Anglo Saxon Mine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Anglo Saxon Mine |
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Robey undertype semi-portable steam engine at the Anglo Saxon Mine, 2011
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| Location | Groganville, Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1886 - 1897 |
| Official name: Anglo Saxon Mine and Groganville Township, Limestone Cemetery | |
| Type | state heritage (archaeological) |
| Designated | 3 October 2003 |
| Reference no. | 600982 |
| Significant period | 1886-1897 (historical) |
| Significant components | terracing, mullock heap, embankment - tramway, oven, embankment - road, cemetery, wall/s - retaining, objects (movable) - mining/mineral processing, mine - open cut, shaft |
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The Anglo Saxon Mine is a historic mining site in Groganville, Queensland, Australia. It was active between 1886 and 1897. This site is also known as Groganville Township and Limestone Cemetery. It was officially added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 3, 2003.
Contents
Discovering Gold: The Anglo-Saxon Mine Story
The Anglo-Saxon Mine and Groganville Township are located just south of the famous Palmer River Goldfield. This mine started after a prospector named Harry Harbord found the rich Anglo-Saxon Reef in 1886. This discovery happened when gold production in the nearby Maytown and Palmer areas was slowing down.
The Anglo-Saxon reef discovery sparked the last big gold rush in the Palmer River Goldfield. This was before the main period of gold discoveries ended across North Queensland.
Early Gold Rushes in Queensland
Reports of gold in the Palmer River area first appeared in 1872. This was after an exploration team led by William Hann returned. The real gold rush began in mid-1873. This was when James Venture Mulligan and his team reported finding good amounts of gold.
Soon after, about 20,000 miners rushed to the area. Many Chinese miners also came to Northern Australia.
Alluvial vs. Reef Mining
In the first few years, most mining in the Palmer River area was "alluvial mining." This meant miners looked for gold in riverbeds and loose soil. These early goldfields often led to temporary settlements. These settlements were common in North Queensland until the 1930s. The Palmer goldfield produced nearly a million ounces of alluvial gold in five years from 1873. This brought many people to an area that was previously unsettled by Europeans.
Later, in the late 1870s, miners started "reef mining." This method involved digging into rock to find gold veins. Reef mining needed more equipment like boilers, pumps, and winding machines. It also required good transportation systems. Reef mines were very important for Palmer gold. They were often in remote places and needed more stable settlements to support them.
Unlike temporary alluvial mining camps, reef mining led to more permanent towns. Charters Towers was a major example, with 30,000 people by 1900. Other important towns included Croydon, Ravenswood, and Etheridge.
Gold's Impact on Queensland
Gold mining was very important for Queensland's growth in the late 1800s. From 1873 to 1906, Queensland's gold and metal exports often earned more money than wool. Gold helped cities like Townsville, Cairns, and Cooktown grow. It also boosted trade across the entire colony.
Gold brought many Europeans to Queensland. It helped establish white settlements in tropical Queensland more than farming or ranching did. The locations of many towns, ports, and railways today are a legacy of this early mining history.
The Anglo-Saxon Mine's Success
After Harry Harbord found the Anglo-Saxon Reef in 1886, the first rock samples were incredibly rich. They contained about 300 ounces of gold per ton of rock. This made the Anglo-Saxon Reef the richest gold reef in North Queensland at that time.
In 1887, Harbord started a company called the Anglo-Saxon Gold Syndicate in England. The mine began crushing rock in 1888. In its first year, it produced 1,175 ounces of gold by February.
By 1889, nearly 50 men worked for the Anglo-Saxon Gold Syndicate. Miners earned £4 per week. Blacksmiths, engine drivers, and carpenters earned even more. Transporting goods to Cooktown cost £25 per ton. The company made good profits, which was amazing for a gold mine in such a remote area.
Mine Operations and Decline
A special road was built in 1889 to move ore from the Anglo Saxon mine to the Harbord battery. This track was designed to make transportation easier and cheaper than using carts. Miners would load quartz into iron trucks. These trucks were then hoisted to the surface and taken to the battery for crushing.
The Anglo Saxon reef produced a total of 30,892 ounces of gold. This was almost one-third of all the gold from the Maytown/Palmer reefs. The mine reportedly made £30,000 in profits before costs became too high. A shaft was dug, hoisting machines were bought, and a tramway was laid.
The mine continued to operate during the economic downturn of the 1890s. However, the area was completely abandoned by 1897.
Groganville Township: A Brief Boom
The town of Groganville, also known as Limestone, was surveyed in May 1889. It was named after Patrick Grogan, who opened the first butcher shop there. Businesses and homes quickly appeared on the steep banks of Limestone Creek. People had to dig flat platforms into the hillside to build on. They used local rocks and gravel to build retaining walls. One wall was even made from beer bottles!
By 1890, Groganville had a school, a Post Office, a Bank of North Queensland, a hospital, several pubs, and a butcher shop. A mill for processing ore was built about 2 kilometers from the mine.
Patrick Grogan ran a hotel in Groganville from about 1890. In July 1890, the town had 500 people. There were seven hotels, eight stores, two bakers, a butcher, two drink factories, a bank, a post office, a news office, a blacksmith, a billiard room, a reading room, a chemist, a doctor, police, and a mining warden.
In November 1890, 200 people attended a meeting to protest against Chinese mining. In December, a Catholic priest visited to perform marriages and baptisms. In April 1891, the school and telegraph office opened. Chinese residents also built a second temple near the school.
Why Groganville Didn't Last
Unlike successful reef mining towns like Charters Towers, Groganville Township did not thrive after its gold rush ended. This was partly because it was so isolated, making transportation difficult and expensive. Also, the soil in the area was poor, so farming could not support a permanent town.
By the end of 1891, only two hotels remained. By the early 1900s, the town was abandoned. Patrick Grogan moved to Thornborough in 1897. Later, he became involved in the new town of Mount Mulligan.
However, the remains of the mine, the town, and the cemetery are important. They show how a mining settlement developed in late 19th-century tropical Queensland. They also show the cleverness of the miners and people who lived there. This site represents a type of settlement that will likely never happen again in Queensland's history.
What You Can See at the Anglo Saxon Mine Today
The Anglo Saxon mine is on a narrow flat area. You reach it by a small track cut into a steep hillside. A gully below the hill has old building foundations, stone walls, and small mine workings. These might have been part of the mine manager's house or the miners' camp.
Old tramway paths stretch east and northwest from the mine to the Harbord battery. At the main mine area, you can see a concrete-lined shaft with a pump arm. There's also a rare "semi-portable steam engine." This engine has a special base for winding equipment, though the winding drums are now gone. The Palmer River Historic Preservation Society regularly oils the engine to help preserve it. Another portable engine and a flywheel have been pushed down the side of the hill. A large pile of waste rock (mullock dump) goes down the hill from two shafts that have become open pits.
Surviving Mining Equipment
You can still see these pieces of equipment at the site:
- A semi-portable steam engine (a Robey undertype engine with a self-contained winching plant base).
- A two-cylinder portable steam engine (overtype).
- A pump arm.
Why the Anglo Saxon Mine is Important: Heritage Listing
The Anglo Saxon Mine and Groganville Township were added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 3, 2003. This means they are protected because they meet certain important criteria.
Showing Queensland's History
The Anglo Saxon Mine and Groganville Township help us understand how gold mining developed in Queensland in the late 1800s. The Anglo-Saxon reef was one of the richest gold producers in the Palmer River Goldfield from 1886 to 1897. Gold production was a huge economic force in Queensland from the 1870s. Some say it saved the colony from going bankrupt. Gold mining also shaped where towns and port cities grew in northern Queensland.
The remains of places like the Anglo Saxon Mine and Groganville Township show us what was once a busy community. This community relied only on gold. When the gold ran out, the community faded away. This pattern of towns being abandoned was common in Queensland's gold-mining areas at that time.
Rare and Unique Heritage
The Anglo Saxon mine area shows evidence of "reef mining," which was not common south of the Palmer River. This type of mining involved digging deep shafts and needed special equipment. Examples of this machinery are still at the Anglo Saxon Mine. This includes a rare and complete Robey undertype semi-portable steam engine from the 1880s. This is the most complete engine of its kind found at a Queensland mining site.
The remains of Groganville Township are mostly untouched. They include rare and unique parts of Queensland's history. These are special to mining settlements of the late 1800s in North Queensland. For example, you can see many flat areas dug into the hillside for buildings. One building platform even has a rare retaining wall made from old beer bottles!
Learning from the Past
The Anglo Saxon Mine and Groganville Township can teach us a lot about North Queensland's gold-mining industry in the late 1800s. The area from the mine south through Groganville Township to the Limestone Cemetery is very well preserved. It's a rare example of a group of living sites and old items that are still mostly as they were.
The site was only lived in for a short time. The archaeological remains give us a "snapshot" of life in the Limestone district in the late 1800s. Many old items are still on the surface and have not been disturbed. This high quality of remaining features gives future researchers a valuable resource. They can learn about the undocumented parts of daily life in the Limestone district during an important time in North Queensland's history.
Showing Key Features of Mining Sites
The Anglo Saxon mine area shows how reef mining worked. This method needed special equipment like boilers, pumps, and winding machines. You can still see examples of this machinery at the Anglo Saxon Mine. This includes the rare and complete Robey undertype semi-portable steam engine. It is the most complete engine of its type found on a Queensland mining site.
Beautiful and Historic Landscape
The Anglo-Saxon Mine, Groganville Township, and the Limestone Cemetery together form a beautiful historical landscape. It combines large mining structures with smaller human settlement remains, like stone retaining walls. The 19th-century cemetery has pretty stone headstones. All of this is set in a rugged bush area with steep hills, valleys, and a fresh water creek.
Creative and Technical Achievements
The building of a large tramway system linking the Anglo Saxon Mine to the ore processing battery at Harbord shows how mining transportation and infrastructure improved in the late 1800s. This route was designed to replace the expensive old cart route. It was cut through solid rock and difficult terrain. This shows the cleverness, skill, and dedication of the miners at the Anglo Saxon Mine and the people of the Limestone District.
See Also
