Mungana Archaeological Area
| Mungana Archaeological Area | |
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Hospital site
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| Location | Mungana, Chillagoe, Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia |
| Coordinates | 17°06′03″S 144°23′34″E / 17.1009°S 144.3929°ECoordinates: 17°06′03″S 144°23′34″E / 17.1009°S 144.3929°E |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Official name: Mungana Archaeological Area, Mungana Prospect, Old Mungana Township, Mungana Township, Lady Jane Mine, Eclipse Limeworks and Cemetery, Girofla Mine | |
| Type | archaeological |
| Designated | 11 December 2008 |
| Reference no. | 700001 |
| Significant period | 1880s - 1970s |
| Significant components | artefact field |
 Location of Mungana Archaeological Area in Queensland
Location of Mungana Archaeological Area in Queensland
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Mungana Archaeological Area is a heritage-listed former mining town at Mungana, Chillagoe, Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia.It is also known as Mungana Prospect, Old Mungana Township, Mungana Township, Lady Jane Mine, Eclipse Limeworks and Cemetery, and Girofla Mine. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 11 December 2008.
The Mungana Archaeological Area is an aggregation of the remnants of mining and associated community infrastructure that commenced during Queensland's mining boom in the 1880s. The area was both geographically and commercially linked to the development of the nearby township of Chillagoe, which was originally settled and named in 1887 by William Atherton, the son of the famous North Queensland pioneer, John Atherton. William established a large homestead on the banks of the Chillagoe Creek in 1888 with the intention of supplying beef to the expanding mining operations of the area. The far north Queensland mining magnate, John Moffat, buoyed by reports from Atherton and others of the discovery of payable mineral deposits, visited the area in October 1888 and subsequently acquired the mineral rights over a considerable amount of the Chillagoe/Mungana area. He consolidated his position by establishing a number of smaller mining operations, including a smelter at Calcifer in 1894.
Mining at Mungana commenced in 1893-1894 when John Moffat employed 70 men to prospect the Girofla load. Full scale operations commenced in 1896 when Moffat instructed 20 men to sink a shaft at Girofla, prepare a dam and construct a smelter site. A calico township quickly grew near the mine, and was also called Girofla. The settlement soon expanded to include a small number of buildings, including three hotels. By 1897 the copper smelting machinery from Muldiva had been transferred to Girofla and the latter's population had grown to 158. Although the Girofla mine was principally a lead/silver producer, the smelter also processed other ore from a series of nearby mines associated with Moffat, including the Griffith, Dorothy, Red Dome and Lady Jane.
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