Mount Gibraltar Trachyte Quarries Complex facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Gibraltar Trachyte Quarries Complex |
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Peak of Mount Gibraltar showing exposed igneous rock platform
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| Location | Oxley Drive, Bowral, Wingecarribee Shire, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1886–1986 |
| Owner | Telstra Corporation; Wingecarribee Shire Council |
| Official name: Mount Gibraltar Trachyte Quarries Complex; The Gib | |
| Type | state heritage (complex / group) |
| Designated | 2 December 2013 |
| Reference no. | 1917 |
| Type | Reserve |
| Category | Parks, Gardens and Trees |
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The Mount Gibraltar Trachyte Quarries Complex is a special heritage site in New South Wales, Australia. It's located on Mount Gibraltar near Bowral. For about 100 years, from 1886 to 1986, this area was a busy place where a unique type of stone was dug out of the ground. People often call Mount Gibraltar "The Gib." This important site was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register in 2013.
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The Story of Mount Gibraltar Quarries
Quarrying, which is the process of digging out stone, began on Mount Gibraltar after a railway line opened in 1867. This made it easier to move the heavy stone.
One of the first quarries started in 1885 by William Chaker. Soon after, in 1886, another company called Leggat and Company opened the "Gibraltar Rock Quarries." John Leggat supplied a lot of this special stone, called "Bowral Trachyte," for the piers of the Hawkesbury River railway bridge. This was the biggest project that used this stone.
Later, in 1888, a company called Loveridge and Hudson took over Chaker's quarry. They were famous builders who used the stone for important buildings in Sydney, like the Equitable Life Building on George Street, Sydney. They also used it for anchor blocks for the Hampden Bridge in Kangaroo Valley.
By 1890, the Pope family also started quarrying large blocks of stone. Some of these huge blocks, weighing over 9 tons, became part of a gate pillar for Centennial Park in Sydney. The stone was often transported by train from a special railway siding in Bowral. The quarries also provided stone for local buildings, kerbstones, and tramway supports in Sydney.
In 1881, the Amos Brothers started another quarry on the western side of Mount Gibraltar. They produced stone for railway ballast, which is the crushed rock used under railway tracks. The government even took over part of their land for a short time to open its own ballast quarry.
Many quarrymen and stonemasons worked here. Some lived in simple, temporary homes on the mountain. Working in the quarries could be dangerous, and there were many accidents. Because of this, the workers created a fund to help those who were injured.
When Alexander Amos passed away in 1915, he owned most of the northern and western parts of the mountain. His land was later sold. The summit, or top part, was bought by Joshua Stokes for the Bowral Municipal Council. He wanted it to become a public reserve.
Why the Stone Was So Special
As early as 1894, a government geologist named E. F. Pittman said that Bowral Trachyte was incredibly strong. He believed it was "indestructible" and perfect for important buildings that needed to last a very long time. One architect even compared it to Cologne Cathedral, saying it would last for a thousand years!
The stone was described as "very solid" and as strong as most granites. It became popular for replacing old, crumbling sandstone kerbs and gutters in Sydney. This demand for hard rock helped the quarries grow.
Bowral Trachyte was used a lot in Sydney in the late 1800s for building fronts, foundations, paving, and bridge piers. Famous examples include the columns of the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney. At least 16 structures made with Bowral Trachyte are now listed on the State Heritage Register. In 1914, some of the stone was even sent to London and Scotland.
Changes and Challenges
During the Great Depression in the 1930s, the government started a program to create jobs. The Minister for Local Government, Eric Spooner, visited Mount Gibraltar and arranged for money to be used for relief work. By 1936, a new road and lookouts were built on Mount Gibraltar. Workers for these projects often camped on site, creating a temporary settlement.
Joshua Stokes, who bought land for a reserve, was criticized at the time for wasting public money. However, after World War II, the local Council expanded his original purchase. A memorial was built in 1950 to honor Stokes's vision for the reserve.
By 1973, only one quarry was still active. Building methods and materials had changed, reducing the need for Bowral Trachyte. There were also growing concerns from the community about the impact of quarrying on the beautiful site. People worried about the regular blasting and the dust, sometimes called "Pope's Dust," that filled the air.
Negotiations led to the main quarry closing down. Ten years later, there was a request to quarry a small amount of stone for an extension to the National Library of Australia in Canberra. After community opposition, a deal was made for a small amount of stone to be taken. The remaining quarrying sites were then added to the reserve in 1986.
In 2003, some loose blocks were removed to repair steps at the State Library of New South Wales.
Mount Gibraltar Today
The land was not well looked after until 1995. That's when a group of volunteers formed the Mount Gibraltar Landcare and Bushcare Group. They started working to "care for, control, and manage the reserve." They have done a lot of work to remove weeds, which has helped uncover some of the old quarry structures.
Since 1995, the group has completed many projects, including:
- 1995: Improving the Inner Bowl Carpark.
- 1996: Building steps and paths at Bowral Lookout and Jellore Lookout.
- 2001: Creating a wheelchair access track at Bowral Lookout.
- 2002: Building walls and paths at Mittagong Lookout.
- 2011: Creating the Heritage Quarries Circuit Track for walking.
The quarrying was a big part of life in Bowral. Residents remember a huge, dull thud at 4 pm that would shake windows. One resident, Elizabeth Smith, described how explosions were random at first, with no warning. She even found chipped rocks in her garden and had a stone crash on her roof! After her husband complained, the blasting stopped. Later, stone was extracted using a diamond drill, which was noisy but less dangerous.
What You Can See at the Quarries
The quarries have left large "scars" on the side of Mount Gibraltar, especially visible from the Bowral side. Up close, the quarry walls can be very impressive, reaching up to 50 meters high. The site still contains loose rock that is sometimes used for projects within the reserve, like making bases for plaques.
You can still see signs of the old industrial activity, like old road and track ways, and loading areas. These are becoming more visible as weeds are removed.
The reserve also has several stone structures and steps that were built in the 1930s as part of a program to help people find work during the Depression. This program also built the Scenic Loop Road and a strong retaining wall on the western side. These structures include stone stairways, shelters at various lookouts, picnic tables, and the Joshua Stokes Memorial.
Many of the old quarry sites are now overgrown, but some areas have been cleared. A network of walking trails runs through the reserve. As areas are cleared, old tools, building materials, and steps cut into the rock face have been found.
The unique rock of Mount Gibraltar supports a special type of forest called the Mount Gibraltar Forest. This forest is an "Endangered Ecological Community," meaning it's a rare group of plants that doesn't grow anywhere else outside this reserve. Volunteers have been working for 15 years to remove weeds and help this forest grow back.
Why Mount Gibraltar Quarries Are Important
The Mount Gibraltar Quarries are very important because they were used for 100 years to dig out a unique stone. This stone, known as Bowral Trachyte, was used for many famous buildings in New South Wales and even other countries. The quarries were a big part of Bowral's industrial past.
Geologists call the stone "microsyenite," but it was sold as "Bowral Trachyte." It became popular for kerbing (the edge of a road) in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Its use by Sydney City engineers to replace crumbling sandstone kerbs really helped the quarries grow.
Most of the stone was sent to Sydney for major city buildings like Challis House, the National Mutual Building, the QVB, and the ANZAC Memorial. It was also used for big public works like the Hawkesbury River Bridge. Many of these structures are now listed on the State Heritage Register because of their amazing design and engineering. The stone from these quarries also helped build monuments for the Federation and for the foundation of Canberra, as well as many war memorials.
The ballast quarry was important for building the Great Southern Railway line from Mittagong to Goulburn in the late 1800s. For a hundred years, skilled stonemasons and quarrymen worked here, blasting, cutting, and polishing the hard rock. The tools and methods they used show the technical skills of the time. The quarries were also important for the social development of Bowral, as many families worked there. It was a major industry for the town.
Mount Gibraltar is a volcanic intrusion, meaning it's a place where molten rock pushed up from underground and cooled. Over 180 million years of erosion have exposed this special rock. The stone is incredibly strong, durable, and can be polished to look beautiful. This type of high-quality microsyenite is rare around the world, making the Mount Gibraltar Quarries very unique.
The site is also important because it shows the amazing skills of workers from the early industrial era in New South Wales. Even though it's overgrown, you can still see signs of how the stone was removed, like marks from the "plug and feather" technique, old machinery, and remains of tracks.
The Mount Gibraltar Forest is also very rare. It's listed as an endangered ecological community in New South Wales and nationally. The unique geology of the area supports a collection of plants that don't exist anywhere else.
The Mount Gibraltar Trachyte Quarries Complex was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register in 2013 for several reasons:
- It shows how important the quarries were for building many significant public buildings, roads, railways, and memorials in NSW and internationally.
- It supported a major job creation program during the Depression, which built the Scenic Loop road and lookouts.
- It shows the amazing skill and industrial technology of the stoneworkers who managed this extremely hard rock.
- The large quarry scars add to the beauty of Mount Gibraltar, which is a famous landmark between Sydney and Canberra.
- It's a natural reserve used by the local community for fun activities and is also a popular tourist spot.
- There's a chance to learn more about the quarrying industry and the unique rock through archaeological findings.
- The quarries are considered very rare because of the unique quality of the stone and the endangered forest that grows there.
Images for kids
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Peak of Mount Gibraltar showing exposed igneous rock platform
