ONCE KNOWN as Ironstone Mountain, Mount Morgan was named after the Morgan brothers who pegged the first claims and developed the mine in partnership with three other Rockhampton businessmen.
The region has gone through both boom times and bust, and the actual mountain became a hole as it was mined for 225,000kg of gold, 50,000kg of silver and 360,000 tonnes of copper during a period of 99 years.
Today, there is a resurgence in interest in Mount Morgan for both its mining opportunities (reprocessing waste rock and tailings) and its proximity to the city of Rockhampton, making it a good place to enjoy a country lifestyle while being close to city amenities.
It has many points to interest visitors. The story of how the mountain of gold was discovered makes fascinating reading, and a trip to the Mount Morgan Historical Museum will give visitors an insight into the kind of life led by earlier residents in the town.
The museum’s display actually reaches back further than the early days of mining. There are historical photographs of the indigenous people that the early settlers encountered, along with axe heads, spears, clubs and grinding stones.
The photographic display throughout the museum is impressive, with more than 500 photos that span gold mining activities to the social life in the early days.
A section of early household items makes you grateful for the electric appliances of today, and the transportation section of the museum is a treat with horse-drawn buggies and carts, sulkies, the town’s first motorised hearse (a 1921 Buick) and one of the early fire engines. The museum is open daily from 10.00am to 4.00pm.
Living history can be seen throughout the town. Mount Morgan has Queensland’s oldest high school, an imposing double-storey red brick building in Central Street. Of the original 27 hotels in town, four can still be seen. A number of private homes also survive from the early days.
While in town, visit the cemetery where you will find the Linda Memorial which commemorates the lives of men killed in the Mount Morgan underground mine.
Also see the Chinese Heung Lew. This is one of only three surviving Chinese prayer ovens in Australia. It was built in 1890 and used for religious rituals to assist the departed soul on its celestial journey.
Crossing the Dee
CROSSING the Dee River was of major importance in the early mining years. Six pedestrian bridges were built during the 1890s to cross the river between the town and the mine.
The one remaining suspension bridge (giving access from Tipperary Point to Red Hill) was badly damaged in the 1928 flood and was declared unusable until the Mount Morgan Shire Council rebuilt the bridge in 1937.
