56-467: Queenstown Oval , known colloquially as The Gravel or The Rec (for Recreation Ground), is a sports arena in Queenstown , located on the west coast of Tasmania . Built in 1895, it is infamous for its gravel playing surface, and is used primarily for Australian rules football , while also hosting cricket and athletics. The ground has a main concrete grandstand and a total capacity of 5,000. For nearly
112-721: A candle-lit dinner serenaded by string quartet, ABC's classical music radio station featured a "Concert for the Franklin", and electronics entrepreneur Dick Smith committed to civil disobedience. Many people who had not previously considered conservation issues decided that wilderness was a vote-worthy issue, as evidenced by the following ballot paper write-in campaigns. In the federal Lowe by-election in Sydney, March 1982, volunteers at every polling booth encouraged voters to write "No Dams" on their ballot paper, and 9% did so. At that first 'Write-in' campaign, few people knew that they could write
168-511: A century, Queenstown Oval was the grand final venue for the now defunct Western Tasmanian Football Association. It is currently the home ground for the local Queenstown Crows in the Darwin Football Association . Queenstown Crows are a 1994-merger of Queenstown Blues and Lyell-Gormanston clubs, both clubs were previously formed as merged entities (Queenstown Blues resulted from the 1977 merger of City Magpies and Smelters Robins, while
224-593: A message on their federal ballot paper without invalidating their vote. In the ACT House of Assembly mid-1982 election, up to 40% of voters wrote "No Dams" on their ballot paper. In the federal Flinders by-election in Victoria in December 1982, 40% of voters wrote "No Dams" on their ballot papers. In November 1982, the conflict stepped up a notch when Brown announced that a blockade of the dam site would begin on 14 December. On
280-404: A public interest campaign concerning the river. The photographs of Dombrovskis and his colleague, Olegas Truchanas , attracted significant attention. The campaign generated 30,000 letters of support in a fortnight. A film, The Last Wild River , was shown on Tasmania's two commercial television stations. In June 1980, an estimated 10,000 people marched through the streets of Hobart, demanding that
336-413: A vote of 4 to 3 in the federal government's favour. Judges Mason, Murphy, Brennan and Deane were in the majority and justices Wilson and Dawson with Chief Justice Gibbs were in the minority. This ruling gave the federal government the power to legislate on any issue if necessary to enforce an international treaty and has been the subject of controversy ever since. Justice Lionel Murphy wrote most broadly of
392-939: A week as there was nowhere else to hold him. In February, a Hobart rally against the dam drew approximately 20,000 people. On 1 March, the movement launched a day of action, which they labelled 'G-Day'. 231 people were arrested as a flotilla of boats took to the Gordon River. In Hobart, the Wilderness Society flag was flown above the HEC building. On 2 March the Wilderness Society backed the publication of what were then rare full-page colour advertisements in The Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne's The Age newspapers of what would soon become an iconic photograph: Morning Mist, Rock Island Bend, Franklin River by Peter Dombrovskis . It
448-528: The 2021 census , Queenstown had a population of 1,808 people (929 males and 878 females). The median age was 47. Children aged 0–14 years made up 15.3% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 22.3% of the population. According to the 2021 census , the most common responses for religion in Queenstown were No Religion (40.5%), Catholic (22.0%), Anglican (16.7%), and Uniting Church (3.1%). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 6.7% of
504-483: The 2021 census , Queenstown had a population of 1,808 people. Queenstown's history has long been tied to the mining industry. This mountainous area was first explored in 1862. It was not long after that when alluvial gold was discovered at Mount Lyell , prompting the formation of the Mount Lyell Gold Mining Company in 1881. In 1892, the mining company began searching for copper. The final name of
560-613: The Australian Labor Party won the federal election with a large swing. The new prime minister , Bob Hawke , had vowed to stop the dam from being built, and the anti-dam vote increased Hawke's majority - some federal Victorian seats were notable for having a strong interest in the issue. However, in Tasmania, the vote went against the national trend and the Liberals held all five seats. Hawke's government first passed regulations under
616-632: The King River to the port of Strahan in Macquarie Harbour . The Queenstown Heritage and Arts Festival was the first name of a biennial festival that celebrates Queenstown's history. One significant historical event it has celebrated was the centenary of the 1912 North Mount Lyell Disaster in the second festival in October 2012. In the third festival in October 2014, the Hydro Tasmania centenary
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#1732873394548672-480: The Roaring Forties , although temperatures can occasionally rise above 30 °C, while winters are cool to cold and almost always cloudy; however, during rare clear spells overnight temperatures can drop well below freezing. Brief, light snow usually occurs several times each winter, with occasional heavier snow falling every few years. Queenstown is very cloudy, getting only 29.0 days of clear skies annually. At
728-430: The 'No Dams' campaign. The mountains surrounding Queenstown have unusual pink and grey hues that come from the conglomerate rocks on the two most adjacent mountains - Mount Lyell and Mount Owen . The mountains surrounding Queenstown are often snowcapped through winter. Snow falls a few days out of the year. Owing to a combination of tree removal for use in the smelters and the smelter fumes (for about 40 years), and
784-464: The 1980s, and since, that the low-level succession of plants might affect the stark 'moonscape' appearance of the southern parts of Mount Lyell, and northern Mount Owen. Although there are still large areas incapable of sustaining regrowth due to the acute slopes and lack of soil formation, revegetation projects have been stymied. The Queen River was for most of the history of the Mount Lyell company
840-684: The Franklin Dam decision's broader environmental and social implications in terms of the UNESCO Convention's common heritage of humanity principle, stating that "The preservation of the world's heritage must not be looked at in isolation but as part of the co-operation between nations which is calculated to achieve intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind and so reinforce the bonds between people which promote peace and displace those of narrow nationalism and alienation which promote war...[t]he encouragement of people to think internationally, to regard
896-532: The Gordon river nearby. During the campaign against the dam, both areas were listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Area register. The campaign that followed led to the consolidation of the small green movement that had been born out of a campaign against the building of three dams on Lake Pedder in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Over the five years between the announcement of the dam proposal in 1978 and
952-569: The Lyell and Gormanston clubs amalgamated in 1976). The ground was the first in Tasmania to have a siren installed to signal the start and end of each quarter. It was borrowed from the Mt Lyell Mines . Inducted into the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame in 2007, the ground was due for updating in the 2010s and was part of The Unconformity festival in 2016. There is a subtle reference to
1008-543: The Mount Lyell company was the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company . Early in 1895 a Post Office was opened at Penghana , at the Queen River fork and crossing, about a kilometre north of present-day Queenstown on the road to Strahan; James Robertson was appointed the first postmaster. The only other substantial building nearby was Robertson & Hunter's store. Queenstown Post Office opened on 21 November 1896 and
1064-471: The Penghana office closed; Miss Mylan was the first postmaster. The present-day Queenstown Post Office dates from 1902 and is heritage-listed. The name "Penghana" was adopted for a substantial house nearby, from around 1925–1944 the residence of Mount Lyell mine manager R. M. Murray , and persists today as Penghana Road . A Queenstown South office opened in 1949 and closed in 1973. In the 1900s, Queenstown
1120-732: The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, which covered both the Franklin and Gordon Rivers. However, Tasmania itself was still divided, with a pro-dam rally in Hobart also attracting around 2,500 people. While the blockade was ongoing, Norm Sanders resigned from the Tasmanian House of Assembly to contest a seat in the Australian Senate . He was replaced in the Assembly by Bob Brown , who had only been released from jail
1176-635: The West Coast region for further economic mineral deposits, and due to the complexity of the geology, there is always the possibility that new mines will open: the Henty Gold Mine is a good example as it commenced operation in the 1990s. Queenstown is the terminus of the West Coast Wilderness Railway , which travels southwards alongside the Queen River , and then along the northern slopes of
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#17328733945481232-429: The axing of the plans in 1983, there was vigorous debate between the pro- and anti-dam lobbies, with large protests from both sides. In December 1982, the dam site was occupied by protesters, leading to widespread arrests and greater publicity. The dispute became a federal issue the following March, when a campaign in the national print media, assisted by the pictures of photographer Peter Dombrovskis , helped bring down
1288-447: The blockade. Protesters impeded machinery and occupied sites associated with the construction work. Nearly 500 people were imprisoned for breaking the terms of their bail. This caused an overflow of prisons in the region. British botanist David Bellamy was jailed, which gave the dispute international attention. The author John Marsden , after being arrested at the blockade, was placed in the maximum security division of Risdon Prison for
1344-478: The country raising support for the anti-dam campaign, attempting to convince Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser to intervene and override the state legislation allowing the dam's construction. British botanist and TV presenter Professor David Bellamy addressed 5,000 people at a Melbourne rally. By the end of 1982, any perception that "greenies" equated with hippies had been greatly challenged, for example in Sydney, Bob Brown and Bellamy addressed 500 people at
1400-514: The culture of their own country as part of world culture, to conceive a physical, spiritual and intellectual world heritage, is important in the endeavour to avoid the destruction of humanity." The High Court ruling ended the dam's construction, and the plans have never been revived. On 5 July 1983, a Huon Pine known as the Lea Tree , over 2000 years old and about 9 feet (3 metres) across was chainsawed and set alight. Three people who are thought to be
1456-506: The dam was not built. The conservative-dominated Legislative Council then blocked the Labor government's 'Gordon-above-Olga' compromise, instead insisting that they proceed with the original proposal. The two parties could not agree on a solution, which led to a deadlock between the two houses of parliament. In 1981, Australian Democrats Senator Don Chipp initiated a Senate inquiry into "the natural values of south-west Tasmania to Australia and
1512-604: The dam. However, the protest movement which had gathered to fight the construction of the Lake Pedder Dam earlier in the 1970s began to reassemble in response to the announcement. The Tasmanian Wilderness Society which had formed from the anti-Lake Pedder Dam and South West Tasmania action groups, the Tasmanian Conservation Trust , and the Australian Conservation Foundation began to mount
1568-671: The dam. In April 1983 the Australian Government sent a Mirage jet and later an RF-111 , from the Royal Australian Air Force, to undertake a reconnaissance mission over the dam to gather evidence that the Tasmanian Government was not complying with Federal legislation to stop work. The issue was brought before the High Court with the first day of hearings on 31 May 1983. The government of Tasmania claimed that
1624-481: The dam. The original proposal was for two dams: The idea polarised the Tasmanian community. It gained support from some sections of the community for generating jobs in an area of the state that was struggling economically. It was suggested that the construction of the dam would assist in bringing industry to Tasmania, on top of the jobs that it would create directly. The initial opinion polls showed around 70% support for
1680-656: The demise of the Mount Lyell company. The town was the base of the Organisation for Tasmanian Development started in 1982. There was a brief boom in prosperity in the 1980s, with the building of several nearby dams by the Hydro . The Darwin and Crotty dams that comprise Lake Burbury (a popular fishing and recreation venue) were built during this period. These followed the cancellation of the Gordon-below-Franklin Dam in 1983 after strong campaigning by environmentalists in
1736-486: The existing National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975, and then passed the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act 1983, which prohibited Franklin River dam-related clearing, excavation and building activities that had been authorised by Tasmanian state legislation. However, the Tasmanian government ignored both the federal regulations and legislation and continued to order work on
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1792-459: The federal government from intervening by threatening to secede from the Commonwealth if they did so. The federal government initially declined to intervene in the dispute. During 1982, active membership of anti-dam organisations increased a hundredfold in mainland states. The iconic "No Dams" triangle sticker was printed. Rallies and events were held in cities around Australia. Bob Brown toured
1848-521: The federal government had no powers under the Constitution to pass either the regulations or the legislation. They claimed that as the right to legislate for the environment was not named in the Constitution, and was thus a residual power held by the states, that the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act 1983 was unconstitutional. The federal government, however, claimed (successfully) that they had
1904-518: The federal legislation was supported by the constitutional powers of a federal government to pass laws about corporations and about the people of any race (in this case the aboriginal race, whose sacred caves along the Franklin would have been inundated). The resulting court case became known as Commonwealth v Tasmania . On 1 July 1983, in a landmark decision, the High Court on circuit in Brisbane ruled by
1960-469: The government not proceed with construction. This was the largest rally in the history of the state. The Labor state government, under premier Doug Lowe , backed down from the original proposal, and agreed to place the Franklin River in a new Wild Rivers National Park . Instead of the original 'Gordon below Franklin' proposal, Lowe now backed an alternative, the 'Gordon above Olga' scheme. While this
2016-479: The government of Malcolm Fraser at the 1983 election . The new government, under Bob Hawke , had promised to stop the dam from being built. A legal battle between the federal government and Tasmanian Government followed, resulting in a landmark High Court ruling in the federal government's favour. In 1978, the Tasmanian Hydro Electric Commission (HEC) announced intentions to construct
2072-619: The ground's gravel playing surface in Jamie Cooper 's Tasmania's Team of the Century painting, with gravel visible in the knees of Queenstown-born Australian football legend Ian Stewart . Queenstown, Tasmania Queenstown is a town in the West Coast region of the island of Tasmania , Australia . It is in a valley on the western slopes of Mount Owen on the West Coast Range . At
2128-487: The heavy annual rainfall, the erosion of the shallow horizon topsoil back to the harder rock profile contributed to the stark state of the mountains for many decades. Typical of the successions that occur in fire affected areas in Western Tasmania , the low shrubbery that has revegetated adjacent to hillside creeks is a very early stage of a long recovery for the ecology of the region. Some concern by local residents in
2184-477: The hire car 'circuit' around Tasmania. The grand Empire Hotel overlooks the revived steam train station where rides to neighbouring Strahan are available through dense rainforest. The recent addition of mountain bike trails and white water rafting add to the town's growth as a tourist destination. Some older features continue to fascinate tourists, either the mountains, the slag heap, and the gravel football ground. There are significant opportunities to catch glimpses of
2240-432: The informal vote, but some were later recounted as formal as they also included a valid vote for one of the two dam options. The ongoing crisis resulted in the replacement of Lowe as premier by Harry Holgate , a Labor politician who was markedly more supportive of the dam proposals. In response, both Lowe and Mary Willey , another Labor MP, resigned from the party and sat in the parliament as independents. This resulted in
2296-541: The loss of a Labor majority in the lower house. Norm Sanders , an Australian Democrats MP and anti-dam campaigner, moved a no-confidence motion, and a state election was called for 15 May. In May 1982 the Holgate Labor government was defeated by the strongly pro-dam Liberal Party under Robin Gray . The new Premier immediately ordered the original plan to go ahead and passed the necessary legislation. Gray attempted to dissuade
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2352-415: The perpetrators were photographed with the tree in the background. This photograph also shows graffiti containing expletives , which appears to be directed against environmentists on the tree. This was likely done by people who were angry that the project was cancelled. However, dam-building by the Hydro was not finished. The corporation was still able to construct a 'compromise' power development scheme on
2408-592: The population. The median weekly personal income for people aged 15 years and over in Queenstown was $ 509 while the median weekly incomes for families and households were $ 1,371 and $ 851 respectively. Franklin Dam controversy The Gordon-below-Franklin Dam (or simply Franklin Dam ) project was a proposed dam on the Gordon River in Tasmania , Australia , that was never constructed. The movement that eventually led to
2464-460: The previous day after spending nineteen days behind bars for his role in the blockade. Throughout January 1983 around fifty people arrived at the blockade each day. The state government made things difficult for the protesters, passing several laws and enforcing special bail conditions for those arrested. Bulldozers were unloaded at the site from a barge under the protection of police. A total of 1,217 arrests were made, many simply for being present at
2520-465: The project's cancellation became one of the most significant environmental campaigns in Australian history. The dam was proposed for the purpose of generating hydroelectricity . The resulting new electricity generation capacity would have been 180 megawatts (240,000 hp). The proposed construction would have subsequently impacted upon the environmentally sensitive Franklin River , which joins with
2576-410: The recipient of mining effluent and the Queenstown sewage - which then continued into the King River and consequently the Macquarie Harbour . The Mount Lyell Remediation and Research and Demonstration Program scheme has since removed the direct flowing mining waste and local waste from the rivers. Today, the town and district attracts significant numbers of tourists , on either organised tours or
2632-634: The right to do so, under the 'external affairs' provision of the Constitution as, by passing legislation blocking the dam's construction, they were fulfilling their responsibilities under an international treaty (the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage , Australia having signed and ratified that convention and the Franklin River having been listed on it). The Commonwealth government also argued (successfully) that
2688-505: The same day, the UNESCO committee in Paris was due to list the Tasmanian wild rivers as a World Heritage site. The blockade, at "Warners Landing" ( 42°34′7″S 145°41′24″E / 42.56861°S 145.69000°E / -42.56861; 145.69000 ) drew an estimated 2,500 people, from not only Tasmania, but also from interstate and overseas. This resulted in the subsequent proclamation of
2744-575: The state government held a referendum , the Power Referendum 1981 , in an attempt to break the deadlock. The referendum gave voters only two choices, one for each dam proposal. In rounded figures, 47% voted in favour of the original Gordon below Franklin scheme, 8% for the compromise Gordon above Olga scheme, and 45% voted informally. There had been a significant campaign for voters to write "No Dams" on their ballot papers, and in total more than 33% of voters did this; these were initially all counted in
2800-470: The then Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser , because ...we were trying to direct the attention of politicians to the area...' . It was renamed Kutikina in mid-1982, as suggested by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre . Kiernan and a group of cavers ( speleologists ) found over 100 caves in the region. Concerns also began to be raised about habitat loss for endangered species. On 12 December 1981,
2856-520: The town's past at the local museum, and simply by driving up Orr Street the old main street with the dominant Post Office tower. The mining operation at the original Mount Lyell mine continues, with Copper Mines of Tasmania operating between 1995 and 1999 independently, after which it became part of an Indian company group - and its concentrates are shipped to India for processing. In 2021, Indian mining company Vedanta Limited divested its copper mining activities in Queenstown. Exploration continues within
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#17328733945482912-569: The world" and "the federal responsibility in assisting Tasmania to preserve its wilderness areas of national and international importance". From early 1981, archaeologists uncovered evidence of human habitation dating from about 15,000 years before present in caves which would be flooded if the dam were to be built. The most significant cave had been rediscovered by geomorphology student Kevin Kieran in January 1977, and he first named it Fraser Cave after
2968-499: Was a major component. With key events taking place at The Paragon Theatre , the festival rebranded as the Unconformity Festival in 2016. Queenstown has a very wet oceanic climate ( Cfb ), and is one of the wettest locations in Tasmania with an annual average rainfall of 2408.2 mm (94.8 in), spread throughout the year but especially concentrated in winter. Summers are cool to mild and prone to cold fronts off
3024-439: Was above the Gordon's junction with the Franklin, it still would have intruded into wilderness quality areas. This compromise did not appease the environmental groups, who maintained a policy of no dams in southwest Tasmania. In July, both the pro-dam and anti-dam groups (the former of which also included the union movement) initiated an advertising blitz in Tasmania. The HEC claimed that up to 10,000 potential jobs would be lost if
3080-651: Was accompanied by the caption "Could you vote for a party that will destroy this?". Folk rock singer Shane Howard from the band Goanna wrote " Let the Franklin Flow ", and released it in April 1983. It was performed by members of his band and members of folk band Redgum under the pseudonym, Gordon Franklin & the Wilderness Ensemble. It was released as a single with a B-side, "Franklin River – World Heritage", written and recorded by Bob Brown. On 5 March 1983,
3136-506: Was the centre of the Mount Lyell mining district and had numerous smelting works, brick-works, and sawmills. The area at the time was heavily wooded. The population in 1900 was 5051; the district, 10,451. The town was the base of the Queenstown Council until its amalgamation with other west coast councils in the 1990s. The town, in its heyday, had a collection of hotels, theatres, churches and schools that have largely disappeared since
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