The Mount Perry Historical Museum

Mount Perry
Attractive rural service centre which was once a thriving mining town.
Mount Perry is a tiny and quiet little settlement nestled under, you guessed it, Mount Perry. It is located 475 km north-west of Brisbane and 104 km south-west of Bundaberg.

The Mount Perry area was first settled in the 1840s when shepherds from the large coastal properties brought their sheep into the area for grazing. This tranquility was dramatically disrupted in 1869 when Henry Dingle discovered copper. Overnight a mining town sprang up and, at the turn of the century, it was actually bigger than either Mackay or Cairns. At its height the population is said to have been greater than 30 000 and the town reputedly had 21 hotels. However, the settlement collapsed dramatically in 1914, possibly due to mistaken financial ventures by the mining company.

The remarkable thing is that a town which was once so large and thriving can leave so few signs of its former glory. Today Mount Perry has fewer than 300 people. It is literally nothing more than a few buildings (none of which are particularly old) and an old copper slagheap where the old smelter used to be.

Things to see:  

Museum
The Mount Perry Historical Society's Bicentennial Museum has a typical collection of folk memorabilia from the area.

Masonic Lodge
There's a superb masonic lodge (over the road from the museum in Isabella Street) with the delightful incongruity of an elaborate facade and fibro walls on the side

St Patrick's Catholic Church
St Patrick's Catholic Church is a charming timber bush church.

Mullock Heaps
There is a renewed interest in reworking the mullock heaps for gold. Given the fluctuations in gold prices the likelihood of this activity continuing is always in doubt.

Wolca Pottery
Located 6 km east of town is this studio by Drummer's Creek which sells both ornamental and functional items. It is open from 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., Thursday to Tuesday.

Boolboonda Tunnel
One of the most interesting sights in the area is the Boolboonda Tunnel near Mount Perry. Remarkably, despite the fact that it extends 192 m into the rock it is unlined and unsupported. In fact it has the dubious distinction of being the longest unsupported tunnel in the Southern Hemisphere. It was constructed between 1883 and 1884 as part of the railway line from North Bundaberg to Mount Perry with the objective of opening up the mineral and agricultural resources of the area.

If the tunnel is approached from Gin Gin it is clearly signposted. If, however, you are coming from Mount Perry the only sign is about 12 km from town. It reads 'Tourist Drive 6' and points towards a gate and a dirt road. After passing through two more gates the road winds up the side of a hill and suddenly goes through the long, dark tunnel which is only the width of one vehicle. If nothing else the trip is worth making because of the delightful bush track which makes you feel as though you are in some sort of time warp.

Mount Perry
The enthusiastic bushwalker and gold fossicker will find a hike up the walking track to the top of Mount Perry worthwhile. It is 750 metres above sea-level. The track passes through stands of hoop pine and rainforest and offers excellent views of the surrounding countryside. Wallabies, echidnas and koalas are found on the mountain.

	Hotels
	Mt Perry Grand Hotel/Motel Heussman St Mount Perry QLD 4671 Telephone: (07) 4156 3259