Walks, Tracks and Trails of Queensland's Tropics

ROCKHAMPTON–YEPPOON     

Detail of Cattle House.

Rockhampton Heritage Walk

Nearest major town: Rockhampton

Access: Follow Fitzroy Street or Denham, William or Derby streets towards the Fitzroy River and Quay Street. Start at either the Fitzroy or Derby street intersection with Quay Street.

Time: 1 hr one-way, easy

Condition: sealed footpaths

Environment: heritage streetscape, heritage-listed buildings

Rucksack: camera

In 1853, the Archer Brothers explored the area in search of sheep-grazing country. They settled 15 km to the west of Rockhampton at Gracemere, but it was gold that gave Rockhampton prosperity. Gold was discovered at Canoona in 1858, 50 km north of Rockhampton and within weeks 15 000 people passed through the area hoping to make their fortune. Rockhampton, declared a settlement during the same year, grew rapidly. The Canoona rush was short-lived but people stayed on and the town developed. A port was established on the Fitzroy River and by the mid-1860s Rockhampton was considered a major town. Gold was to again provide the wealth for a suite of buildings constructed throughout the city when the metal was discovered in 1882 in unimaginable quantities at Mount Morgan some 75 km south-west.

Head offices for the Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company were constructed in Quay Street, along with bank hotels, legal and business chambers, warehouses, offices an a customs house. Buildings were substantial, well designed and constructed in the Classical and Neo-Classical Revival styles with unifying factors suited to the tropics such as verandahs and colonnaded façades.

Some of the heritage-listed buildings in Rockhampton include:

Criterion Hotel is a major landmark on Quay Street.

263 Agnes Street: The Range Convent and High School

Archer Street: Rockhampton Grammar School

230 Bolsover Street: Rockhampton School of Arts (former)

232 Bolsover Street: Rockhampton Town Hall

280 Bolsover Street: St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Denison Street: Archer Park Railway Station (1899) is an elegant station that features a long timber and cast-iron verandah with a fine entrance. It is an excellent example of a High Victorian timber railway building.

42 East Street: Rockhampton Court Complex (1887) is a classically inspired imposing building with columns and a simple pediment.

278 Ford Street: St John’s Church

112–114 Kent Street: Masonic Hall

36 Larnach Street: St Mark’s Church

230 Quay Street: Commercial Hotel and Chambers (former)

232 Quay Street: Cahill’s Stores (former)

238 Quay Street: Goldsborough Mort Building (former)

248 Quay Street: Avonleigh

250 Quay Street: Clewett’s Building (former)

260 Quay Street: Walter Reid Court

288 Quay Street: Harbour Board (former)

74 Ward Street: Yungaba Migrant Hostel

86 Ward Street: Killowen

89 William Street: St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral (1879–83) is constructed of freestone, with simple ornament and pointed arch windows.

170 William Street: St Joseph’s Cathedral (1889–90) is elaborate, finished with faced sandstone and has twin towers and spires, and a large timber-vaulted ceiling.

Quay Street from Fitzroy to Derby Street is the prime district containing many of the 19th century buildings. Many are of similar size and construction, built between 1882 and 1903 and provide an excellent example of an Australia commercial streetscape. A booklet Rockhampton’s Heritage Walk by Lorna McDonald, available at the Information Centre, is an excellent introduction to these heritage buildings and others throughout Rockhampton. I have selected a section of Quay Street as a sample of the Heritage Walk.

The Morning Bulletin Building.

The heritage-listed Rockhampton Club.

Start at the western approach (city side) of the Fitzroy River bridge and head south along Quay Street flanking the river.

1 Criterion Hotel Soon after Rockhampton was declared a settlement the first hotel, The Bush Inn, was built for Richard Parker. The timber slab and weatherboard construction, with 11 rooms, bar and stables, had a shingle roof. Replaced in 1862, the Bush was renamed the Criterion Hotel and remodelled and expanded in 1889 to architect James Flint’s grand design. It is a two-storey building of rendered brick with timber floors and towers at each end of the Quay Street elevation. Folklore suggests the Criterion has a ghost – possibly that of a chambermaid who, after an affair, committed suicide in room 22. During the Second World War General Douglas MacArthur set up headquarters here. Other guests of note such as Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies, Sir Donald Bradman and actor Garry Cooper spent time here.

2 Morning Bulletin Building Since 1863 the site has been occupied by a newspaper, first the Northern Argus and since 1861 the Morning Bulletin. The present building was constructed in 1926 as a three-storey rendered-concrete structure.

3 Previously The Rockhampton Club and a brewery The brewery was established by F. Russell and A. Bouricault close to the port in 1880. It was purchased in 1884 by Thomas McLaughlin who promptly moved the brewery premises downstream. The Rockhampton Club (founded in 1888) took over the lease of the property after Thomas McLaughlin drowned tragically in 1892. Yorkshire-born architect James Flint designed the two-storey building. He also designed several notable buildings, including Pinehurst, at Athelstane Range (1893–94), the Walter Reid and Co. Stores (1889), the Criterion Hotel (1888–89) and the Children’s Hospital, Athelstane Range (1889). The building was completed in 1893. The shallow hipped roof is clad with corrugated iron and a clerestory lantern is on the apex of the roof. The Quay Street façade, constructed of brick and painted, has a double-storey verandah of ornate timber and iron work. Seven timber verandah posts set on masonry piers form part of a masonry plinth. A frieze rail supports ornate turned timber members with a central arched panel set among them. The upper floor verandah has a cast-iron balustrade linking the timber columns. Beneath the original bar on the ground floor is a brick-lined cellar. The building is now occupied by professional offices.

The 1886 Business Chambers and part of Edwards Chambers.

4 Trustee Chambers Built in the Classical Colonial Style in 1887 it was the private residence of Dr William Callaghan. It features a double-storey verandah supported by six solid cast-iron columns with Doric capitals. The first floor verandah is supported on timber columns aligned with those below and has a cast-iron balustrade and decorative mouldings. The ground floor has a centrally located doorway housed in an arched recess flanked by pairs of windows. The building is now occupied by professional offices.

5 Edwards Chambers was originally built as a utilitarian motor garage for Howard Motor & Cycle Co. Ltd. It is a heritage-listed single-storey concrete building with a corrugated-iron roof. The design is symmetrical with ornate curved arches at each end (now partly obscured with a top-hung verandah).

6 Business Chambers It was built in 1886, in the Neo-Classical Revival Style, for the legal firm of Rees & Sydney Jones Solicitors, the oldest legal firm in Queensland. The firm occupied the building until 1976. The single-storey building has a symmetrical façade that is cement rendered and strongly modelled with quoin work at the corners and the front entrance. Both windows have moulded architraves. A deep cornice runs the full width of the building and a simple parapet hides the roof.

7 Cattle House Originally the Union Bank of Australia, it was built in 1864 and was extended and remodelled in 1898. It is a substantial two-storey masonry building displaying classical architectural features such as a double-storey arcaded loggia on the Quay Street façade. The end bays project slightly from the face of the building and have triangular pediments over the two principal entrances to the building.

The arcade on the first floor has rounded arched bays, corresponding to those below. Italianate masonry balustrading features in each of the five openings. Ornate plaster work adorns the pediment.

8 Luck House The former Australian Estates building is a two-storey brick structure with a cement-rendered façade. It is asymmetrically arranged allowing for separate access to both levels from the street. The upper windows of the fagade are timber-framed double-hung sashes fitted into round-arched openings supported on pilasters.

9 Queensland National Bank (former) The two-storey rendered-brick building has classically composed and detailed façades, with the principal entrance off Denham Street. The entrance to the stair hall and former first floor residence is off Quay Street. It has an Italianate balustrade surmounting the principal façades. The first floor has arched openings separated with double-storey smooth-finished pilasters with moulded bases and Corinthian capitals. The decorative moulding around the arches emphasises the central projecting bay and the openings are linked by cast-iron balustrading.

10 The Royal Bank (former) The building is a two-storey rendered-masonry structure. The elevation has four arched openings on the ground floor, with the entrance to the first floor at the southern end. The ground-floor entrance has a timber-framed door with glass panels and an arched fanlight, flanked by arched windows. The first floor has a four-arched arcaded balcony with cast-iron balustrades and timber handrails.

11 Archer Chambers The building is a single-storey brick structure with a cement-rendered finish. The façade is symmetrical and consists of a central door with large shop windows at either side.

The imposing Customs House dominates its surroundings.

12 Customs House The first was a prefabricated timber building supplied by the Colony of New South Wales. The second larger building constructed in 1863 was a single-storey, masonry building with a colonnaded porch. Unfortunately the foundations were inadequate which caused failure of the structure. Repairs were made but by the 1880s it was beyond further work and demolished. In late 1897 Government Architect A.B. Brady submitted plans for a new Customs House. Government Chief Draughtsman Thomas Pye has been attributed with the design and George Payne responsible for many details of the building. The whole structure sits on a concrete pad on top of piles sunk into the silts and clays of the river floodplain. This construction method resulted in the building’s basement being above ground level. The structure was completed in 1899 and is a substantial, well-composed building featuring classical architecture. Of Stanwell sandstone and rendered brick, the two-storey building has a large semi-circular porch projecting centrally from the façade and flanked by end bays. Two stone stairs curve around the porch to the first floor. Centrally placed over the principal room of the building is a large dome clad with copper and zinc alloy metal sheeting. The dome rests on a sandstone drum with 12 regularly spaced round windows.

13 The former Commercial Hotel and Chambers, a largely three-storey brick building on the corner of Quay and William streets, is an exciting example of late 19th century commercial architecture. The upper two storeys of its street façades have verandahs decorated with elaborate cast-iron work with a parapet above. The ground floor also has verandahs capped with a corrugated-iron roof. The building has had a series of owners and a series of names such as the Commercial Hotel and Chambers, Old Colonial Hotel and now, the Heritage Tavern.

14 ABC Studios Built as the Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company administration office, the structure is comparatively modest. Following the Federation Academic Classical style it has an arched arcaded verandah, a central entrance with a moulded balustrade parapet and granite columns with decorated Ionic capitals and a parapet. The old vault within the building, which once held millions of dollars of gold, is presently the sound studio.

15 Walter and Eliza Hall Building (of Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne fame) Walter Hall commissioned this late Victorian, Classical style building to be constructed in 1899. Later it became the office for the large wool-broking firm Goldsbrough, Mort & Co. Ltd. It is a single-storey cement-rendered building with a central entry and two arch–headed windows on either side. The façade has pilasters, triangular pediments and a parapet above.

16 Avonleigh Chambers Built in 1885 for Frederick Morgan, one of the original shareholders of Mount Morgan mine, it has been a private residence, private hospital, art gallery and now private units.

17 Professional Chambers Constructed in 1893 in the Neo-Classical style.

18 Walter Reid & Co. Building was constructed as a large, three-storey warehouse in 1894. It is finished in unpainted cement-rendered masonry. The exterior has regularly spaced bays separated by piers with coursing separating the ground and first floors. The parapet is surmounted by a central ornament, with the firm’s name and coat of arms, above the central bay on Quay and Derby street elevations. The building is separated from the Walter Reid Community Arts Centre by Quay Lane. It was occupied by American troops during Second World War, and converted into units in the 1980s.

ROCKHAMPTON–YEPPOON     

Marlborough blue cycads and grasstrees grow near the summit of Mount Archer.

Zamia Walk – Mount Archer

Nearest major town: Rockhampton

Access: From Rockhampton follow Dean Street north, turn right at the roundabout into Frenchville Road, then after a further 3 km veer right into Pilbeam Drive followed by a steep 5 km drive to the summit. Lower entrance (pickup point) is off Norman Road and German Street.

Distance: 14 km, 5 hrs one-way, hard. (Section of walk to Sleipner Lookout, 2.4 km, 1 hr return, medium.)

Condition: earthen and rocky surface, steps, creek crossings (walk downhill from the summit)

Environment: eucalypt forest and dry rainforest, mountain vistas

Rucksack: water, protective clothing, camera

About 280–255 million years ago an extensive arc of volcanic mountains along with sedimentary rocks developed offshore. These remnants now form the Berserker Range on the outskirts of Rockhampton. There are also masses of solidified magma that forced through the volcanics and sediments as granites and related rocks to form some of the mountain peaks in the area, including Mount Archer, Cabbage Tree Hill, Mount Nicholson and mounts Badger, Sleipner, Belmont, Kilner and Broadmount.

Mount Archer at 604 m is the highest peak in the Berserker Range that rises steeply from the suburbs of Rockhampton. The Berserker and Flat Top ranges continue southwards to near the mouth of the Fitzroy River and northwards towards Mount Etna.

Mount Archer provides spectacular vistas of the city and the surrounding ranges. The mountain has open forest and woodlands dominated by eucalypts with an understorey of grasstrees, cycads, casuarinas and other shrubs. A large pocket of dry rainforest is found in the steep-sided Moores Creek valley.

Start at the summit turnstile on the side of the road leading to the communications tower to begin the long descent through the national park to the lower exit at German Street.

Descending, steeply in places, firstly along the north-western flank of Mount Archer then flanking Moores Creek to skirt southern slopes of mounts Nicholson, Wiseman and Chapple. Along the route various vegetation types are identifiable. Yellow stringybarks with grasstrees and cycads grow amid granite boulders at the summit. Two known populations of cycads endemic to central Queensland grow at Marlborough and around Rockhampton. Known as the Marlborough blue cycad it grows in eucalypt woodlands within Mount Archer National Park and State Forest. These cycads have an ancient lineage.

Lemon-scented gums, pink bloodwoods and forest she-oaks feature lower down which are then replaced by an open ironbark forest. Where the walking track crosses the creek near a small waterfall massive volcanic rocks composed of feldspar crystals, rock clasts and pumice line the track.

Further down rainforest with ferns and cabbage-tree palms, figs and scrub ironwoods line the gully of Moores Creek. Where it is drier the rainforest thins and the route passes through a small patch of dense vine forest with Burdekin plum, python trees, tuckeroo and vines. The python tree is a rainforest myrtle of drier rainforest environments. Usually around 18–25 m tall it has buttressed roots, with the trunk up to 20 cm in diameter. The bark is smooth, orange-brown, with green blotchy markings.

Marlborough blue cycads and grasstrees grow near the summit of Mount Archer.

Still further downstream, paperbarks and bottlebrushes line the creek. Mixed open forests of swamp mahogany, blue gum and bloodwood grow on adjacent flats while ironbark, thin-stemmed brush box and cocky apples grow on the immediate slopes. Figs, prickly native lime and chainfruit grow in the shaded gullies.

Keep watch for feeding honeyeaters, glossy black-cockatoos, lorikeets and sittellas. Glossy black-cockatoos are large (46–51 cm) blackish-brown birds with broad, blackish bulbous bills and have a reddish panel in the tail. They feed almost exclusively on seeds of casuarinas locally called forest oaks. The birds construct nests in hollows of limbs or trunks of the largest eucalypt trees, usually 10–20 m above the ground.

Other birds found here include: Australian brush-turkeys, brown cuckoo-doves, white-browed scrubwrens, rufous shrike-thrush, topknot pigeons and wompoo fruit-doves. Unadorned rock-wallabies are often sighted.

Almost at the end of the walk the track divides and becomes Casuarina Circuit that flanks Moores Creek to intersect with German Street.

At the summit there are two short walks which extend from the carpark.

Circuit Walk (easy grade) of 500 m starts just beyond the toilet block, and has two lookouts – one has vistas towards the coast and the other overlooks Rockhampton and the Fitzroy River. Allow 30 mins return.

Bracken Fern Walk (easy grade) begins at the eastern end of the picnic area and leads to Grasstree Lookout, approximately 700 m one-way. From Grasstree Lookout you can view the peaks of mounts Badger, Sleipner and Berserker. Allow 45 mins return.

ROCKHAMPTON–YEPPOON     

Mount Jim Crow from the roadside carpark.

Mount Jim Crow

Nearest major town: Rockhampton

Access: From Rockhampton, follow Yeppoon Road 29 km north-east to the carpark beside the road.

Time: Can be climbed in about 1 hour (one-way) by experienced walkers/climbers

Condition: Easy walk to the base of the mountain along earthen and rocky surface. Hard from quarry with steep, loose-rock scramble. Do not climb alone.

Environment: mountain country, excellent vistas

Rucksack: sturdy footwear, camera, water

Sitting just to the side of Yeppoon Road about halfway between Rockhampton and Yeppoon is a prominent mountain, Mount Jim Crow, that rises abruptly from the surrounding flattish country.

Jim Crow is one of some 12 trachyte volcanic plugs within a 70 square km area near Rockhampton, known collectively as the Mount Hedlow trachyte. Included in the group are lron Pot Mountain near Artillery Road, Mount Hedlow and Black Mountain near Hedlow Creek, and Mount Wheeler near Cawarral. It Is believed that lron Pot was called ‘Hedloo’ by the Darumbal Aboriginal people.

Jim Crow was once the central core of a volcano formed over 60 million years ago when basaltic lava solidified in and under a volcano. Erosion removed the softer ash and igneous surface material leaving the resistant central ‘neck’ or ‘plug’ of the volcanic vent as a rugged peak, standing 221 m above the surrounding country.

The Darumbal Aboriginal people’s Dreaming legend tells the story a different way. In the Dreamtime a young boy and girl from the tribe wanted to marry. The elders were against it as tribal law forebade marriage from the same totem. The couple ignored the law, and ran away to hide in the scrub near Hedlow Creek. The rainbow serpent (Moomdagytta) watching from Mount Wheeler (to the south-east) saw the problem and took action. He rotated himself between the girl and boy with great force, digging up soil and rocks and trees until a mountain was built separating the couple. His power convinced the couple to abide by tribal law.

From the carpark the route follows an old 4WD track, then along an eroded creek bed and skirts through the bush to the site of an old quarry at the base of the mountain. Jim Crow was also used as a storage area by the United States Army during World War II.

The surrounding bush and lower slopes are covered in semi-evergreen vine thickets while further up hoop pines dominate the dry rainforest. Jim Crow and the other trachyte plugs are special as they are the only Australian examples to support hoop pine communities.

There are no signed or formed walking tracks as the scree slopes and cliffs are extremely unstable and dangerous. A National Parks sign recommends not scrambling on or climbing Jim Crow. If in doubt do not tackle the mountain but instead enjoy the view looking up.

Experienced climbers have chosen their own routes to the top. One climber who made it to the summit commented that: ‘climbing Mount Jim Crow is awesome and the view at the top is well worth it!’ Return by the same route.

ROCKHAMPTON–YEPPOON     

Volcanic Fan.

Volcanic Fan

Nearest major town: Rockhampton Closest town: Yeppoon

Access: From Rockhampton, follow Yeppoon Road to the second roundabout at Yeppoon, then follow Capricorn Coast Scenic Loop (south) for approximately 8 km to Vee Jones Drive, then Shoreline Court at Rosslyn Bay to lookout carpark (see map on page 15)

Distance: 700 m, 40 mins return, easy

Condition: sealed surface, some steps

Environment: volcanic landforms, coastal and hinterland vistas

Rucksack: camera, water

Aeons ago molten lava was forced through the Earth’s outer crust. It cooled slowly, shrank and solidified creating a trachyte plug. The double-peaked rocky headland of Double Head, that adjoins Rosslyn Bay Harbour, rises 60 m above sea level and is the remnant of such volcanic action.

Another example of a tachyte plug on the Capricorn coast is the nearby Bluff Point while inland between Yeppoon and Rockhampton are many more as typified by Mount Jim Crow.

Trachyte plugs, seen as small dome-shaped hills, differ from other more recognisable volcanic features in that the molten rock did not spread, due its semi-fluid state, but formed almost vertical volcanic vents.

Within the plug at Double Head there are hexagonal shafts or columns of lava, aligned with each other, protruding from a central core in a radiating pattern. Weathering has widened the cracks and gaps exposing the phenomon in a cliff face, known as Fan Rock.

Start at the carpark and follow the sealed path up through coastal vegetation with vine thickets, figs and eucalypt trees. Vegetation near the top is of windswept and stunted scrubs with open tussock grassland and grasstrees. Take the left-hand route at the fork to walk across the summit of the second peak to Rosslyn Bay Lookout. Here there are vistas overlooking the marina at Rosslyn Harbour and northwards along the spine of the northernmost peaks and the coast towards Byfield National Park. To the east are the North Keppel islands and further south is the bulk of Great Keppel Island with the smaller islands of Mail, Middle and Humpy also in view.

Backtrack to the junction and head left to Fan Rock. The lookout is perched high on the southern cliff of the landform. Across the gap is the core of the old volcano and below a deep chasm and an arch on the shoreline. An information board at the lookout has an excellent diagram of the fan.

To the south you overlook Kemp Beach, Bluff Point and part of Mulambin Beach.

Return by the same route.

Double Head and Rosslyn Bay Harbour.

ROCKHAMPTON–YEPPOON     

Termite nests are the same colour of the soil below.

Bluff Point Track

Nearest major town: Rockhampton

Closest town: Yeppoon

Access: From Rockhampton, follow Yeppoon Road to the second roundabout at Yeppoon, then follow Capricorn Coast Scenic Loop (south) for approximately 9 km to the southern end of Kemp Beach and carpark, and Bluff Point section of Capricorn Coast National Park

Distance: 2.3 km, 1.5 hrs return, medium

Condition: sealed, gravel and rocky surface, some steps, toilets, picnic and BBQ facilities

Environment: volcanic landform, coastal vegetation, coastal and hinterland vistas

Rucksack: sturdy footwear, camera, water

White-bellied sea-eagles, brahminy kites and ospreys are often spotted above Keppel Bay and nearby beaches. Caspian terns, cormorants and darters work the coastal waters for fish and occasionally brown boobies and lesser frigatebirds are sighted soaring at cliff height. From the steep eastern wind-blown slopes of Bluff Point, near Turtle Lookout, dolphins and turtles are commonly seen swimming just offshore.

Other birds that use the small patchs of coastal vegetation and eucalypt are brush-turkeys, rainbow lorikeets, noisy friarbirds, olive-backed sunbirds, varied trillers and spangled drongos. Unadorned rock-wallabies, about 500 mm high with greyish-light brown above, darker on muzzle and shoulders, and light grey to buff on belly, are scattered in coastal ranges from Rockhampton to near Townsville. They are often spotted early morning or evening on the edge of the grasslands.

Start at the southern end of the carpark and follow the left-hand track (coastal) along a sealed path for a short distance before starting to climb through a stand of dry rainforest. The track offers glimpses northward towards Kemp Beach and Double Head.

On the windswept coastal flank vegetation has been pruned by salt-laden winds so at Turtle Lookout (600 m from start) there are uninterrupted views down to the water below and across to Bluff Rock (Iron Pot Rock) just offshore. Green turtles and occasional flatback turtles are seen forraging in the clear water below. Continue for a short distance through a eucalypt woodland with stringybarks, ironbarks, bloodwoods and sandpaper figs to arrive at Ritamata Outlook for views south towards Tanby Point, Pelican and Wedge islands and the bulk of Curtis Island in the far distance.

Away from the wind shear vegetation is quite dense.

Backtrack, turn left crossing open grasslands to an information board and seat at Summit Lookout. The route then heads across and down the damper western slopes through a second patch of dry rainforest and stands of mature and large eucalypts. Red-flowering silky oaks, coastal banksias, paperbarks and cocky apples are scattered through the bush and numerous termite nests are in the trees.

Similar to Double Head, Bluff Point is the largest trachyte plug on the Capricorn Coast reaching a height of almost 100 m. It too has expanses of bare rock and a weathered, rounded, mound shape with steep cliffs.

Vista towards Pelican Island from Ritamata Outlook.

From the open grasslands near the summit there are vistas overlooking Kemp Beach, Double Head and coast north of Yeppoon.

ROCKHAMPTON–YEPPOON     

Detail of a vault building, Mount Morgan.

Mount Morgan Heritage Walk

Nearest major town: Rockhampton

Closest town: Mount Morgan

Access: From Rockhampton, follow Bruce Highway south and turn off to the right onto Burnett Highway for 32 km to Mount Morgan.

Distance: approximately 5 km, 2 hrs

Condition: easy drive and walk on sealed and gravel surfaces

Environment: historic gold-mining town, historic and heritage-listed buildings

Rucksack: camera, water

Charles and William Archer, on advice from explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, journeyed up the Dee River valley in 1853 and were probably the first Europeans to see ‘Ironstone Mountain’ on the Dee Range. The Archers were later to establish a property at Gracemere near Rockhampton. William Mackinlay, a stockman, found specks of gold near the Dee River and local graziers John Gordon and his son, Sandy, farmed perhaps the most expensive piece of dirt in the world, not realising they were walking over a mountain of gold. With knowledge of Mackinlay’s find to pay back a favour, Sandy Gordon led a prospecting party of three Morgan brothers, Frederick, Thomas and Ewan to Ironstone Mountain. Frederick had previously found gold near Bathurst, New South Wales, had mined tin at Stanthorpe, and owned a butchery in Warwick and the Criterion Hotel in Rockhampton. He also owned race stables and had a reputation for gambling and speculation. The brothers subsequently found gold in 1882 and promptly named the mountain after themselves, completely forgetting Sandy Gordon.

The Morgans realised their prospects but were cash strapped. They offered a half share in their mine to three Rockhampton men for £1200. William Pattison, a grazier and member of the Queensland Parliament, Thomas Skarrat Hall, manager of the Queensland National Bank and William Knox D‘Arcy, a practising solicitor, became the First Syndicate. A second mining syndicate in 1886 eventually led to the formation of the Mount Morgan Gold Mining Co. Ltd. Later in the same year, the Morgan brothers sold their remaining half share to their three Rockhampton partners as they may have thought the mine would not last. But the Mount Morgan Mine did last.

Mount Morgan Gold Mining Co. Ltd. was then registered with £1 000 000 capital. Thomas Skarrat Hall was the first chairman and his brother James Hall was the first general manager. In A History of Mount Morgan A.A. Boyd wrote: ‘… In accordance with the agreement made between the Morgans and Pattison, Hall and D’Arcy, a small ten-head battery was obtained in Rockhampton and brought up to Mount Morgan, where it was erected alongside a waterhole on the Dee; whilst a ‘shoot’ was also built, as required, down the mountain side …’

That was the start of what was to become the world’s richest gold, silver and copper mine.

By late 1882 the town of Mount Morgan was a typical mining camp with makeshift structures built close to the mine and the Dee River. Tipperary Point and Flat, and Happy Valley became heavily populated settlements which later moved to the site of the present town. By the mid-1880s Mount Morgan had police, religious and fraternal institutions as well as sporting venues. In 1885 the town got its first regular mail service with Rockhampton, and by 1887 the local Telegraph Station was opened in the Post Office. Also in 1887 it got its first school – the Central School – which opened with 288 pupils. The Queensland National Bank opened later in the year and during the town’s heyday the Commonwealth Bank and the Bank of New South Wales were also in town. Mount Morgan acquired the first of its six suspension bridges over the Dee River in 1897. The railway was extended from Rockhampton over the Razorback Range in 1898. Strong little rack steam engines assisted the trains from Moonmera (at the bottom) to Moongan (at the top) via a special rail in the centre of the track which the engines gripped via a cog system. Prior to the railway communication transport between Rockhampton and Mount Morgan was by pack horse or horse-drawn vehicles over the steep Razorback Range and by the rough dirt track through Kabra. In 1900 the first Technical College in the old School of Arts building was opened and by 1927 there were 11 schools in the town.

Mount Morgan Mine yielded 225 000 kg of gold.

Part of the architectural heritage of Mount Morgan has remained through a number of early 19th century buildings that reflect the wealth and extravagance that once flowed into the town.

A mud map of Mount Morgan provided by the Information Centre highlights the major buildings. This walking guide follows a similar order.

Victor S. Jones swing bridge.

Running the Cutter monument.

The Rack Railway track had grades of 1 in 16.

Mount Morgan Railway Station, built in 1898.

Start at the railway station, head across the bridge over the Dee River and turn left onto Bridge Street. Railway Station (Railway Parade) Constructed in 1898 in the typical Queensland style of decorated timber. The building is heritage listed and currently serves as the Tourist Information Centre and Railway Museum.

Ken Yen Kee Building (Bridge Street) This simple, typical mining town structure was built in 1890. Originally a general store run by a Chinese family for generations it then became a saddlery.

Presbyterian Church (East Street) This weatherboard structure, constructed in 1890, was typical church architecture of the late 1800s with a simple porch flanked by narrow gothic windows and balanced by a third false window above the porch.

The Mount Morgan Historical Museum (cnr Morgan & East streets) The timber building was erected in 1895.

Mine Hooter and Rack Railway track (cnr Morgan & East streets) The Mine Hooter was designed to make a lot of noise. Made it 1919 it was used by Mount Morgan Mine to sound various times during the day and night. The Mount Morgan Promotion and Development Inc. state that: ‘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. On a typical day, it blew at 6.30 am (3 blasts), 7.30 am (2 blasts), 8.00 am, 10.00 am, 10.10 am, 12.00 noon, 12.30 pm, 4.00 pm, 4.30 pm, 7.30 pm, 11.00 pm (2 blasts) 12.00 midnight and 3.30 am.’ A section of rack railway showing the offset cog system is next to the hooter.

The Police Station (Hall Street) was formerly the Mount Morgan Court House constructed in 1898 in brick with stucco rendering. The building also served as the District and Supreme Court, as a lockup and magistrate’s office and a Mining Warden’s Court. Much of the work of the court was settling mining claim disputes. In 1974 the building was classified by the National Trust of Queensland. The Court closed in 1991.

Masonic Hall (Gordon Street) Built, consecrated and opened in 1903 and still operating today. A substantial two-storey brick and concrete building with a rectangular floor plan. It has a prominent parapet on the elaborate principal façade and a classical, centrally located entrance portico. Constructed from face brick with concrete detailing including quoining, base course, pilasters, pediment and entablature. The entrance comprises two substantial banded columns supporting a round arched vaulted awning which shades a double timber door surmounted by a round arched fanlight. Flanking the entrance are two round arched window openings surrounded by quoining.

Old general store operated by the Ken Yen Kee family.

Presbyterian Church.

St Mary’s Church of England (Gordon Street) Of brick construction built in 1889 it was a gift from James Wesley Hall, the first Mayor of Mount Morgan and first general manager of the mine.

Former Queensland National Hotel (Morgan Street) was built in 1899 and is classified by the National Trust. The two-storey building has intricate lace-work railings and wide verandahs, The pavilion served as a lookout platform during the Second World War. It closed in 1992 and is now a private residence. Other notable hotels in Mount Morgan are the Golden Nugget, Grand, Leichhardt and Railway.

Post Office (cnr Morgan & Central streets) This heritage building was constructed in 1911.

Running the Cutter Monument (cnr Morgan & Centre streets) Cutter is the name for a billy can. Beer was bought in billy cans and drunk in Cutters Lane behind the School of Arts.

Grand Hotel (cnr Morgan & Centre streets) Built in 1901 of locally-made bricks and classified by the National Trust.

Queensland National Bank (cnr West & Morgan streets) Built in 1887, it was the first private bank and operated until 1929. Now a private residence.

High School (Centre Street) Built in 1912. First public high

school