Chapter 12
I The First Half Century - The Initial Struggle
II The Second Fifty Years - The Start Of Expansion
i General Conditions
ii Early Iron Production
iii The Effects of the Gold Rush - Ballarat in Particular
iv Gawler - A South Australian Industrial Town
v Railways - A Major Employer
vi Brewing and Soft Drinks
vii Drink Containers
viii Food Containers
III The Third Fifty Years - Federation And The First World War
IV The Fourth Period - Second World War To The Present
References
Index
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General Conditions (continued)
The growth of engineering works stimulated greater need for iron and steel and for non-ferrous castings. Imports for the 5 years to 1835 amounted to some 5500 tonnes of iron and steel, and a further 7500 tonnes was imported to the end of 1840. In the latter year, metal imports included some 400 tonnes of copper and 600 tonnes of lead. Copper smelting was starting in South Australia and in 1845 the possibility of copper smelting in NSW excited much interest with advocates claiming it would be economical to bring South Australian copper ore to NSW as back-loading in vessels shipping Hunter Valley coals to S.A. A small smelter was set up at Lane Cove as Rosemorrin Smelting Works, in 1847 and appears to have processed a few hundred tonnes of ore. A second smelter was built at Burwood, Newcastle and subsequently called Newcastle Coal and Copper Mining Co. but again only processed some 300-400 tonnes of ore. There is evidence of at least two other copper smelters in the Newcastle area, one being sited within the area now occupied by BHP Steel International, Rod and Bar Division Works at Newcastle and one near Goninans Ltd.
Organisations in Australian Science at Work - Newcastle Coal and Copper Mining Co.; Rosemorrin Smelting Works, Lane Cove
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Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering |  |
© 1988 Print Edition page 853, Online Edition 2000
Published by Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, using the Web Academic Resource Publisher
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