Calcifer, Queensland
Calcifer | |
|---|---|
 Mines at Calcifer, circa 1900 | |
  Calcifer | |
| Coordinates: 17°12′30″S 144°34′41″E / 17.2084°S 144.5780°E | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | Queensland |
| LGA | |
| Location | |
Calcifer is a ghost town in the locality of Chillagoe in the Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia.
Geography
The town is located 200 kilometres (120 mi) west of Cairns, and southeast of Chillagoe. It is near Calcifer Creek.[1]
History
The town's name was derived from a combination of the words calx, cuprum and ferrum, the Latin words for "limestone", "copper", and "iron" respectively. The town was established in 1894, when John Moffat established a copper smelter on the site. At its height in 1898, the town had stores, a branch of the Bank of Australasia, a cricket team, and five hotels.[2][3][page needed]
The township was officially proclaimed on 25 March 1899.[4]
An accident at the nearby Hobson mine in 1903 killed three men; and by 1907 smelting operations had moved to Chillagoe, and the site was all but deserted. Today, all that remains are the foundations of the smelters and a small cemetery with five graves.[2][3][page needed]
References
- ^ "Calcifer Creek – creek (entry 5708)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
- ^ a b Olsen, Peter. "Calcifer Cemetery". Australian Cemetery Index. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
- ^ a b Kerr, Ruth (1995). "Calcifer - the First Copper Smelter on the Chillagoe Copperfield" (PDF). Australasian Historical Archaeology (13): 18–23. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 April 2025.
- ^ "The Cook District. Reserve for township purposes, Calcifer (in the Walsh and Tinaroo Mining District)". Queensland Government Gazette. 25 March 1899. p. 71:867.
External links
Media related to Calcifer, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons