The eerie abandoned town frozen in time where chimneys tower over it | World | News

With a population of 214 recorded in 2021 the small outback town of Chillagoe would be unlikely to draw in many visitors.

But, towering over it is one of Australia‘s most remarkable, but lesser known sights.

In its heyday, from the early 1900s, it was once a thriving mining town for a range of minerals, but most of that, apart from a small zinc mine and some marble quarries, has long been exhausted.

But, a vast abandoned mine, seemingly frozen in time, remains as a reminder and was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992.

The sites is just over a mile outside the town, with the chimney stacks visible from the main street.

Today, a visitor sees a site that still includes towering smelter chimneys, a disused railway line, rusting vehicles and machinery and quarries.

It has put the outback town of Chillagoe in Queensland firmly on the map for locals, but has yet to become a major tourist attraction known outside Australia, despite its significance.

The Chillagoe Smelter operated for about 40 years until 1943, treating 1.25million tonnes of ore that yielded copper, lead, silver and gold.

In latter years more mines were built closer to the main ore producing areas and it became unviable.

In 1950 much of the buildings and equipment were auctioned, but what didn’t sell or could not be moved was left, leading to the haunting reminders left behind.

It lies in the Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park and is managed by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service as a protected area.

The old mines cannot be entered due to safety risks and asbestos, but visitors to the area are also advised to take a guided tour of some of the many natural caves also nearby.

People who have ventured to both were more than impress3ed.

One traveller wrote on Tripadvisor: “To visit the caves, which are excellent, we contacted the local guide and although we were the only visitors he still took us through, magical.

“The old Copper works are fascinating including the one chimney with a split due to a lightning strike.”

Another posted: “The plant still has a lot of character and it is not hard to envisage how more than 100 years ago this was a bustling industrial centre.

“We were advised to visit a bit before dusk, and this proved excellent advice. The temperature was cooler, plenty of birds were out and about, and the subdued light really gave character to the old brick and corrugated iron buildings, as well as the broader landscape.”