carry bags of stone from the mountain to the creek below to dolly and wash for the gold content.

In 1870 John Gordon applied to select and purchase 640 acres of land on the Northern end of the Calliungal run (under the Crown Land Act of 1868 it was possible for land-seekers to select blocks of land on designated portions of existing runs. After some difficulties over boundaries, he secured the block for 320 pounds, and his western boundary ran right across the top of Ironstone Mountain. He named his block Glen Gordon. Not being a mining man, he would have been ignorant of the significance of the ironstone outcrop.
In those days the owner of the land, to all intents and purposes, owned all the mineral on the land, so Mackinlay and his family decided to keep his discovery a secret, especially from John Gordon. Although Mackinlay could have selected worthwhile land outside the boundary fence, he did not do so.

One of Mackinlay's daughters became friendly with Alexander (Sandy) Gordon, one of John Gordon's sons, and she divulged the secret to him. Mackinlay was so angry that he banished her from their home and thereafter had nothing to do with her. She eventually married Sandy, who died in 1885.

The drought of 1878 and possibly the ill-health of Mrs Gordon forced the family (with the exception of a son, Donald) to leave Glen Gordon and go to live in Rockhampton. As it was necessary to live on a property for a specified time to obtain the freehold title to the land, John Gordon transferred his property to his son Donald who continued to live there, receiving the title in 1879.

Several miles to the north of Glen Gordon, on the plains below the range, David Jones owned a property at Table Mountain which he acquired in 1862. Towards the end of the 1870's one of David Jones sons, John Jones, was working a five-head stamp battery between Table Mountain and Glen Gordon. In 1881 Donald Gordon showed John Jones a specimen of ironstone flecked with minute yellowish metallic particles which he found in the ranges near his home, which was a hut built near the junction of Dairy Creek and the Dee River, and very close to Ironstone Mountain. Jones said it was gold, but a mining man in Rockhampton had told Donald that it was mundic (iron pyrites or foolsgold). Jones was unconvinced and arranged to go to Glen Gordon to obtain a dray load of the stone for testing. In due course he arrived at Glen Gordon only to find Donald missing. Not knowing where to look for the stone, he returned home with an empty dray. What actually happened was that Donald had been suddenly called to Rockhampton because his mother was dangerously ill, and taking the shortest route, he missed seeing Jones. While in Rockhampton, Donald accepted a job in the North and did not return to Glen Gordon.

In 1881 Sandy Gordon was working in the Raglan district for a business and mining man named William Burns. Sandy had wanted to take Burns to Ironstone Mountain and while Burns agreed to go at a later date, for various reasons the visit never eventuated. Later, having been paid off by Burns, he obtained a job at the Galawa mine at Cawarral, owned jointly by Frederick Morgan (a prominent business and mining man in Rockhampton and three times its Mayor) and Thomas Skarratt Hall (a Rockhampton banker). The mine and treatment plant (a stamp battery) was operated by Fred Morgan's two brothers, Tom and Edwin (Ned). Sandy was eventually paid off because of his insobriety.

Sandy's wife pleaded with the Morgans to re-employ him, saying that if they took him back, Sandy would show them where her father found _______; and here some confusion exists, for according to the Early History of Rockhampton by J.T.S. Bird, Mrs Gordon said, copper. Tom Morgan in "The Tales of Early Rockhampton", by G.S. Pattison, also said "copper". Edwin (Ned) Morgan, in The Mount Morgan Gold Mine, Concise History of the Mine and District, by Frank W. Sykes (1893), said it was a silver lode. The Morgans accepted her offer, re-employed Sandy, and in 1882 Tom and Ned Morgan made a prospecting trip to the Dee Valley.

Ned Morgan claims that Sandy agreed to show them a silver lode in the vicinity of Ninemile Creek and that while Sandy was to receive a share if the silver lode was located, he would not partake in any other discoveries they might make. Ned claims that although they failed to find the silver lode, he, by mere chance, discovered that Ironstone Mountain was auriferous (gold bearing). The Morgans, in due course, pegged out claims on the mountain outside Gordon's boundary fence and later were granted leases. They renamed the mountain "Mount Morgan" after themselves.

As Ironstone Mountain was on the western boundary of the 640 acre block (which is only a small block) owned by the Gordons, and since Donald's hut was built at the junction of Dairy Creek and the Dee River, only a very short distance from the mountain, and as Sandy's wife had told Sandy that the mountain was gold bearing and because Sandy had wanted to take William Burns to the mountain, it would be hard to believe that Ned Morgan, in the company of Sandy, should come upon the mountain by "mere chance".

Ned Morgan's account of how he discovered Mount Morgan, written ten years later, is not very convincing to those who know the district (see Ned Morgan's narrative of "How I discovered Mount Morgan" in "The Mount Morgan Mine, Concise History of Mine and District" by Frank W. Sykes, 1893). In Ned's narrative, he says that because all their gear was wet due to torrential rains which fell on Saturday night while prospecting at the Ninemile, they decided to return home the following morning. By noon the following day, after having to ford a number of flooded creeks, they arrived, directed by Sandy, at a hut near the junction of Dairy Creek and the Dee River and later decided to stop the night. In the afternoon, which was bitterly cold and raining, Ned suggested they do a bit of fossicking to put in the afternoon. Tom declined, so he (Ned) and Sandy set out. Ned claims that they travelled two miles north of the hut fossicking the gullies, then crossed over the range in westerly direction and travelled some distance down a gully. He then said that they climbed a mountain to endeavour to discover the position of the hut, when he picked up some black stone from the top of the mountain (without Sandy knowing). Later, at the hut, he crushed the stone (without Sandy knowing) and found it to be rich in gold. Later they pegged out claims on the mountain just outside Gordon's boundary fence.

As B.G. Patterson, in his lecture entitled, "The Story of the Discovery of Mount Morgan", delivered to the Historical Society of Queensland on 27th May 1948, said, "can we be blamed for being incredulous?". If they had travelled in the direction claimed, they would have been following a gully running into a creek which flowed towards Stanwell and would have been some distance from Ironstone Mountain. And why was Ned Morgan so keen on going prospecting on a bitterly cold and rainy Sunday afternoon just to put in time. There is no doubt that Sandy, with his knowledge of the mountain, took Ned to Ironstone Mountain. The Gordons (and others) later claimed that Sandy was cheated out of his rightful share of the mine.

While full credit goes to the Morgans for developing the mine, they do not deserve the credit of being the persons who actually discovered it. The man who discovered it was William Mackinlay. One can only surmise why William Mackinlay did not take steps to secure a valid claim or title to the mountain, knowing it was rich in gold. In those days a title to a mining tenement was not so easily obtained; for a gold-mining lease could only be taken up on a proclaimed goldfield, and Ironstone Mountain was not on such a field until 1883 when the Crocodile goldfield was extended to take in Ironstone Mountain. He could have pegged out a number of small claims, but this required some knowledge of mining regulations and maybe the services of a surveyor. He could have taken up a selection, as did John Gordon, but he probably did not have the necessary finance and he would have had to live on the property for a specified time to obtain the title. He was a stockman, not a mining or business man, and like many others, probably just hoped to sell his knowledge to anyone who could afford to pay for it.

One may also wonder why specimen of rock taken from the mountain-top created little or no interest at first amongst the mining men of the district. We are told that nobody was interested in specimens that Mackinlay had taken to Rockhampton and that Donald Gordon was told in Rockhampton that the fine yellow material in the rock was mundic (iron pyrites, sometimes called "fools" or "newchums" gold). The reason for this, no doubt, was due to physical properties of the gold in the rock. The gold in the ironstone outcrop was very fine and had a tarnished yellow colour which was probably due to a stain of iron oxide. In those days men did not have easy access to an Assay Office, but depended on their ability to recognise gold and were not familiar with fine gold in ironstone rocks. They also did not like to make fools of themselves by mistaking pyrite (mundic, fools or newchum gold) for gold.

In 1882 the three Morgan brothers (Fred, Tom, and Edwin "Ned"), together with three other Rockhampton businessmen, William Knox D'Arcy (solicitor), Thomas Skarratt Hall (bank manager), and William Pattison (grazier), formed a "syndicate" to mine and treat the orebody. They also purchased Glen Gordon from Donald Gordon, who had returned to the district. The Morgans said that all they wanted to purchase from Donald was 10 acres of the freehold in order to have right of way through Glen Gordon, but that Gordon begged them to purchase the lot. They finally bought Glen Gordon for one pound per acre. This syndicate lasted until 1886, when the Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company Limited (now referred to as "The Old Company") was formed.
In 1927, due to the low price of copper, rising costs, industrial trouble and fire in the heavily timbered underground workings, with subsequent flooding of the mine to control the fire, the Company went into voluntary liquidation.

In 1929, "Mount Morgan Limited" was formed and continued until 1968, when Peko Wallsend Limited made a takeover, and Mount Morgan Limited became a subsidiary of Peko Wallsend Limited. Mining and treatment of Mount Morgan ore continued until the closure of the mine in July 1981.

Mined for 99 years, Mount Morgan yielded a total of 225,000 kg of gold, 50,000 kg of silver and 360,000 tonnes of copper; Ironstone Mountain became a very large hole -- 1066 feet (325 metres) deep from the original mountain top.

The Flash Smelter continued to operate at full capacity until 1984, treating copper concentrates from Peko-Wallsend's "Warrego Mine" near Tennant Creek (N.T.) but the concentrates became no longer available and the smelter ceased operations at the end of June, 1984.

A Carbon-in-Pulp Cyanide plant commenced operations in September 1982 to recover gold and silver from accumulated mill tailings, which still contained a gram of gold per tonne, ceased production on 9 November, 1990. This plant produced a further 13979.293 kg of Gold and 4535.167 kg of Silver.

Stopford Way Lookout offers a picturesque view and an introduction into the history of Mount Morgan. The lookout was designed to replicate an iconic mine shaft known as the 'Linda Incline,' and is the perfect place to stop and stretch the legs on your way up the range.

Officially opened in 1898 as the town’s Railway Station, the building today now houses the Mount Morgan Railway Museum and Accredited Visitor Information Centre.

The building takes you a step back in time and offers the opportunity to experience how travel and life in Mount Morgan once was. Through impressive audio-visual displays and 3D presentation you can get a feel for early travel aboard the old rack rail; transporting trains up the steep inclines of the area’s mountains in the late 1800s.

The Museum also includes an extensive range of rail memorabilia on display, including past equipment, rolling stock including steam locomotive, goods shed and water tanks for steam engines.

• The Accredited Visitor Information Centre stocks brochures & maps and our friendly staff will advise you on all there is to see and do in Mount Morgan and surrounding areas.
• Light refreshments are available.
• Free WiFi
• Local Arts, Crafts and Souvenirs on sale.
• Public toilets, driver reviver, wheelchair accessible, ample caravan, bus and car parking available.
• Schools & Special Interest Groups welcome By Appointment.

Phone: 07 4938 2312 or 04 9288 5350
Email: mmpad@bigpond.com

The Dee River, flowing through Mount Morgan, was once lined with a number of Mount Morgan’s famous Swinging Bridges, with the first constructed in the 1890’s. Six of these unique bridges were constructed over the Dee River; built to ensure easy access between the town and mine site, even during times of flood. Sadly no originals remain today, only remnants can be found in Tipperary. A replica can be found however, across the river connecting Byrnes Parade to East Street; giving those who cross a feel for the old mining days.

Quick fact: This replica is known as the Private Victor Stanley Jones Suspension Bridge, in memory of the nation's first military casualty. Private Jones was the 1st Australian Soldier to die in Imperial Service on foreign soil (South Africa). This was built as a joint project by the Engineers of the ARMY and Mount Morgan Shire Council in 2000 for the Centenary of Federation: A plaque dedicated to Private Jones and his life work is located at the end of the bridge today.

There were 7 dams built by the mine along the Dee River in the early years for their private operations.

No 7 dam was the last and largest constructed in 1900 and as the story goes dug out by pick and shovel, a huge feat, taking 4 years to fill and after the breaking of the famous drought giving a quite large capacity for those days of approximately 950 mgltrs.

Today it is used as the towns water supply and a popular aquatic playground for locals and visitors.Two decades ago with government assisted funding construction occurred giving an extension to the dam's wall ,increasing its capacity to 2800 mgltrs.

Quick fact: Making each dam larger each time around, the number seven was the mine’s largest dam. This is why it is often referred to locally as either the “Number 7” or the “Big”.

The Frank Golding Lookout is sponsored by the Mount Morgan Rotary Committee, and is named after a former Rotarian and Historian of Mount Morgan - Mr Frank Golding. This lookout is the highest lookout point in the town and provides a terrific view of scenic Mount Morgan and an ideal photo opportunity.

Mr Golding wrote many papers on various aspects of Mount Morgan's history.

He co-wrote, with Miss Nessie Chardon, Mount Morgan Centenary booklet in 1982. Frank could often be seen walking the streets with an old-styled port containing his historical works. Regardless of the weather, Frank was always decked out in a suit and tie. He was a Justice of the Peace, an accountant, Frank was a patron of Mount Morgan State High School and was the treasurer for many community organisations. Frank was born in 1910 in Felixstowe in England and his Dee Street house was named after his birth town. Frank would spend countless hours researching the town's history (not so much the Mount Morgan Mine's history). Frank would help any student who needed information on the town and would often celebrate their coming of age and graduation achievements by providing bottles of wine. Frank sadly passed away in June 1991, at the age of 81.

The idea for the Frank Golding Lookout was first touted in the late 1990's but it wasn't until the early 2000's that Rotary received a grant to develop the site and did so with the assistance of the then Mount Morgan Shire Council.

Named after a former Chairman for the Mount Morgan Council, the Arthur Timms Lookout is the closest lookout to the Mine. This viewing point provides a perfect photo opportunity of the Mine from a distance and a great way to view the spanning township.

Below the Arthur Timms lookout sits what is known as the “Irish Quarter” or Tipperary Point today.

Tipperary Point was one of the earliest and largest Mount Morgan settlements (over 1000 people) and was strongly influenced by the Irish immigrants and miners who lived there.

While most of the houses and commercial buildings have gone, the Irish influence still lives on through the names of the streets – such as Dublin, Killarney and Limerick Lane, and was connected to the Mount Morgan Mine by a suspension bridge, the remnants of which are still visible today.

Quick Fact: When built, the original stack was 79 metres tall and contained 750,000 bricks. Seven metres have been removed including the corbelling. The bands around the stack were placed on the stack by steeplejacks in 1913 following a lightning strike in 1912 and removed two metres from the structure. A further seven metres were removed in 1990.

Explore the Mount Morgan CBD with local businesses offering gifts, homewares, collectables, great cafes and a great bakery!

The town’s main CBD area ensures that the visitor and townspeople are well catered for offering unique shopping experiences and fine food and hospitality at the many hotels and cafes in town. Mount Morgan has a range of unique businesses where you can search from treasures from the past or look for future finds in stores with names as unique as the town itself, including Wattle Bee Next and Found.

If a pub style lunch is more your thing, try The Grand Hotel or Leichhardt Hotel, both offering great counter meals. There are local cafe's that serve both takeaway or sit-down meals, or pies, sausage rolls and other sweet treats can be bought from the bakery.

The Running the Cutter Statue represents an interesting past tradition carried out in Mount Morgan from 1900 – 1918. At the time of this unique custom, a billycan was known as a “cutter”. There are a number of tales behind this past custom, but often the “running” the Cutter refers to the task which was carried out by a young local daily. It is said that when a miner finished his shift, he would have a young lad run to a nearby hotel with his billycan, have it filled with beer and brought back to him as he came off shift.

Another chapter of the “running” is said to have been established by miners who wished to head home straight from work, or a number of miners’ wives who tired of their husbands returning home late for meals; sending their children to fetch Dad a billy of beer and have it waiting for him at the end of his shift. It is believed that the rising cost of beer caused publicans to put an end to the billy can, and cease the tradition of running the cutter.

Quick fact: Today the tradition is brought to life annually, during a competition held during the Golden Mount Festival. The Running the Cutter contest sees teams relay the town’s remaining 4 hotels, with the lucky last team member downing a cutter full of beer.

The Mafeking Bell was cast at the Mount Morgan Mine in 1900. Made from copper pennies donated by the local school children, the bell was cast to celebrate the relief of Mafeking; held under siege for a number of months during the Boer War. The defence of Mafeking was under the command of Lord Baden Powell, founder of the Boy Scout Movement.

The Bell was originally located at the front of the town’s Council Chambers but by 1962 it was presented to the local Boy Scouts of Mount Morgan to tie its special history. The bell is now located in Morgan Street as part of the Main Street Refurbishment. The bell weighs a whopping 570kgs.

Quick fact: The Bell’s gong was originally made from melted watch cases.

A trip to Mount Morgan would not be complete without a trip to the Mount Morgan Historical Museum. Housing an impressive collection of relics from the town's earliest years to the present, the Mount Morgan Historical Museum delves into the captivating history of Mount Morgan.

Among the extensive range, displays include mining equipment, historic household and business objects, and an extensive photographic display; taking you through the years of Mount Morgan life, and presenting the faces and stories of some of the town’s most prominent individuals.

The fascination continues with the Museum’s fine collection of horse-drawn buggies and wagons, along with the first motor hearse in Mount Morgan (a 1921 Buick) and a 1942 International Fire Engine.

Part of the unique display also includes the Museum and Gallery Achievement Award winning exhibit Mount Morgan Murri. Telling a fine example of the history of the local Indigenous community, Mount Morgan Murri features a variety of artifacts, interpretation panels, stories and photographs recovered from around the local area. The collection also includes local Indigenous artwork and an audio visual display of photographs and voiceovers - presented by members of the Mount Morgan community.

Gifts and Souvenirs are also available.

Made in 1919, the steam operated Mine Hooter was used by the Mount Morgan Mine throughout the many years of its life. Serving as a familiar sound to the residents of Mount Morgan, the sound of the hooter could not be missed. On a typical day, it blew at 6.30am (three blasts), 7.30am (two blasts), 8.00am, 10.00am, 10.10am, 12.00 noon, 12.30pm, 4.00pm, 4.30pm, 7.30pm, 11.00pm (two blasts) 12.00 midnight and 3.30am.

Over the years, the hooter signified the time, tragedy, good news, and joy. The mine hooter was blown to mark the shifts and meal breaks, a lost miner, serious accidents - to warn the hospital to prepare, and for town fires. It also was blown as a mark of respect to remember the fallen on Remembrance and Armistice Days, and to also herald in the New Year.

Quick fact: On midnight on each New Year’s Eve, the operator would have a free hand and exercise the right - often seeing the mine hooter blow in all sorts of combinations for several minutes.

Below the Arthur Timms lookout sits what is known as the “Irish Quarter” or Tipperary Point today.

Tipperary Point was one of the earliest and largest Mount Morgan settlements (over 1000 people) and was strongly influenced by the Irish immigrants and miners who lived there.

While most of the houses and commercial buildings have gone, the Irish influence still lives on through the names of the streets – such as Dublin, Killarney and Limerick Lane, and was connected to the Mount Morgan Mine by a suspension bridge, the remnants of which are still visible today.