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
