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"At the Coalface " Memorial Print Page 
The first person to discover the Blackwater coal deposits was Ludwig Leichhardt who travelled through the district in 1845 on his way to Port Essington in the Northern Territory. Twenty-seven kilometres from the present site of Blackwater Leichhardt observed `beds of coal indistinguishable from those on the Hunter at Newcastle. It wasn`t until the early 1960s that the town really started to develop.
In 1959-60 coking coal was found to the south of the town. A mining lease was granted in 1965 and in 1967 the first mine in the area started operating. It is claimed that in 1962 the town`s population was only 25. Twenty years later it had grown to over 8000.
Location
| Address: | MacKenzie Street, near Ambulance Station, Blackwater, 4717 |
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| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -23.582269 Long: 148.879753 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
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| Monument Theme: | Technology |
| Sub-Theme: | Industry |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Saturday 3rd December, 1988 |
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This memorial was erected by the late Blackwater Mine Workers Memorial Trust to pay tribute to the important role the coal industry has played in the development of this region and is dedicated to the memory of those whose lives it claimed.
It was unveiled by Mr. Adam Salzer O.A.M. Chief Executive of the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust 3 - 12 - 1988
