Calcifer, Queensland

Coordinates: 17°12′40″S 144°34′26″E / 17.211°S 144.574°E / -17.211; 144.574

Calcifer
Calcifer
Coordinates: 17°12′40″S 144°34′26″E / 17.211°S 144.574°E / -17.211; 144.574
Population
• Total	0

Calcifer is a ghost town in Queensland, Australia. The town's name was derived from a combination of the words calx, cuprum and ferrum, the Latin words for "limestone", "copper", and "iron" respectively. Located 200 kilometres (120 mi) west of Cairns, and southeast of Chillagoe, it was established in 1894, when John Moffat established a copper smelter on the site. At its height in 1898, the town boasted stores, a branch of the Bank of Australasia, a cricket team, and five hotels. An accident at the nearby Hobson mine in 1903 killed three men; and by 1907 smelting operations had moved to Chillagoe, and the site was all but deserted. Today, all that remains are the foundations of the smelters and a small cemetery with five graves.

References

Kerr, Ruth (1995). "Calcifer - the First Copper Smelter on the Chillagoe Copperfield" (PDF). Australasian Historical Archaeology (13): 18–23.
Olsen, Peter. "Calcifer Cemetery". Australian Cemetery Index. Retrieved May 18, 2014.

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