Queen River
Encyclopedia
The Queen River is a river that flows through Queenstown
Tasmania
, to the west of the West Coast Range in particular Mount Lyell and Mount Owen.
For over 80 years the main carrier of Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company
mining residue, and the local sewage. It is estimated that 100 million tonnes of tailings were disposed of into the Queen River. This in turn flowed into the lower part of the King River
, and then into a delta at the mouth of the river where it met Macquarie Harbour
.
Following the Mount Lyell Remediation and Research and Demonstration Program
construction of tailings dams, and general reduction of waste into this river, it is now rusty in colour rather than silvery grey as it was previously.
It passes under and adjacent to the revitalised railway now known as the West Coast Wilderness Railway
South of Queenstown on the edge of the river is the early settlement of Lynchford where a gold mine and other mining activity supported a small community in the early days of the railway.
Queenstown, Tasmania
Queenstown is a town in the West Coast region of the island of Tasmania. It is located in a valley on western slopes of Mount Owen on the West Coast Range.It had a population of 5,119 people . At the 2006 census, Queenstown had a population of 2,117....
Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, to the west of the West Coast Range in particular Mount Lyell and Mount Owen.
For over 80 years the main carrier of Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company
Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company
Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company was a Tasmanian mining company formed on the 29 March 1893, most commonly referred to as Mount Lyell. Mount Lyell was the dominant copper mining company of the West Coast from 1893 to 1994, and was based in Queenstown, Tasmania.Following consolidation of...
mining residue, and the local sewage. It is estimated that 100 million tonnes of tailings were disposed of into the Queen River. This in turn flowed into the lower part of the King River
King River (Tasmania)
- Upper reaches :It rises in the vicinity of the Eldon Range, passes through the West Coast Range between Mount Huxley and Mount Jukes and empties in Macquarie Harbour near Strahan....
, and then into a delta at the mouth of the river where it met Macquarie Harbour
Macquarie Harbour
Macquarie Harbour is a large, shallow, but navigable by shallow draft vessels inlet on the West Coast of Tasmania, Australia.-History:James Kelly wrote in his narrative "First Discovery of Port Davey and Macquarie Harbour" how he sailed from Hobart in a small open five-oared whaleboat to discover...
.
Following the Mount Lyell Remediation and Research and Demonstration Program
Mount Lyell Remediation and Research and Demonstration Program
The Mount Lyell Remediation and Research and Demonstration Program was a joint program between the Supervising Scientist Australia and the Department of Environment and Land Management, Tasmania to clean up the King River, Queen River and Macquarie Harbour following 100 years of mine waste and...
construction of tailings dams, and general reduction of waste into this river, it is now rusty in colour rather than silvery grey as it was previously.
It passes under and adjacent to the revitalised railway now known as the West Coast Wilderness Railway
West Coast Wilderness Railway
The West Coast Wilderness Railway, Tasmania is a reconstruction of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company railway between Queenstown and Regatta Point...
South of Queenstown on the edge of the river is the early settlement of Lynchford where a gold mine and other mining activity supported a small community in the early days of the railway.