Three photographs of Mount Perry, Queensland

Three mounted albumen prints, measuring approximately 195 x 140 mm.
Early Mount Perry. Today a very small rural centre, Mount Perry had at the turn of the century a population of around 4000, making it one of the largest ten or twelve towns in Queensland. Originally the area was given over to scattered sheep runs but in 1869 copper was discovered and miners flocked to the area, many directly from Cornwall but also from other mining areas in Queensland. The success of operations being entirely dependent on the world price of copper, the low market values of 1878 forced the abandonment of mining, although there was a brief resurgence when the railway from Bundaberg reached Mount Perry in the mid 1880s. Some gold was also mined throughout the 1880s. With an increase in copper prices on the world market in 1890s copper was again mined and operations continued on a fluctuating level until the First World War when the Queensland Copper Company shut down operations. Since that time the town has gradually declined.

A commercial photographer, C H Moore was operating from Wharf Street Maryborough in 1870 (possibly earlier) and visited Mount Perry in early 1871. He advertised in the Mount Perry Mail in February 1872 that he would only be staying in the town for a further month, but was still there at the end of the year. He appears to have returned to Maryborough by 1875.

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Includes index.

A catalogue of the collection can be found on ArchiveSearch.

This collection is available on microfiche: Australasia, fiche number 25.

Generally in fair condition, some fading and yellowing.

This collection level description was entered by WS using information from the original typescript catalogue, which in turn was supplied largely by MJF Royle, Principal, Aldridge State High School Maryborough.

Moore, C H, fl 1868-1875, photographer