La Société Française des Métaux Rares treatment plant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids La Société Française des Métaux Rares treatment plant |
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| Location | Wolfram, Dimbulah, Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1900 - 1914 (early 20th century) |
| Built | 1911 - 1913 |
| Official name: La Societe Francaise des Metaux Rares treatment plant (former), Former French Company Rare Metal Treatment Plant Site Upper Wolfram | |
| Type | state heritage (archaeological) |
| Designated | 4 July 2006 |
| Reference no. | 602583 |
| Significant period | 1911-1913 (fabric and historical use) |
| Significant components | trench, mounting block/stand, terracing, slab/s - concrete, machinery/plant/equipment - mining/mineral processing, platform, mullock heap, pit - machinery |
The La Société Française des Métaux Rares treatment plant is a special heritage site in Wolfram, Australia. It was a place where valuable metals were processed a long time ago. This plant operated between 1911 and 1913. It is also known as the French Company Rare Metal Treatment Plant Site. This important historical site was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on July 4, 2006.
Contents
Discovering Rare Metals in Queensland
This plant was unique because it used a special "dry blowing" method to process a rare mineral called wolfram. Wolfram was first found in 1894 near the Hodgkinson River. It was often mixed with quartz rocks or gravel.
The Rise of Wolfram Mining
In 1899, wolfram was very valuable. About 240 long tons (244 tonnes) of it were sold for a lot of money. The town of Wolfram was named after this mineral. It grew up in two parts along the Bulluburrah Creek: Upper Wolfram (Top Camp) and Lower Wolfram (Bottom Camp).
In 1900, another important mineral, molybdenite, was found here. Some of the best molybdenite in Australia came from Wolfram. By late 1900, about 100 men were working in Wolfram, mining wolfram, molybdenite, and bismuth.
Why Wolfram Became So Important
The demand for high-quality wolfram grew after 1904. This was because tungsten, which comes from wolfram, was used to make light bulb filaments. Molybdenite was also needed for special metal mixtures. These high prices attracted many gold miners to Wolfram. By 1904, about 700 of the 1,136 people in the Hodgkinson area were miners working at Wolfram.
By 1909, wolfram was bringing in much more money than gold. However, the rare metals industry was not always stable. Prices changed a lot, and miners were unsure how much they would earn.
Early Mining Operations
The mining areas stretched for over 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) along the edge of the granite rock. At first, most people lived and worked in the higher areas at Top Camp.
From 1904, about 2,500 long tons (2,540 tonnes) of wolfram were produced at Wolfram Camp. The Irvinebank Mining Company even set up a processing plant (a battery) on Bullaburrah Creek. This plant helped stabilize the mining operations. However, it closed sometimes due to strikes.
After 1907, the main settlement moved closer to the processing plant in the lower valley. The town was at its busiest during World War I.
The French Company's Plant
La Société Française des Métaux Rares was a French company that started in Queensland in 1911. That same year, a Frenchman named Mr. Poulet bought several old mine dumps. His goal was to get wolfram, molybdenite, and bismuth from low-quality mixed-metal ore. He planned to use a special new treatment plant for this.
Building the Plant
The equipment for the crushing plant arrived in August 1911. By July 1912, work began to prepare the ground for the plant. It was built above Bulluburrah Creek in Upper Wolfram. The company imported a powerful 240 horsepower diesel engine, which weighed almost 35,000 kilograms (77,000 lb). They also planned a large system of overhead ropes to collect ore and a dam in Bulluburrah Creek. The whole project was expected to cost over £50,000 and employ about 50 skilled workers.
Why the Plant Closed
After only a few short and unsuccessful trial runs, the plant stopped operating in 1913. This was because of health risks linked to the "dry blowing" process they used. The large diesel engine was later sold and moved to another mine.
Wolfram Mining After the French Company
Many mines closed during World War I. However, another plant, the Thermo-Electric Ore Reduction Corporation, helped the area survive the war. The government paid fixed prices for metals during this time. After the war, metal prices dropped, and this company also failed. Wolfram Camp became almost empty.
In 1926, the Queensland Rare Metal Company built a new plant. But wolfram and molybdenite prices were falling, so it didn't work well. In 1935, wolfram prices went up again, bringing miners back. During World War II, some mines continued to operate. However, after 1946, prices dropped, and operations largely stopped. There was a brief increase in mining during the Korean War in 1951, but it didn't last.
In the 1970s, the Mount Arthur Molybdenite Company NL worked some mines. They sold their equipment in 1989. In recent years, there has been new interest in mining wolfram, molybdenite, and bismuth at Wolfram. A new open-cut mine was proposed in 2006, and it was sold to ATC Alloys Limited in 2016.
What Remains of the Plant Today
The site of the old French Company plant is built on six different levels. These levels were dug into the side of a hill next to Bulluburrah Creek.
Main Remains on Levels 3 and 4
The most important parts that are still there are on Levels 3 and 4. Level 3 is a flat area about 50 by 25 metres (164 by 82 ft). It has a concrete-lined hole, 6 by 8 metres (20 by 26 ft) and 5 metres (16 ft) deep. Next to this area are five concrete fan blocks of different sizes. The largest fan block is 4.4 by 3.2 metres (14.4 by 10.5 ft) and stands 4 metres (13 ft) high. It has a round opening 1.6 metres (5 ft 3 in) wide. There are also smaller concrete blocks and another large fan block. You can also see two rows of concrete posts where skip tracks used to be.
Level 4 has a concrete floor that is 23 by 5 metres (75 by 16 ft). It also has a concrete bed, 16 by 6 metres (52 by 20 ft), with many concrete pits, trenches, and platforms. There are two rows of bolts sticking up from the floor. These show where the big engine was bolted down.
Other Levels and Features
Level 5 is the highest part of the site. It has a flat clay floor about 25 by 10 metres (82 by 33 ft). You can find small metal pieces here. Two more dug-out levels are south of Level 5. One seems to have been dug by hand, and the other by machine.
Level 6 is a smaller dug-out area north of Level 3. Above Level 6 is a large pile of waste rock, called a mullock heap. It is about 40 by 20 metres (131 by 66 ft) and contains quartz, molybdenite, sandstone, and wolfram.
Levels 1 and 2 are the lowest parts of the site, closest to Bulluburrah Creek. Level 1 has a concrete block with a small pulley wheel. You can also see some cement strips that held canisters. Level 2 is above Level 1 and has a few remains, like part of a steel cable.
Why This Site is Important
The former La Société Française des Métaux Rares treatment plant is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register because it shows important parts of Queensland's history.
A Look into Queensland's Mining Past
This plant is one of four processing plants in the Wolfram area. It shows a big change in mining in the Hodgkinson River area. People started focusing on other minerals like wolfram instead of just gold. The plant also represents an unusual way of processing wolfram in North Queensland. The size of the plant's foundations shows how big and important wolfram mining was before World War I.
Unique Processing Methods
This site can help us understand different ways wolfram was processed before World War I. Because wolfram was so valuable, companies tried new methods, like the "dry blowing" process used at this plant.
A Special Place to See
The old plant also has a special feeling about it. It's like an abandoned industrial ruin in a quiet, dry bushland. The remains of the plant, spread across six terraced levels, create a feeling of being far away from everything. This feeling is made stronger by its isolated location and the size of the remains.
