Clermont, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Clermont is an agricultural town in the Isaac Region, Queensland
, Australia
. It is 274 km south-west of Mackay
on the junction of the Gregory
and Peak Downs
highways. At the 2006 census
, Clermont had a population of 1,854.
was the first European to pass through the Clermont area in 1845, but it was the discovery of gold
in 1861 that was responsible for the establishment of the town. The town reserve was proclaimed on 25 March 1864. It is named after Clermont-Ferrand
, France
. Copper
was discovered soon after. In the 1880s up to 4000 Chinese
people were resident in Clermont, mining for gold and copper. This led to racial riots and the Chinese were removed from the region in 1888.
The railway was extended north from Emerald
to Clermont in February 1884. However; no passenger trains are available to or from Clermont.
The town was originally established on low lying ground next to a lagoon
or billabong
, but flooding was always a problem, with four substantial floods occurring between 1864 and 1896. The greatest flood, in 1916, killed 65 people out of a town population of 1,500 and remains one of Australia's worst natural disasters in terms of life lost. Following the 1916 flood, many of the wooden buildings of the town were moved using steam traction engines to a new townsite on higher ground. A local amateur photographer, George Pullar took numerous photographs of the moving buildings, published in the 1980s as "A Shifting Town".
Today, Clermont is a major hub for the large coal
mines in the region as well as serving agricultural holdings.
Clermont Mine delivered its first conveyor of coal in April 2010.
Clermont also hosts another larger coal mine; Blair Athol Mine, located 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) north west of Clermont. The mine supplies customers in Asia and Europe with up to 12 million tonnes of thermal coal per annum.
The coal deposit was originally discovered on the site in 1864 and was first mined in 1890. Between 1920 and 1945 coal was mined with an underground method, which is still visible today. The current open cut operation started in 1984.
Blair Athol Mine is due to close in 2016 when its reserves are completely mined out. Its stockpile and train facilities will be used by the Clermont Mine, currently under construction.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is 274 km south-west of Mackay
Mackay, Queensland
Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....
on the junction of the Gregory
Gregory Highway
The Gregory Highway is a state highway in Queensland that serves the major coal-mining centres of Central Queensland. The highway was named after Augustus Gregory, an early explorer....
and Peak Downs
Peak Downs Highway
The Peak Downs Highway links the towns of Mackay and Clermont in the Australian state of Queensland. It represents the main link between Queensland's Whitsunday Coast and the Central West region of the state. The highway runs for a total length of 273 km, before becoming the Gregory Highway ...
highways. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Clermont had a population of 1,854.
Overview
Ludwig LeichhardtLudwig Leichhardt
Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt, known as Ludwig Leichhardt, was a Prussian explorer and naturalist, most famous for his exploration of northern and central Australia.-Early life:...
was the first European to pass through the Clermont area in 1845, but it was the discovery of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in 1861 that was responsible for the establishment of the town. The town reserve was proclaimed on 25 March 1864. It is named after Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
was discovered soon after. In the 1880s up to 4000 Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
people were resident in Clermont, mining for gold and copper. This led to racial riots and the Chinese were removed from the region in 1888.
The railway was extended north from Emerald
Emerald, Queensland
Emerald is a town located in the Central Highlands district of Central Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Emerald had a population of 10,999. The town is the business centre for the Central Highlands Regional Council....
to Clermont in February 1884. However; no passenger trains are available to or from Clermont.
The town was originally established on low lying ground next to a lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
or billabong
Billabong
Billabong is an Australian English word meaning a small lake, specifically an oxbow lake, a section of still water adjacent to a river, cut off by a change in the watercourse. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end...
, but flooding was always a problem, with four substantial floods occurring between 1864 and 1896. The greatest flood, in 1916, killed 65 people out of a town population of 1,500 and remains one of Australia's worst natural disasters in terms of life lost. Following the 1916 flood, many of the wooden buildings of the town were moved using steam traction engines to a new townsite on higher ground. A local amateur photographer, George Pullar took numerous photographs of the moving buildings, published in the 1980s as "A Shifting Town".
Today, Clermont is a major hub for the large coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mines in the region as well as serving agricultural holdings.
Attractions
Today, visitors can still see the remains of the original town site. The Piano in the Tree, in Capricorn Street, is a quirky reminder of the height of the floodwaters. The Clermont Museum has historical artefacts and is home to many machinery displays, it's located off the Peak Downs Highway just outside Clermont.Coal Mining
Rio Tinto is currently constructing the Clermont Mine, located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) north west of the township of Clermont in central Queensland. When the mine reaches full capacity (expected in 2013) it will produce up to 12.2 million tonnes of thermal coal for international markets.Clermont Mine delivered its first conveyor of coal in April 2010.
Clermont also hosts another larger coal mine; Blair Athol Mine, located 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) north west of Clermont. The mine supplies customers in Asia and Europe with up to 12 million tonnes of thermal coal per annum.
The coal deposit was originally discovered on the site in 1864 and was first mined in 1890. Between 1920 and 1945 coal was mined with an underground method, which is still visible today. The current open cut operation started in 1984.
Blair Athol Mine is due to close in 2016 when its reserves are completely mined out. Its stockpile and train facilities will be used by the Clermont Mine, currently under construction.
Notable people
- David HandDavid HandGrand Chief the Most Reverend Geoffrey David Hand KBE GCL was the first Anglican Archbishop of Papua New Guinea.-Childhood and education:...
- ArchbishopArchbishopAn archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Papua New GuineaAnglican Church of Papua New GuineaThe Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea became a discrete province of the Anglican Communion when the Anglican Province of Papua New Guinea was separated from the Anglican ecclesiastical Province of Queensland, Australia, in 1976 following Papua New Guinea's independence from Australia in 1975. Its... - Henry SeekampHenry SeekampHenry Erle Seekamp was the journalist, editor and owner of the Ballarat Times at the time of the Eureka Stockade in 1854...
- prospector and journalist - Billy SingBilly SingWilliam Edward 'Billy' Sing, DCM was a Chinese Australian soldier who served in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I, best known as a sniper during the Gallipoli Campaign. He took at least 150 confirmed kills during that campaign, and may have had over 200 kills in total...
- WWI Elite sniper.