Mount Molloy, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Mount Molloy is a historic mining
and timber
town lying 160 kilometres north of Cairns. At the 2006 census
, the town and surrounding area had a population of 276.
At its height it was a copper mine
in the 1890s. It was commonly used as camping grounds and Chinese
market gardeners used to grow grain and other foodstuffs for the miners nearby.
A private railway was constructed to Mount Molloy, junctioning from the Cairns to Mareeba
line at Biboohra, opening in August 1908. It was built by Mount Molloy Limited to serve its smelters. The line was transferred to Queensland Railways on 1 March 1917 following the liquidation of the company and was extended to Rumula on 5 December 1926. The branch closed on 1 May 1964.
Mount Molloy was named after Patrick Molloy, an early teamster for a stock route and the person who discovered copper
at what was to become Mount Molloy.
The dominant industry of Mount Molloy is now cattle grazing
and consists of a few shops and an old hotel
.
Nearby towns are Julatten, Mount Carbine
and Mount Mulligan
.
Quaid Road
terminates south of Mount Molloy.
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
town lying 160 kilometres north of Cairns. 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,...
, the town and surrounding area had a population of 276.
At its height it was a copper mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
in the 1890s. It was commonly used as camping grounds and 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...
market gardeners used to grow grain and other foodstuffs for the miners nearby.
A private railway was constructed to Mount Molloy, junctioning from the Cairns to Mareeba
Mareeba, Queensland
Mareeba is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia. The town is above sea level on the confluence of the Barron River, Granite Creek and Emerald Creek. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning meeting of the waters...
line at Biboohra, opening in August 1908. It was built by Mount Molloy Limited to serve its smelters. The line was transferred to Queensland Railways on 1 March 1917 following the liquidation of the company and was extended to Rumula on 5 December 1926. The branch closed on 1 May 1964.
Mount Molloy was named after Patrick Molloy, an early teamster for a stock route and the person who discovered 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...
at what was to become Mount Molloy.
The dominant industry of Mount Molloy is now cattle grazing
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
and consists of a few shops and an old hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
.
Nearby towns are Julatten, Mount Carbine
Mount Carbine, Queensland
Mount Carbine is a town in Far North Queensland, Australia. It lies close to the Mount Carbine Tableland. At the 2006 census, Mount Carbine had a population of 91.-Notes and references:...
and Mount Mulligan
Mount Mulligan, Queensland
Mount Mulligan was a mining town in northern Queensland, Australia, the site of Queensland's worst mining disaster.A railway connected Mount Mulligan with Dimbulah on the Chillagoe Railway...
.
Quaid Road
Quaid Road
Quaid Road is a 32 km long stretch of private road in Far North Queensland. The road was given corridor approval and completed in early 1989 through rainforest that was later declared Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in late 1989 and links Wangetti, on the coast just north of Cairns, to...
terminates south of Mount Molloy.