OK Mine & Smelter, Heritage mining complex in Bellevue, Queensland, Australia.
OK Mine & Smelter is a heritage-listed copper mine and smelting site at Kitoba Holding, Bellevue, in the Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, built between 1902 and 1942. Its remains include an octagonal brick chimney and matched slag dumps flanking the former smelter. John Munro took up a 400-square-yard prospecting area on the hill in November 1902, where copper carbonates showed profusely and ore assayed at 34%.
Copper was found at the site by John Munro in September 1901, and he named it OK, reputedly after an empty OK jam tin. The OK Copper Mines Development Syndicate, formed with railway contractors and storekeepers, built the mine and smelters and was the first copper company in North Queensland to declare a dividend. The works operated from 1902 to 1942 and were added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 2 October 1996.
The name OK reputedly comes from an empty OK jam tin seen at the site. The first ore, rich surface copper of up to 37%, was hauled to Mount Garnet for smelting before local works were ready. The syndicate was the first copper company in North Queensland to declare a dividend.
The site sits near the historic railway line that once connected to Mareeba, which facilitated shipment of processed copper. Access to the ruins is straightforward, though visitors should wear sturdy footwear as the ground is uneven and scattered with debris.
John Munro named the site OK in September 1901, reputedly after an empty OK jam tin. The first ore was rich surface copper averaging 37%, hauled to Mount Garnet for smelting before the OK syndicate built its own smelters. The syndicate was the first copper company in North Queensland to declare a dividend.
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