Mount Mulligan
Postcode: 4871
Mount Mulligan was a mining town in northern Queensland, Australia, the site of Queensland’s worst mining disaster.
The town was named after James Venture Mulligan, who discovered the site.
Mt Mulligan was based entirely on coal mining, but was never profitable, and spent most of its life in the shadow of financial ruin. It is chiefly known for the horrific disaster that occurred there.
One of the first messages received outside Mount Mulligan was: “Explosion throughout the whole of the mine, presumably caused by gas. The mine is wrecked, and there is much debris to clear before any entry can be effected. About 100 men in the mine are entombed, and there is little hope of their recovery alive. One body has been recovered. Two persons are injured seriously, and are unconscious. Relief workers are proceeding from Dimbulah, also railway lengthsmen. The explosion was heard 14 miles away.”
Mount Mulligan lies 50 km north of the tiny town of Dimbulah in the Northern region of the Tablelands. The road to Mt Mulligan is unsealed.
Accommodation can be provided at the Mt Mulligan Station, which was the old township hospital.