Monto, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Monto is a town in Queensland
, Australia
, located on the Burnett Highway
500 kilometres (310.7 mi) north-west of Brisbane
and 235 kilometres (146 mi) south of Rockhampton
. The town was the administrative centre of Monto Shire
. At the 2006 census
, Monto had a population of 1,159.
— in the 1870s attracted further settlers. The original site of the diggings, 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) north of present-day Monto, has since been flooded by construction of Cania Dam
. The township of Monto was not formally established until 1924. With dwindling gold reserves, Monto turned its economy towards farming and logging, two of the region's major industries today. Deposits of thermal coal and limestone have been discovered in the shire.
, 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) north of town.
in London, raising approximately A$
41 million before expenses. It has since announced its plans to begin commercial production of Feldspar
, Ilmenite
, Apatite
and Titanomagnetite from its site at the Goondicum crater, just outside the eastern border of Monto Shire by the second quarter of 2007.
Coal
mining company Macarthur Coal
also owns large amounts of land in the Mulgildie
area.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, located on the Burnett Highway
Burnett Highway
The Burnett Highway is an inland rural highway located in Queensland, Australia. The highway runs generally north - south, from its junction with the Bruce Highway, just south of Rockhampton, to Nanango. Length is approximately 550 kilometres...
500 kilometres (310.7 mi) north-west of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and 235 kilometres (146 mi) south of Rockhampton
Rockhampton, Queensland
Rockhampton is a city and local government area in Queensland, Australia. The city lies on the Fitzroy River, approximately from the river mouth, and some north of the state capital, Brisbane....
. The town was the administrative centre of Monto Shire
Shire of Monto
The Shire of Monto was a Local Government Area located in the northern catchment of the Burnett River, Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed as a local government area from 1932 until 2008, when it amalgamated with several other shires to form the North Burnett...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Monto had a population of 1,159.
History
Europeans settled in the area in the late 1840s, maintaining large pastoral holdings at the northern end of the Burnett Valley. Gold unearthed along Three Moon Creek — a tributary of the Burnett RiverBurnett River
The Burnett River is a river in central Queensland, Australia that empties into the Pacific Ocean near the city of Bundaberg. The Burnett River region is largely given over to growing sugar cane....
— in the 1870s attracted further settlers. The original site of the diggings, 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) north of present-day Monto, has since been flooded by construction of Cania Dam
Cania Dam
Cania Dam is a dam in central Queensland, Australia, north west of Monto. The dam is situated on Three Moon Creek, a tributary of the Burnett River. It has a surface area is , an average depth of and a capacity of 89,000 ML.-Fishing:*...
. The township of Monto was not formally established until 1924. With dwindling gold reserves, Monto turned its economy towards farming and logging, two of the region's major industries today. Deposits of thermal coal and limestone have been discovered in the shire.
Tourism
Tourism is also a major industry in the region. Besides being a major highway town, the chief local attraction is Cania Gorge National ParkCania Gorge National Park
Cania Gorge is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 373 km northwest of Brisbane. The nearest town is Monto. Three Moon Creek is the name of the waterway that runs along the length of the gorge....
, 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) north of town.
Mining
In 2006, Monto Minerals floated on the Alternative Investment MarketAlternative Investment Market
AIM is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange, allowing smaller companies to float shares with a more flexible regulatory system than is applicable to the main market....
in London, raising approximately A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
41 million before expenses. It has since announced its plans to begin commercial production of Feldspar
Feldspar
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth's crust....
, Ilmenite
Ilmenite
Ilmenite is a weakly magnetic titanium-iron oxide mineral which is iron-black or steel-gray. It is a crystalline iron titanium oxide . It crystallizes in the trigonal system, and it has the same crystal structure as corundum and hematite....
, Apatite
Apatite
Apatite is a group of phosphate minerals, usually referring to hydroxylapatite, fluorapatite, chlorapatite and bromapatite, named for high concentrations of OH−, F−, Cl− or Br− ions, respectively, in the crystal...
and Titanomagnetite from its site at the Goondicum crater, just outside the eastern border of Monto Shire by the second quarter of 2007.
Coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mining company Macarthur Coal
Macarthur Coal
Macarthur Coal is a mining company based in Queensland, Australia, which was incorporated in October 1995. The company was founded by Ken Talbot, who was a former chief executive officer....
also owns large amounts of land in the Mulgildie
Mulgildie, Queensland
Mulgildie is a town in Queensland, Australia. The town is located from the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Mulgildie had a population of 114.-External links:*...
area.