The Mitchell River enters the locality from the west (Hurricane) where it forms part of the western boundary of the locality, before flowing east and forming part of the southern boundary. It then exits to the south (Southedge). The Mcleod River forms part of the western boundary on its confluence with the Mitchell River.[5]
The north and east of the locality are within a number of protected areas (from north to south):[4]
A further 600 square kilometres (230 sq mi) comprising most of the south and west of the locality is part of the Brooklyn Sanctuary, a nature reserve owned and operated by the not-for-profit Australian Wildlife Conservancy. The sanctuary includes some former mine sites.[9][10]
Almost all of the locality is used for nature conservation. The exceptions include what remains of the town of Mount Carbine in the south of the locality and some farms around Butcher Creek and Mary Creek, mostly engaged in grazing on native vegetation.[4]
The town of Mount Carbine is said to be named after the horse Carbine that won the 1890 Melbourne Cup. The town had been first settled around that time by those who had come to mine the wolfram (tungsten), discovered here that same year. These early miners, perhaps believing that their new settlement would become well known for its wealth, apparently decided that the famous Cup winner’s name was the most suitable.[21]
View of Mount Carbine, Nth Qld from south-east side of Manganese Creek, early 1900s
In its early years, the town was entirely reliant upon the area’s wolfram deposits for its viability. The main period of growth in mining was from 1907, with John Moffat’s Irvinebank Company undertaking the major development of the mines. In this early period, Mount Carbine’s residents were predominantly those who were associated in some way with the wolfram mines, as well as their families.[21] Mine production expanded quite rapidly in the period up to World War I and at its height the town had about 300 residents along with three hotels, a police station and a school as well as a range of small businesses.[21] Mount Carbine’s mines ceased operations in 1914, but were reopened after World War I, thereafter being worked intermittently, depending the level of demand and price. But during the 1920s, demand slowed substantially rendering the mines uneconomic. There was however another brief period of resurgence towards the end of the 1960s with mining again being undertaken. This lasted for some twenty years before the mines were again closed in the 1980s. The surviving useful plant and equipment was subsequently sold progressively or otherwise disposed of, mainly during the early 1990s. Over time, as with other similar mining areas, progressive rehabilitation of the old mine sites has been undertaken.[21]
Mount Carbine Post Office opened by September 1907 (a receiving office had been open from 1906) and closed in 1970.[22]
In the 2006 census, Mount Carbine had a population of 91.[26]
Between 2008 and 2013, Mount Carbine was within the Tablelands Region.
In the 2016 census, the locality of Mount Carbine had a population of 101 people.[1]
Education
There are no schools in Mount Carbine. The nearest government primary school is Mount Molloy State School in neighbouring Mount Molloy to the south-east. The nearest government secondary school is Mossman State High School in Mossman to the east. Given the size of the locality, some parts of the locality may be too distant from these schools for a daily commute; alternatives would be distance education and boarding school.[4]
Amenities
The town has a hotel / motel, a roadhouse, and a caravan park.[27][28][29]
