Mt garnet

The arrival of 2013 brought with it some hope for many people involved in the mining industry in North Queensland, when it was finally announced that Chinese mining investment company Snow Peak International had acquired all the Mount Garnet assets from collapsed mining company Kagara Limited.

Snow Peak to Operate Mount Garnet as a Separate Entity

Snow Peak International have announced that its Australian subsidiary, Consolidated Tin Mines Limited, will initially operate the Kagara holdings as a separate entity while it eventually integrates them into its primarily tin mining operations. Kagara Limited had operated a zinc, copper, silver and lead mine at Mount Garnet but Snow Peak's main interest in the acquisition was to gain control of the one million tonnes a year Mount Garnet ore processing plant to compliment its existing tin mining interests in the area. The Kagara collapse had put around 450 people out of work and all its operations being placed on care and maintenance. However, it is planned to continue operating the mill to process copper and other base metals for the time being while evaluating the change over to processing for tin.

Plans Afoot to Process tin at the Mount Garnet Mill

Consolidated Tin Mines Limited is in the process of confirming a resource of from eight to 10 million tonnes of tin bearing ore to be processed through the Mount Garnet Mill at one million tonnes a year that would produce approximately 5,000 tonnes of tin concentrate annually.

Mount Garnet Mill Also Processes ore from Balcooma and Mungana Mines

The Kagara Mount Garnet operation consisted of an underground mine exploiting a deposit of copper, zinc, silver and lead along with the important processing plant that also processed ore from the Balcooma underground mine and the higher grade Mungana underground mine. In its last full year of operation the mill processed just under one million tonnes. The Mount Garnet Mill had been operating since 2003. When Consolidated Tin add a tin circuit to the Mount Garnet Mill it is expected it would process an initial 5,000 tonnes of tin a year and it would eventually add tin from from the Baal Gammon Mine.

Mount Garnet a Stopover Point on the way to the Gulf of Carpentaria

Mount Garnet is located on the way to the Gulf of Carpentaria in Northern Queensland. Many people travelling north stop off at the town to enjoy the bush setting and the pleasant climate 700 metres above sea level. It is an old mining town that was formed following Swiss prospector, Albert Vollenweider, locating a copper outcrop there in 1882.

Road Conditions a Major Handicap

As there is no rail service in this part of Queensland all transport has to be handled by road and this has been a long running concern to Mount Garnet operators. On occasions the road into Mount Garnet is closed due to poor road conditions. The two main roads in the area are the Gregory and the Kennedy development roads and both have need for improved drainage and repair work. On occasions the roads have been impassable for up to two months at a time.