Cadia, the last hurrah | Cadia Valley Operations

False start in iron ore

1899 - 1907

Gold and Copper mining ventures

1904 - 1908

Cadia Copper Mining & Smelting Company Ltd

1908 - 1917

Iron Ore Quarrying G&C Hoskins

1919 - 1928

Cadia, the last hurrah

1930's - 1940's

Cadia, the last hurrah, 1930's - 1940's

This recent view of the former railway siding, taken from the Iron Duke benches, shows on the left the route of the incline plane, built in 1943 to replace the aerial ropeway. At the very foot of the picture a series of terraces can be seen, marking the position of the so-called “Tent City”, constructed for the housing of workers (Edward Higginbotham, 2000).

During the 1930s and 1940s, there were various schemes to recover gold from the Cadia district, most of which were unsuccessful.

Iron ore was again quarried from the Iron Duke to help the war effort from 1943 to 1945 and taken to Australian Iron & Steel (AIS) at Port Kembla. The old railway line from Spring Hill was refurbished. A new incline was built to replace the aerial ropeway, which was no longer repairable. Cadia Village could no longer accommodate the men, so the company set up a camp, named ‘Tent City”.

The quarry continued until 29 August 1945, after which the railway line was removed.

The concrete footings of the facilities for the workers on the Iron Duke is all that remains of the so-called “Tent City”, constructed in 1943. The fact that G & C Hoskins had to build this accommodation reveals that Cadia Village was by this time unable to provide for the influx of population (Edward Higginbotham).

Tent city and refectory building (centre left) erected for iron ore mining during World War II.

Historical Timeline

1900's - 1940's

Cadia, the last hurrah, 1930's - 1940's