Written by Paul Curtis
Wandering the backroads of North Queensland, it becomes obvious that not too long ago there were many people living and working in these remote and dusty locations. Sometimes you need to look deeply to find evidence, and it’s hard to imagine townships of hundreds of people lived in these locations.
Sometimes I get fixated on a new location and end up returning multiple times until I think I have seen everything. One such recent location is the Stannary Hills area, west of Herberton. Many years ago, I dropped in for a look around. The road was bad and I didn’t really know what I was looking at. My newfound interest in history helps me see this place with new eyes.
Stannary Hills was all about tin, and the first miners arrived in 1884 but things got serious when the tramway line from Boonmoo arrived in 1902 crossing 31 bridges to its terminus at Rocky Bluffs. Eventually, up to 724 people lived in the general area.
The drive into Stannary is quite easy these days, and the dirt road off the Herberton-Petford Road is usually maintained to a good standard. You can also get on to this signposted road from Hales Siding Road. Just over 4km along this road from the Hales Siding intersection you come to another intersection – straight ahead leads to the old Stannary Hills township, while a right turn goes to the dam and beyond.
A couple of kilometres along are the township’s remains. There is not a lot evident at the clearing apart from a historical marker but there is a lot to explore on foot. Eureka Creek is the central watercourse and towards the end of the road it forks and takes you down to the creek. To the right is a picturesque old weir, and to the left a creek crossing and probably as far as you might care to drive. It’s quite an easy walk following the old roads downstream past another old weir and the remains of the Ivanhoe Mine on a bend in the river.
Back at the intersection, the right-hand turnoff leads to quite a large dam with several good campsites around its edges. Beyond the dam, a bit of careful navigation and some rough driving goes to the end of the rail line at the Rocky Bluff Mill. The township of Rocky Bluff developed around the Mill, so Rocky Bluff wasn’t actually a mine, but a mill for processing the tin from nearby mines. The mill closed down in the late 1920s.
If you ever make it to Rocky Bluff you will appreciate what an effort it must have been to take the raw tin ore to this site. The rail line terminated 150 metres above the plant on the Walsh River. Everything had to be transported via a funicular railway down the steep slope. Even the school kids travelled up the hill in one of the mining buckets. Up to 100 people lived down in the river community. There was no road to the Rocky Bluff Mill.
Nowadays it is one of the most intact pieces of mining history in north Queensland – probably because of its difficult access and in 2005 was placed on the Queensland Heritage Register. If you can manage the steep walk down the old railway there is plenty to explore. It’s a pretty stretch of the Walsh River and another scenic weir remains there along with an intact square brick chimney and many other steel and concrete constructions.
Stannary Hills and the Eureka Creek Valley is mostly within Boonmoo Station and the owners would appreciate a call if you plan to camp in the area – 4094 4129. It is closed for camping during the bushfire season.
If you admire the determination and resilience of the ‘tin scratchers’ and other miners in North Queensland, Stannary Hills and Rocky Bluff presents great examples of what was once there.
Information for this article was gleaned from Colin Hooper’s excellent Deserted Towns series of books, and an informative article by Ruth S. Kerr published in the Journal of Australian Mining History Vol 3 Sept 2005 and available online. If you are even slightly bitten by the history bug I would strongly recommend dropping in to Brian’s Shed on the Mt Misery Road just outside of Irvinebank. It is one of the most amazing private collections of historical paraphernalia in the north, particularly as it relates to this area. If the door is open – wander in, make a donation, and Brian will enthusiastically share about his collections and local histories.
