Ravenswood - old mining town

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As part of our truncated roadtrip, we visited Ravenswood again. Ravenswood is an old mining town located around 50km East and 40km South of Charters Towers.

We visited in the hope that it would be possible to view the old mine sites and township of Totley, unfortunately though, it turns out that area is on an active mining lease and the signs makes it very clear that the area is off limits.

Therefore, we had to content ourselves with revisiting some of the other sites around Ravenswood.

Ravenswood became established in the 1860's when gold was discovered. The town peaked in 1871 before beginning a gradual decline. In 1872, there was a great exodus to the new Golf field of Charters Towers, followed by a smaller exodus to the Palmer gold-fields in 1873. By 1915 there were only 2 remaining mines and by 1917, these had closed. Many of the towns men had enlisted for WWI and the railway to the town was removed in 1930 leading to further rapid decline. Over the years, most of the towns houses were moved for re-establishment in places such as Townsville and Burdekin.

Of the buildings that do remian, most are in very good condition and the whole town is listed by the National Trust of Queensland.

Below are some photos of the town buildings and also of the nearby mining sites.

 

School of Arts - The building dates from 1882 when it replaced an earlier School of Arts. The hall has since been used for dances, concerts, live
theatre and as a cinema. Silent films were screened to the piano accompaniment of the Delaney sisters from the Imperial
Hotel.

 

Imperial Hotel - Built in 1902. Proprietor Jim Delaney made his money as a member of the Donnybrook Mine syndicate.
Delaney died soon after the building was completed and the hotel passed to his wife and subsequently to his daughters who continued to run the hotel until recently. 

 

Sunset No.2 Mine - The mine is an early component of the rich Sunset reef, which was the most productive on the Ravenswood field from 1876 to 1912. The boiler house was equipped with an unusual octagonal brick chimney - one of only three associated with early mining in north Queensland.

Duke of Edinburgh Mine -  The Duke of Edinburgh Mine was developed early in the life of the Ravenswood Goldfield. It operated intermittently until 1908 when it was again re-opened as part of the New Ravenswood Company. The mine closed with the company’s collapse in 1917

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Just adding a few more ravenswood photos.

Ravenswood, circa 1909. The tall building on the left hand side of the street is the Imperial Hotel (see post above).

 

Ravenswood School Swimming Pool - Then & Now. The Head Teacher instucted the students to bring a brick to school every day. When he deemed there were enough bricks, the parents dug a big hole, lined it with the bricks and then cemented it.

 

Browne's Hotel - Then & Now

There's a little less of it now, just the steps to be specific.

 

Post Office - 1906 & Now

 

Thorp's Buildings - Then & Now

Thorp's Buildings circa 1903 (on the right hand side of the street). It housed businesses which supplied miners with everything from household goods to mining machinery and is the only two storey shop still standing in Ravenswood