023Qtown3.jpg=My Lyell mine in 1912
022Qtown13.jpg=Dubbil Barril forest walk.
20Lake-Margaret-Pipeline.jpg=Old timber pipeline that carried water from Lake Margaret
024QtownDerBridge6.jpg=Lyell Hwy from Queenstown to Derwent Bridge; Lake Burbury
022Qtown21.jpg=Queenstown; town centre
024QtownDerBridge5.jpg=Lyell Hwy from Queenstown to Derwent Bridge; Lake Burbury
022QtownPan01.JPG=Queenstown town centre
022Qtown6.jpg=A top up of 3000 litres of water at our first stop
DSC_0274.JPG=Queenstown; ANZAC memorial and the Empire Hotel for lunch
DSC_0151.JPG=Queenstown railway station
022Qtown14.jpg=Our final stope at Dubbil Barril (sic) where the locomotive is taken to a manually operated turntable for the return journey
021ToQtown3.jpg=Queen River. Because of run-off from the Queen, the King River is arguably Australia's most polluted river. Mining started in the 1880s, with the Queen River, a major tributary of the King River, being used for waste water disposal from the Mt Lyell copper mine. Between 1922 and 1995 low grade ore was concentrated on site and the tailings (ore-washing residue) dumped in the river also. About 100 million tonnes of tailings have been deposited on the banks and bed of the King River and in a delta at the mouth of the river where it enters Macquarie Harbour.\
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Since the closure of the mine in late 1995, and the construction of a tailings dam by the new operators, tailings no longer enter the river system. However, acid water continues to enter the river due to mine dewatering and run-off from the waste rock dumps.
022Qtown22.jpg=Queenstown; town centre mining memorial
023Qtown2.jpg=My Lyell mine
024QtownDerBridge7.jpg=Derwent Bridge; luckily the speed limit on this part of the entrance road into Lake St Clair is only 45kph otherwise this little Echidna could be in trouble.
024QtownDerBridge4.jpg=Lyell Hwy from Queenstown to Derwent Bridge
DSC_0371.JPG=Raining at Lake St Clair
021ToQtown2.jpg=Queenstown approach
03Wall.jpg=Derwent Bridge; The Wall
022Qtown5.jpg=Our first stop at Lynchford and panning for gold. Right hand frame shows thick steam outside the carriage
022QtownPan04.JPG=Queenstown; views from the Iron Blow lookout
DSC_0192.JPG=Historic rail journey, carriages hauled by their second"newest" locomtive built in 1898, in Glasgow
024QtownDerBridge8.jpg=Derwent Bridge; The Wall
023Qtown5.jpg=My Lyell mine - stunning (copper) rock colours
024QtownDerBridge3.jpg=Leaving Queenstown; we drive the very mountainous Lyell Highway on our way toward Hobart.
DSC_0332.JPG=Queenstown;  "Iron Blow"
023Qtown6.jpg=My Lyell mine; Its concentrate material is shipped to India for processing. Government guidelines saw tailings dams created and special measures taken prevent any further pollution of the rivers and harbour.
024QtownDerBridge10.jpg=Derwent Bridge; The Wall
024QtownPan01.JPG=Queenstown; the Australian Rules football oval aptly named "The Gravel" built in1880
022Qtown15.jpg=Dubbil Barril forest walk.
022Qtown8.jpg=Our stop at Rinadeena Saddle - more water for the locomotive
022QtownPan05.JPG=Queenstown; views from the Iron Blow lookout
022Qtown20.jpg=Queenstown; the Empire Hotel. The staircase is made from Tasmanian Blackwood. The timber was cut, shipped to England for carving and then shipped back for installation at the hotel in 1904
DSCN0348.JPG=Queenstown; Occupying a prominent position is "Penghana", an impressive Federation style home built for the mine manager.
024QtownDerBridge2.jpg=Leaving Queenstown; we drive the very mountainous Lyell Highway on our way toward Hobart.
024QtownDerBridge9.jpg=Derwent Bridge; The Wall
023Qtown4.jpg=My Lyell mine 1912 underground disaster killing 42 miners. The 1912 North Mount Lyell Disaster (also known at the time as the Mount Lyell Disaster and North Mount Lyell Fire) refers to a fire that broke out on 12 October 1912 at the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company operations on the West Coast of Tasmania. The mine had been taken over from the North Mount Lyell Company in 1903. Many became trapped as they were working in remote stopes and didn't know of the fire until it was far too late, as there was no emergency warning system operating in the mine. Instead, men had to run along the levels and drives calling to the men, warning them of the serious danger that faced them. 170 men entered the mine that day. 42 were never to be seen alive again\

024QtownPan02.JPG=Queenstown;  "Iron Blow"
022Qtown16.jpg=Dubbil Barril - Trackway "Rack" and the spinning pinion on the locomotive
022Qtown7.jpg=At our second stop there is an overbridge - "Rack" can be seen in the middle image - looks like a third rail
022Qtown1.jpg=Queenstown; Abt rail preparing to leave from Queenstown station
DSC_0262.JPG=Queen River - it has been estimated that it will take 1000 years to restore it to a clean state.
024QtownDerBridge1.jpg=Queenstown; Conglomerate Creek runs beside The Gravel and shows no visible sign of the pollution in the nearby Queen River.
DSC_0121.JPG=After a winding drive through mountainous terrain, we descend into Queenstown
DSC_0296.JPG=Queenstown post office
022Qtown17.jpg=Dubbil Barril forest walk.
022Qtown19.jpg=Back at Queenstown - some of the many jerry built buildings
024QtownDerBridge.jpg=Queenstown; another renovator's delight with good views over the town centre
024QtownPan04.JPG=Queenstown;  "Iron Blow"
023Qtown.jpg=Queenstown; Mt Lyell underground mine tour after a safety briefing and wearing protective gear.
DSC_0344.JPG=Not far out from Queenstown we stopped at the cantilevered lookout overlooking "Iron Blow"
DSC_0375.JPG=Raining at Lake St Clair
022Qtown18.jpg=Dubbil Barril - locomotive on the turntable
024QtownDerBridge11.jpg=Derwent Bridge; The Wall
022Qtown9.jpg=Travelling up through the dense rainforest and skirting around deep gullies
DSC_0226.JPG=Dubbil Barril forest walk.
024QtownPan05.JPG=Raining at Lake St Clair
18_2003.jpg=My Lyell mine; The Mount Lyell lease and mine was reopened by Copper Mines of Tasmania in 1995. This company in turn was acquired by Sterlite Industries an Indian based company in 1999. As a consequence it is part of the Vedanta group of companies.
022Qtown10.jpg=Travelling up through the dense rainforest and skirting around deep gullies- above King River
022Qtown24.jpg=Queenstown; two buildings, needing TLC for sale in the main street
DSC_0306.JPG=Queenstown; on Saturday we arose to a very foggy morning at the park, then turning into a rainy day
022Qtown23.jpg=Queenstown; views from the Iron Blow lookout
022Qtown4.jpg=Queenstown station museum
022Qtown11.jpg=Travelling up through the dense rainforest and skirting around deep gullies- above King River
DSC_0319.JPG=Leaving Queenstown; we drive the very mountainous Lyell Highway on our way toward Hobart.
Collages.jpg=Derwent Bridge; The Wall examines subjects that, although part of our history, also feature in contemporary debate in Tasmania - mining,  logging, hydro-electricity and the environment are some examples.
023Qtown1.jpg=My Lyell mine; Cameras are not allowd on the mine site, so for the next few pictures we have attached internet (and brochure) pics of some of the things we saw on our tour.
022Qtown.jpg=Queenstown; Abt rail preparing to leave from Queenstown station
DSC_0129.JPG=Queenstown town centre
023QtownPan01.JPG=Queenstown; on Saturday we arose to a very foggy morning at the park, then turning into a rainy day
022Qtown2.jpg=Queenstown station museum
DSC_0147.JPG=Queenstown; Historic rail journey map
DSC_0308.JPG=Queenstown; our mine tour took us down a 5km drive to the ore crusher level (bottom left of the picture) where we were then approx 1.5km below ground
DSC_0373.JPG=Raining at Lake St Clair
DSC_0250.JPG=Dubbil Barril - locomotive on the turntable
022Qtown25.jpg=Queenstown; town centre
DSC_0122.JPG=Queenstown is the largest town in Tasmania's West with a population about 2500
022Qtown12.jpg=Travelling up through the dense rainforest and skirting around deep gullies- above King River
022Qtown3.jpg=Queenstown; restored rail carriage (in Myrtle timbers)
022QtownPan02.JPG=Dubbil Barril forest walk - King River
