Middlemount, Queensland
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Middlemount Queensland |
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 Middlemount
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| Coordinates | 22°49′S 148°42′E / 22.817°S 148.700°ECoordinates: 22°49′S 148°42′E / 22.817°S 148.700°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 1,914 (2011 census) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4746 | ||||||||||||||
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| LGA(s) | Isaac Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Rockhampton | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Capricornia | ||||||||||||||
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Middlemount is a town and locality in Isaac Region, Central Queensland, Australia. At the 2011 census, Middlemount had a population of 1,914. It is nicknamed the "Giant Peanut" by some locals due to its peanut-shaped road layout.
Middlemount is located 242 kilometres (150 mi) inland (by road) from Mackay and Rockhampton. It is a mining town servicing three coal mines: Foxleigh, German Creek and world record holding underground coal mine Grasstree.
Middlemount, like many other mining towns in Queensland virtually sprung up overnight in the early 1980s. Middlemount Post Office opened on 2 June 1980.
Middlemount State School opened in 1980 with a secondary department addded in 1983. In 1988 the secondary department was separated from the primary school to create Middlemount State High School. However, on 1 January 2001, the schools were amalgamated to form Middlemount Community School.
Most of the housing is owned by Anglo Coal. The company operates and maintains some of the town's infrastructure. Most of the houses are almost identical, in this instance there are three types of houses; lowset L-shaped, lowset square and highset.
The German Creek coal mine (or Capcoal), operated by Anglo Coal, is notable as having the deepest longwall coal mine in Queensland, and also for operating Australia's only 'thin-seam' underground coal mine, using technology from the United States. It has five producing underground mines (Central, Southern, Bundoora, Grasstree and Aquila) and two open cut (open pit) mines (Oak Park and Lake Lindsay). Central and Southern mines are no longer operating, Southern has become Grasstree West and Central Closed in 2006. Aquila mine is currently in "Care & Maintenance" mode, pending changes to the coal market prices.
The Foxleigh coal mine is a joint venture between Anglo American, POSCO and Nippon Steel It is currently producing around three million tonnes of coal for the export market.
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Wikipedia