Till today, Queenstown remains the mining centre of Australia. Its origins begin at the 1883 Iron Blow mining site, a deep gaping hole in the ground indicative of the rock and ore excavated from the area. First identified as a gold mine, the site only experienced a “gold rush” when the richer copper ores were discovered. Settlers and miners flocked by the hundreds to set up the mining towns of Gormanston and Linda.

Today, what remains is a ghost-town that resembles a toy set from the lookout at Iron Blow. The cantilevered steel walkway teeters by the edge of the crater, the layered rock and sandstone visible from above. Rainwater infused with the minerals which remain trapped in the shelves of rock ringing the Iron Blow forms an aquamarine pool almost year-round. The sweeping planes of Linda Valley stretch in the direction of the rising sun while to the north, rock that was broken up and blown to bits by the dynamite at Iron Blow still remains heaped in mounds soaring up several meters. It’s only from the lookout that the deep scars and scorches borne by the land comes to light, the sparse vegetation steadfastly clinging onto the foot of the artificial peaks. The craggy earth tones are not so much a natural geological feature but the remnants of toxic mining wastes that once flowed down the mountain sides as a result of extensive logging. But lucky for us, the brief respite experienced by the land in recent years has been sufficient for plant life to return. With time and careful tending, these ancient fields may return to how they once were.