Kidston, Queensland

A modern goldmining town (the most recent mine operated between 1985 and 2001) that had an average annual production of between 200 000 and 300 000 ounces of pure gold all of which was mined by open cut and crushed and refined at the local works.
Location: 110 km south of Mount Surprise.
Origin of name: recalls William Kidston, the Liberal Premier of Queensland at the time of the Oaks goldfield.
Brief history: gold was first discovered in the area in the 1880s but the location was kept a secret. It wasn't until the alluvial field known as The Oaks was opened in 1907 that prospectors arrived to try their luck. Over the next three years an estimated 622 000 grams of gold were mined. By 1915 many of the small holdings that worked the gold had amalgamated to form larger companies.
Natural features: Newcastle Range; Copperfield River.
Built features: Kidston Gold Mines
Heritage features: old gold battery; Kitston township