Linda Valley facts for kids
Linda Valley is a special valley in Tasmania, a state in Australia. It's nestled between two big mountains, Mount Owen and Mount Lyell. Long ago, people called it the 'Vale of Chamouni'.
Life in Linda Valley: Past Towns and Trains
Many years ago, two towns called Linda and Gormanston were built in Linda Valley. These towns were important because they were very close to the famous Mount Lyell mines. Miners worked there, digging for valuable minerals. The towns were also near Lake Burbury and the old Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company.
Trains were a big deal back then! The North Mount Lyell Railway had a station in Gormanston for a short time. But the main train hub was at Linda, at a place called Linda Valley station. This was where trains picked up and dropped off supplies and people.
You can still see parts of an old path in the valley. It was meant for something called the Comstock Tram. This tram was planned to go all the way around Mount Lyell, starting from Linda. But it was never finished, so only parts of the path remain.
Fires and the Valley's Landscape
In the early 1900s, huge bushfires swept through Linda Valley. These fires burned down many trees, leaving the valley bare. Even today, more than a hundred years later, you can still see lots of old tree stumps on the slopes of Mount Lyell in the valley. They are a reminder of those big fires.
Ice Age History: Glaciers in the Valley
Linda Valley shows a lot of evidence that huge glaciers once covered this area. Scientists even named a specific time period after it, called the 'Linda Glacial stage'. The valley was also shaped by a massive ice sheet known as the King River Glacier. This glacier left behind piles of rock and dirt, called moraine, in places like Crotty and the Henty River.
The rocks and soil left by the glaciers in Linda Valley are very special. They contain the only plant fossils from the Late Pliocene period found in Tasmania. This makes it one of the few places in Australia where scientists can study plants from that ancient time.
People have looked for new minerals in the valley recently. However, they haven't found any big mineral deposits yet. This might be because the thick layers of glacial moraine are covering them up.
