www.monumentaustralia.org.au

James Venture MulliganPrint Page Print this page

James Venture Mulligan
James Venture Mulligan

Photographs supplied by Diane Watson

Plaques erected by the Mareeba Historical Society on the centenary of the death of James Mulligan. 

Widely respected for his bush skills and religious principles, Mulligan became a justice of the peace in 1894. In 1903, aged in his early 60's Mulligan married Fanny Bulls, a widower from the Palmer goldfield, and they settled in Mount Molloy, then a bustling ' twin town ' with one township close to the copper mines and another servicing John Moffat's smelters where the town of Mount Molloy stands today.

It is thought that while living in Mount Molloy Mulligan continued prospecting on Mount Fraser, a few miles north west of the town. The details about the events that led to Mulligan's death are unclear. It seems that on 23 August 1907 Mulligan was involved in a pub brawl, in which he sustained critical injuries.

Location

Address:Bakers Road, Cemetery, Mount Molloy, 4871
State:QLD
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -16.685833
Long: 145.325
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
View Google Map

Details

Monument Type:Plaque
Monument Theme:People
Sub-Theme:Exploration
Designer:Mareeba Historical Society

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Sunday 26th August, 2007
Left Side Inscription

          In Memory Of 
JAMES VENTURE MULLIGAN
Prospector And Explorer Who Led 
The Party Which Found Payable 
Gold On This River In August 1873
This Proved To Be The Richest 
Alluvial Gold Field In Queensland.

Right Side Inscription

JAMES VENTURE MULLIGAN
Was Born In County Down Ireland In 1837 And Emigrated To Australia In 1859.
Besides The Palmer Gold Field He Discovered The First Tin In North Queensland At Wild River In 1875. The Hodgkinson Gold Field In 1876 And The First Silver Field In Queensland At Silver Valley In 1880 And Led Eight Other Prospecting Expeditions Throughout North Queensland.
He Died At Mt Molloy On 24th August 1907. Aged 70.

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au