Glassford Chimneys and Mines

Glassford was a gold & copper mining township during the late 1800’s & early 1900’s located on Little Glassford Creek (also know as Coppermine Creek).

There were originally two townships in the area. One at the mine & another about 4km down stream.

The Top Township is where the chimneys and old mining equipment are located. There is little to no evidence of anything of the downstream township.

The area around the Chimneys is heritage listed and is in the Dawes National Park.

Directions to the Glassford Chimneys?

• The road to Glassford is called Childs Road, it leaves the Monto-Gladstone Road about 56km from Monto.
• This is a four wheel drive only road, with many pretty creek crossings and sometimes you might catch a look at some brumbies or scrubber cattle.
• About 6kms from the turnoff, there is a rough dirt track going up a spur on the right hand side.
• This is a steep pinch and requires four wheel drive.
• About 500m along this track you will find Markham’s Gardens on Chinamans Creek.
• At the gardens there are about a dozen or so huge mango trees planted in rows, a couple Guava trees and citrus trees, these trees and gardens were planted around the turn of the century (1890’s- 1900’s) by a Chinese gentleman named Wah Gon (Markham).
• Take a walk & follow the arrows up the creek and find where Ten Wong’s grave is believed to be, there are rocks placed in a circle and a plaque has now been placed on the tree that grew up in the centre.
• Markham died in 1919 and is buried as Wah Gon in the Many Peaks cemetery.
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Return to the main track and continue travelling up the creek where you will see a tank & a well on the right hand side of the road. This is the site of the bottom township and you are on Foote Street approx 7.5km from Monto-Gladstone Rd.

Keep travelling up the creek and you will come to a fork (more of a ‘Y’) in the road. (Approx 9.1kms from Monto Gladstone Rd) To the right is a huge mango tree, believed to have grown up under the stairs of one of the many pubs at the upper township.

The road to the left will take you through two creek crossings to a second fork (Y) in the road (approx 9.4kms), to the right you will see the bottom copper mine chimney and other mining equipment laying around.

Keep going up that road to the upper chimney. (Approx 9.6km from the Monto- Gladstone Rd)

Jump out of your car and have a good walk around. There is so much old equipment with trees growing through and around them and a beautiful rock wall.

You are parked on the slag from the mining days & will see a big rock pile. Walk up past the chimney and rock pile to find the Blue Bag mine, see (smell) the bats and the sty that was placed there to hold the roof up. Recommend that caution be observed around these mine sites.

You will find a visitors book, maps & information booklet in a sealed container – please sign the visitors book and make some comments.  PLEASE REMEMBER TO RETURN THEM TO THE BOX & SEAL THE CONTAINERS.

Explore the Area

You can walk down to the creek from the upper chimney and there is a beautiful swimming hole, just above the swimming hole you will see a couple steel pegs in the rocks on both sides of the creek, that is believed to have been a walking bridge. Keep heading up the creek, at the little water fall, climb up to your left and there is another mine in the side of the hill. Please be very careful as there is a mining hole going straight down just outside the opening of this mine.

Spencer’s House Glassford

Head back down the creek bed past the swimming hole and on your left , opposite the first chimney is the remains of a house chimney from Spencer’s house. This chimney has only just had the top broken off in late 2014 early 2015.

The road past the Mango Tree goes up a range and can take you to Monto, Monal Gold mine site or Kroombit Tops.

**NOTE: You are travelling through National Park as well as private properties, please stay on the roads, leave gates how you find them, don’t chase cattle and horses, pull up and say hello to the locals and they might share some knowledge with you. Please keep Australia beautiful and have fun!