Ravenswood.

We have been here before. What we were not expecting was the mine mullock heap right up to the town. The old pit can still be viewed from the lookout but this new hole looks like it may well engulf the entire town.

That would be a shame since this very old gold mining town has heaps of history. Today it is huge noisy machines moving thousands of cubic meters of earth every day.

Mining was in its Hey day in the late 1800's. 1987 Carpentaria Gold recommenced mining in the old areas. Over the last 30 or so years various old pits have been underground mined. 2016 Carpentaria Gold announced plans for the Ravenswood Mine Extension project.

This might be good news for the local economy but it seems to me that very little effort is made to restore the area to a safe landscape and revegitate after the minerals have been won from the earth.

Small consolation, but the gold and copper from here will probably keep our citizens supplied with smartphones, tablets and EV transport computer components for many years to come.

Permits to mine some of the purest silica sand is presently being sought north of Cooktown.Read more