Clermont, Queensland

Clermont is an agricultural town in the Isaac Region, Queensland, Australia. It is 274 km south-west of Mackay on the junction of the Gregory and Peak Downs highways. At the 2006 census, Clermont had a population of 1,854.

Overview
Ludwig Leichhardt was the first European to pass through the Clermont area in 1845, but it was the discovery of gold in 1861 that was responsible for the establishment of the town. The town reserve was proclaimed on 25 March 1864. It is named after Clermont-Ferrand, France. Copper was discovered soon after. In the 1880s up to 4000 Chinese people were resident in Clermont, mining for gold and copper. This led to racial riots and the Chinese were removed from the region in 1888.

The railway was extended north from Emerald to Clermont in February 1884. However; no passenger trains are avalible to or from Clermont.

The town was originally established on low lying ground next to a lagoon or billabong, but flooding was always a problem, with four substantial floods occurring between 1864 and 1896. The greatest flood, in 1916, killed 65 people out of a town population of 1,500 and remains one of Australia's worst natural disasters in terms of life lost. Following the 1916 flood, many of the wooden buildings of the town were moved using steam traction engines to a new townsite on higher ground. A local amateur photographer, George Pullar took numerous photographs of the moving buildings, published in the 1980s as "A Shifting Town".

Today, Clermont is a major hub for the large coal mines in the region as well as serving agricultural holdings.

Attractions
Today, visitors can still see the remains of the original town site. The Piano in the Tree, in Capricorn Street, is a quirky reminder of the height of the floodwaters. The Clermont Museum has historical artefacts and is home to many machinery displays, it's located off the Peak Downs Highway just outside Clermont.

Coal Mining
Rio Tinto is currently constructing the Clermont Mine, located 12 km north west of the township of Clermont in central Queensland. When the mine reaches full capacity (expected in 2013) it will produce up to 12.2 million tonnes of thermal coal for international markets.

Clermont Mine delivered its first conveyor of coal in April 2010. Clermont also hosts another larger coal mine; Blair Athol Mine, located 20 km north west of Clermont. The mine supplies customers in Asia and Europe with up to 12 million tonnes of thermal coal per annum.

The coal deposit was originally discovered on the site in 1864 and was first mined in 1890. Between 1920 and 1945 coal was mined with an underground method, which is still visible today. The current open cut operation started in 1984.

Blair Athol Mine is due to close in 2016 when its reserves are completely mined out. Its stockpile and train facilities will be used by the Clermont Mine, currently under construction.

Notable people

 * David Hand - Archbishop of Papua New Guinea
 * Henry Seekamp - prospector and journalist
 * Billy Sing - WWI Elite sniper.