HERE IN HISTORY – Clinton Coal Wharf

The growth of coal industry in western Central Queensland caused new companies to look for outlets for their commodity. Expansion of both the Auckland and Barney Point terminals was not an option, so a new facility was programmed. In the early 1970’s, the harbour board saw an opportunity to establish a coal facility at the mouth of the Calliope River. A survey showed that the adjacent harbour area could be deepened to provide access for the largest vessels available. Building the powerhouse involved massive earthworks and the spoil from this provided the material for the walls, enclosing hectares of tidal flat in the area north of the powerhouse site. a huge, reclaimed area. The Clinton Industrial Estate was being formed and levelled at that time and this provided more spoil for the reclamation. These modern facilities were of multi-million-dollar magnitude and stage 1 featured dredging of the harbour (to allow access for large ships); a huge wharf (with expertise for capacity loading); stockpile proficiency and a railway network (with rail tracks and conveyor belts); and administration buildings. Clinton Wharf was officially opened on 7^th May 1980 and the board was already committed to stage 2 as the Utah Development Company agreed to export through Clinton. More stages came in quick succession and a fifth and sixth stockpile was built. With plenty of room for expansion and more and more of the coal giants joining the list of customers, there has been continuous development to make it more proficient. Dredging of the channel to the wharf has been undertaken over the years to allow the maximum beams of the ships to increase their loading capacity.  Along with the aluminium industry, coal export has grown to be one of the principal exports from the Gladstone Harbour. Since exports began in 1925, it had taken thirty years to export its first million tonnes. Ten million tonnes were reached in 1968 and fifty million in 1974. In 1986-87, for a twelve-month period, the Clinton facility handled over twelve million of the fifteen million tonnes of coal exported from Gladstone in this time.

Photo from Ken Watson.