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Ravenswood Photographic Archive

This collection of photographs was originally developed as display material. It illustrates the development of Ravenswood, where gold was first discovered in 1868. Reef mining was established and it was necessary to set up milling facilities such as the Mabel Mill to extract the gold.  The London Reef was discovered in the initial development of the Ravenswood Gold Field. By 1871, Ravenswood's troubles had begun in that miners could not recover ore easily from below the water level.  In Ravenswood this caused particular problems due in part to the variety and unpredictability of the distribution of sulphides in the ore.  Greater capital was required to fund the various technologies to extract the gold.  As a result many miners left for other gold fields, such as the recently discovered Charters Towers field, which was to quickly overtake Ravenswood as a gold producer and most important inland North Queensland town. Nonetheless the town grew with building of government infrastructure, which included the opening of the railway from Townsville in 1884, new Court House and Police Station (1882), new Post and Telegraph Office (1885), and Hospital (1887); and other public buildings such as the School of Arts Library (c1876; demolished 1992) and Hall (c.1880). In 1903, Ravenswood reached its peak population of some 5,000 people. 

 

Archive Location: 104R

Detailed Listing

RC/Photographs/Block Mounted/1/ Ravenswood, late nineteenth/early twentieth centuries

RC/Photographs/Block Mounted/2/ Invitation for a Send-off to A. Laurence Wilson, Esq.

RC/Photographs/Block Mounted/3/ The Wilson residence

RC/Photographs/Block Mounted/4/ Wilson Family: Mr and Mrs Wilson, Maude, Douglas, Archie and Mabel

RC/Photographs/Block Mounted/5/ A. Lawrence Wilson - 'Uncrowned King of Ravenswood'

RC/Photographs/Block Mounted/6/ 'Presentation and Send-Off to A.Laurence Wilson, Esq. On the Eve of His Departure for England. Ravenswood, 27th November, 1906'

RC/Photographs/Block Mounted/7/ Thorp's Mining Exchange, Ravenswood (established 1887)

RC/Photographs/Block Mounted/8/ Grinding Plant built for treating tailings, erected at Ravenswood

RC/Photographs/Block Mounted/9/ Photo showing legend: work bin -storeroom-blacksmith's shop-engine and boiler house

RC/Photographs/Block Mounted/10/ Ravenswood, 1873

 

RC/Photographs/Framed/1/ New Ravenswood 30 Head Stamper Battery

RC/Photographs/Framed/2/ New Ravenswood Hotel, now Scott's Hotel, Winton

RC/Photographs/Framed/3/ Donnybrook Blocks Mine. Looking South-East, 1902

RC/Photographs/Framed/4/ Browne's Hotel. showing Holliman's Emporium on the opposite side of the street

RC/Photographs/Framed/5/ New Ravenswood Deep Mines Ltd. Sunset Mine, Main Underlie Shaft

RC/Photographs/Framed/6/ Grant Mine, Ravenswood

 

RC/Photographs/Panorama/1/ Panoramic View of Ravenswood

 

RC/Photographs/Unframed/1/ Ravenswood Hospital. All That Remains is the Brick Work of the Operating Theatre

RC/Photographs/Unframed/2/ Trenfield's Butcher Shop Then Ferguson's Later Hedlef's Bros. Then W.H. Cox, Etc.

RC/Photographs/Unframed/3/ Late nineteenth century view of school at Ravenswood

RC/Photographs/Unframed/4/ Group shot of men and children on porch of shop with sign 'Ravenswood Bazaar"

RC/Photographs/Unframed/5/ Group of people standing in front of Queensland Government Savings Bank

RC/Photographs/Unframed/6/ Matthews Hotel, Ravenswood

RC/Photographs/Unframed/7/ Portrait of woman, unknown

RC/Photographs/Unframed/8/ The London G.M. Co, Ravenswood; The Grant and Sunset Extended, Ravenswood

RC/Photographs/Unframed/9/ Various identified buildings in and around Ravenswood with 'Building Remarks' summary

 

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