Kidston State Battery & Township facts for kids

Kidston State Battery
Kidston State Battery & Township, 2007
Location	Georgetown Mining District, Kidston, Einasleigh, Shire of Etheridge, Queensland, Australia
Design period	1900 - 1914 (early 20th century)
Built	1907 - 1950
Queensland Heritage Register
Official name: Kidston State Battery & Township
Type	state heritage (built, archaeological)
Designated	21 October 1992
Reference no.	600506
Significant period	1907-1950 (fabric, historical)
Significant components	toilet block/earth closet/water closet, workshop, battery/crusher/stamper/jaw breaker, machinery/plant/equipment - mining/mineral processing, grave marker, pump, forge/blacksmithy, other - mining/mineral processing: component, lock-up, battery shed, tank - water, residential accommodation - housing
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The Kidston State Battery is a historic gold processing plant located in Kidston, Australia. It was built between 1907 and 1950. This site is also known as Kidston Township. It is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register, showing its importance to the state's history.

History of Kidston Gold

In September 1907, people found valuable gold near the Copperfield River. This discovery led to a big rush for gold, first known as the Oaks Rush. By June 1908, the area was called the Oaks Goldfield, and about 1,700 people lived there.

A town quickly grew on the west side of the Copperfield River. At first, people lived in tents. Soon, these were replaced by buildings made of wood and iron. By 1909, many miners had left, but others began digging for gold in the quartz veins. Two early gold mills, called Pioneer and Enterprise, were set up to crush the ore.

Kidston was the name given to the town for the Oaks goldfield. It was unusual because, at first, people successfully kept out pubs and alcohol shops. However, by 1909, two hotels opened. The town then became a typical busy mining settlement. It had two halls, a school, and a police station. A town band even started in 1912.

Building the State Battery

Kidston became a steady mining town. It was not much affected by World War I. In 1915, a government dam was built on Butchers Creek, which helped with water supply. The idea to build the Kidston State Battery came about because gold prices were high and the old crushing machines were not good enough.

In 1920, a government expert suggested building a modern battery in Kidston. Machines from other places were brought in. About 11 to 18 men worked to build a sawmill and construct the battery. The Kidston State Battery started working in May 1922.

How the Battery Operated

During the 1920s, the gold deposits at Oaks became harder to work. Miners found smaller, richer gold veins. This meant there wasn't enough ore to keep the battery busy all the time.

The battery processed thousands of tons of ore each year, producing hundreds of ounces of gold. In 1930, two extra machines called berdan pans were added. In 1931, motor transport helped bring more ore to the battery. Water for the battery often had to be found by digging into the riverbed.

The battery sometimes stopped working due to a lack of water or machinery problems. In 1934, major repairs were needed, including replacing a gas generator. Despite challenges, the battery continued to crush large amounts of stone.

Later Years and Closure

In 1942, the Kidston Battery stopped working because many miners had left due to World War II. It was decided to close the battery for the war, and a caretaker looked after it.

After the war, in 1946, there was a push to reopen the battery. It started working again in 1947. However, crushing stopped in early 1949, and the battery did not operate after 1950.

Kidston was a unique goldfield town. It developed later than others, so it used more modern building materials like corrugated iron from the start. Many buildings went straight from tents to iron-clad structures. The town also had an unusual number of weatherboard buildings because a sawmill was operating nearby when the battery was built.

What Remains Today

Kidston State Battery Site

The battery site includes three main parts: the battery shed, a small house, and a water pump. The battery shed is made with a strong timber frame and covered with corrugated iron.

Inside the shed, you can still see parts of the crushing plant. This includes timber chutes that led to primary crushers (one jaw crusher is still there). These crushers would break down the large rocks. The crushed ore was then moved by bucket elevators to bins, which fed the 3 five-head stamp batteries. These batteries would pound the ore to release the gold.

While the bucket elevators are gone, their tall housings are still a clear feature. The channels (launders) where the gold-bearing material flowed are still there. Two berdan pans and a grinding pan, used for further processing, are also still on site. A small workshop and smithy (where metal was worked) are in a lean-to section next to the battery building.

Two large iron water tanks stand next to the battery. Pipes connect them to a partly working twin-cylinder pump near the river. A corrugated iron house, possibly where the battery manager lived, is located above the pump. This house is in good condition and has old garden areas.

Surviving Machinery

Here are some of the machines you can still see:

• Jaw crusher (no brand visible)
• Five-head stamp battery (from Maryborough Tooth & Co Vulcan Foundry)
• Five-head stamp battery (from Stuart & McKenzie Croydon Union Foundry)
• Five-head stamp battery (no brand on mortar box)
• Slimes separation table (used to separate fine gold particles)
• 2 Berdan pans (used for grinding gold ore)
• 2 Grinding pans (one is still in place)
• Two-cylinder ram pump (the power unit is missing)

Kidston Township Remains

The western part of the old town area has signs of past buildings. You can see stone foundations, timber stumps, and old garden plots. The grave of Edward Albert Martel, who died in 1908, is also here. This grave is older than the main Kidston cemetery.

On the eastern side of the old road, closer to the Copperfield River, are six early buildings that still have roofs but are empty and falling apart. There are also signs of at least three other buildings. The largest building is a modern core store.

Near the core store, you can find the old police station area. This includes a run-down weatherboard courthouse and office, a corrugated iron house, and a lock-up (small jail) with a cottage behind it. Further south, there's a corrugated iron building with a separate outhouse, which might have been an old hotel.

Another group of abandoned buildings, including three timber-frame houses, are located about 250 meters south of the battery. They are laid out like an old homestead. An airstrip has been built over the northern part of the town site.

The Kidston cemetery is about 2 kilometers north of the town. It has 25 graves, with 10 having headstones. The oldest headstone is from 1917, and the newest is from 1939.

Why Kidston is Important

The Kidston State Battery and Township were added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992 for several reasons:

It shows how Queensland's history developed. The Kidston battery was very important for keeping gold mining alive in North Queensland. It helped the area continue to mine gold after the big Oaks Rush of 1907. The government supported the battery from 1920 to 1950. This shows how the government helped create jobs and develop industries in the region.

Kidston Township is important because it was part of the Oaks gold rush. The State Battery helped gold mining continue in the Etheridge area until the mid-1900s.

It shows rare or endangered parts of Queensland's history. It's rare to find a 15-head battery still standing in North Queensland. Only one other battery in the region has more stamps. The combination of the battery, the manager's house, the pump, and the surviving town buildings makes this site even more special and rare.

The Stuart & McKenzie 5-head stamp battery, made by the Union Foundry in Croydon, is the only one of its kind from this local company still recorded in North Queensland.

Even though parts are missing, Kidston is a rare example of a type of settlement that was once common in Queensland.

It can teach us about Queensland's history. Because the early parts of the settlement haven't been disturbed much, archaeologists can study the site. This could help us learn more about how the town developed over time.

It shows the main features of similar historical places. The battery shows the typical mining technology of its time. It also highlights how self-sufficient isolated mining operations in North Queensland had to be.

Kidston shows the features of a small but long-lasting goldfield town. Its buildings reflect its 20th-century origins, making it different from older mining towns. The earliest grave (from 1908) is in the town itself, while later burials are in the cemetery to the north.