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Coordinates: 12°59′39.8″S 131°01′22.7″E / 12.994389°S 131.022972°E / -12.994389; 131.022972
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{{Use Australian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox Australian place| type = town
| name = Rum Jungle
| state = nt
| coordinates = {{coord|12|59|39.8|S|131|01|22.7|E|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Northern Territory
| lga = [[Coomalie Shire]]
| postcode = 0845
| est =
| pop = 84
| pop_year = {{CensusAU|2016}}
| pop_footnotes=<ref name="16census">{{Census 2016 AUS | id = SSC70236 | name = Rum Jungle (State Suburb) | quick = on | accessdate=28 June 2017}}</ref>
| elevation=
| maxtemp =
| mintemp =
| rainfall =
| stategov = [[Electoral division of Daly|Daly]]
| fedgov = [[Division of Lingiari|Lingiari]]
| dist1 =
| dir1 =
| location1=
| dist2 =
| dir2 =
| location2=
}}
{{Infobox mine
{{Infobox mine
| name = Rum Jungle
| name = Rum Jungle
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| pushpin_label = Rum Jungle
| pushpin_label = Rum Jungle
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Australia
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Australia
| coordinates = {{coord|12|59|S|131|01|E|region:AU-NT|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{coord|12|59|S|131|01|E|region:AU-NT|format=dms|display=inline}}
| display = inline,title
| place = [[Batchelor, Northern Territory|Batchelor]]
| place = [[Batchelor, Northern Territory|Batchelor]]
| subdivision_type = [[States and territories of Australia|Territory]]
| subdivision_type = [[States and territories of Australia|Territory]]
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| official website =
| official website =
| acquisition year =
| acquisition year =
| stock_exchange = [[Australian Securities Exchange|ASX]]
<!--| stock_exchange = [[Australian Securities Exchange|ASX]]-->
| stock_code =
| stock_code =
| products = [[Uranium]]
| products = [[Uranium]]
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| opening year = 1950
| opening year = 1950
| closing year = 1971
| closing year = 1971
|discovery year = 1949
}}
}}
[[File:USGS Map of Northern Territory Uranium Mines.png|thumb|300px|Location of key Northern Territory uranium mines]]
[[File:USGS Map of Northern Territory Uranium Mines.png|thumb|300px|Location of key Northern Territory uranium mines]]
[[File:Water scene on Poett's old coffee plantation, Rum Jungle, Northern Territory.jpeg|thumb|300px|Water scene on Poett's old coffee plantation, Rum Jungle, Northern Territory]]
[[File:Water scene on Poett's old coffee plantation, Rum Jungle, Northern Territory.jpeg|thumb|300px|Water scene on Poett's old coffee plantation, Rum Jungle, Northern Territory]]
[[File:Malachite-es6c.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Malachite]] specimen from Rum Jungle. Size 10.5 x 6.5 x 3.2 cm.]]
[[File:Malachite-es6c.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Malachite]] specimen from Rum Jungle, 10.5 × 6.5 × 3.2 cm]]
'''Rum Jungle''' is an area in the [[Northern Territory]], [[Australia]] where a uranium deposit was found and recognised as such in 1949. It is about 105 kilometres south of [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]] on the East Branch of the [[Finniss River, Northern Territory|Finniss River]].<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.nt.gov.au/d/rumjungle/|title = Rum Jungle|date = 2013|accessdate = 1 May 2015|website = Department of Mines and Energy|publisher = Northern Territory Government|last = |first = }}</ref>


'''Rum Jungle''' or '''Unrungkoolpum''' is a locality in the [[Northern Territory of Australia]] located about 105 kilometres south of [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]] on the East Branch of the [[Finniss River (Northern Territory)|Finniss River]] and it shares a boundary with [[Litchfield National Park]]. It is 10 kilometres west of [[Batchelor, Northern Territory|Batchelor]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=About the Kungarakan Culture & Education Association |url=https://kungarakan.org.au/about/#:~:text=Traditionally,%20Kungarakan%20country%20extended%20from,the%20dispossession%20of%20their%20country. |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=Kungarakan Culture & Education Association}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rum Jungle uranium mine opens {{!}} Australia's Defining Moments Digital Classroom {{!}} National Museum of Australia |url=https://digital-classroom.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/rum-jungle-uranium-mine-opens |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=digital-classroom.nma.gov.au}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Rum Jungle uranium mine |url=https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/rum-jungle-uranium-mine |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=National Museum of Australia |language=en}}</ref>
The area derives its name from an incident when a thief stole 750 ounces of gold from miners after getting them drunk with rum.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bgNVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=25MDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5417%2C493034 | title=There's drama & tragedy in place names | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | date=Aug 2, 1947 | accessdate=18 October 2015 | author=Beatty, Bill | pages=8}}</ref>


The joint [[traditional owners]] of this area and the [[Kungarakany|Kungarakan]] and [[Awarai|Warai peoples]] and their rights to this land are recognised in the Finnis River Land Claim which was granted in May 1981.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Government |first=Northern Territory |date=2024-03-27 |title=Rum Jungle History |url=https://nt.gov.au/industry/mining/legacy-mines-remediation/remediation-projects/rum-jungle-rehabilitation/rum-jungle-history |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=NT.GOV.AU |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |author1=Australia. Office of the Aboriginal Land Commissioner |title=Finniss River land claim : report |publication-date=1982 |publisher=Government Printer |isbn=978-0-644-01874-6}}</ref>
==Original uranium mine==
In 1949, John Michael "Jack" White discovered [[torbernite]] in old nearby copper shafts.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Zoellner|first1=Tom|title=Uranium|date=2009|publisher=Penguin Books|location=New York|isbn=9780143116721|pages=186}}</ref>


The European name for this area derives its name from an incident in March 1873 when the teamsters of John Lewiss who were carting stores between [[Southport, Northern Territory|Southport]] and [[Pine Creek, Northern Territory|Pine Creek]], tapped a cask of rum and shared it with local miners from the nearby John Bull goldmine. After they drank together they woke up to find that one of the teamsters had stolen 750 ounces of gold from the miners, along with their horses, and had disappeared. Searches for the thief lasted for a number of months until the teamster and the gold were found.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bgNVAAAAIBAJ&pg=5417%2C493034 | title=There's drama & tragedy in place names | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | date=2 August 1947 | access-date=18 October 2015 | author=Beatty, Bill | pages=8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rum Jungle |url=https://www.ntlis.nt.gov.au/placenames/view.jsp?id=21279 |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=NT Place Names Register}}</ref> The name was first used when reporting the death of Patrick Flynn in November 1873.<ref>{{cite news |date=28 November 1873 |title=Northern Territory Times. |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3142145 |accessdate=5 June 2024 |newspaper=[[Northern Territory Times and Gazette]] |location=Northern Territory, Australia |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia |volume=I |issue=4}}</ref>
In 1952 the Australian Government funded the setting up of a mine and treatment plant to provide uranium oxide concentrate to the UK-US [[Combined Development Agency]] under a contract which ran from 1953 to 1962. Rum Jungle was then the largest construction in the Northern Territory. The Government, through the [[Australian Atomic Energy Commission]], was responsible for the mine, although management of it was on a contract basis by Territory Enterprises Pty Limited, a subsidiary of the [[Rio Tinto Group]]. A town called [[Batchelor, Northern Territory|Batchelor]] was built 8&nbsp;km south of the mine to accommodate the mining personnel.


One notable early resident who arrived in the area in 1909 was [[Nellie Flynn]] and her family; Flynn lived there until the 1970s and was a well-known identity in the area.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nellie Flynn (Territory Women) |url=https://hdl.handle.net/10070/227683 |access-date=5 June 2024 |website=Territory Stories}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-07-23 |title=Nellie 'Shotgun' Flynn — the grand dame of Batchelor |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-23/woolwonga-woman-nellie-shotgun-flynn-the-real-map-of-batchelor/12481320 |access-date=2024-06-05 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref>
==Pollution and cleanup==
The Rum Jungle mine closed in 1971. The Federal Government (which controlled the mine through its agency the [[Australian Atomic Energy Commission|Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC)]], now known as [[Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation|Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)]]) decided not to rehabilitate the mine site {{why?|date=August 2016}}. The mining company Conzinc (now part of the Rio Tinto Group, which owns [[Energy Resources of Australia|Energy Resources of Australia (ERA)]], operators of the [[Ranger Uranium Mine]] in [[Kakadu National Park]]) have consistently denied any responsibility for rehabilitation. This led to the mine becoming known as one of Australia's most polluted environments<ref>{{Cite journal|url = |title = Continuing Pollution From the Rum Jungle U-Cu Project: A Critical Evaluation of Environmental Monitoring and Rehabilitation|last = Mudd|first = G.M.|date = 2010|journal = Environmental Pollution|doi = 10.1016/j.envpol.2010.01.017|pmid = |access-date = |last2 = Patterson|first2 = J. |volume=158 |pages=1252–1260}}</ref> due to the [[oxidation]] of sulphides and the release of [[acid]] and metals into the East Branch of the Finniss River. The 1500&nbsp;mm annual rainfall, along with the [[pyritic mineralisation]] in the area, created ideal conditions for such oxidation.


It is best known as the site of a uranium deposit, found in 1949, which has been mined.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013 |title=Rum Jungle |url=http://www.nt.gov.au/d/rumjungle/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401100417/http://www.nt.gov.au/d/rumjungle/ |archive-date=1 April 2015 |access-date=1 May 2015 |website=Department of Mines and Energy |publisher=Northern Territory Government}}</ref>
An initial attempt to clean up Rum Jungle was made in 1977, which led to the setting up of a working group to examine more comprehensive rehabilitation. A $16.2 million Commonwealth-funded program got under way in 1983 to remove heavy metals and neutralise the tailings.


== History ==
One of the principal problems associated with rehabilitating the '''Rum Jungle Creek South''' (RJCS) open cut was that the area was converted to a lake after mining ceased, and as the only water body in the Darwin region not infested with crocodiles, the site quickly became very popular with locals and Darwin residents as a recreation reserve including activities such as [[Human swimming|swimming]], [[canoeing]] and [[scuba diving]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Rum Jungle Lake at Batchelor, Northern Territory, Australia|url=http://www.litchfieldnationalpark.com/Rum_Jungle_Lake_Litchfield_National_Park.htm|publisher=Tourism NT|accessdate=31 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Canoeing & Kayaking|url=http://www.schools.nt.edu.au/batoeu/cankay.htm|publisher=Batchelor Outdoor Education Unit|accessdate=31 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Rum Jungle Lake|url=http://www.cavedivers.com.au/dive-site/rum-jungle-lake|publisher=Cave Divers Association of Australia|accessdate=31 October 2012}}</ref> After mining, the area suffered elevated gamma radiation, alpha-radioactive dust, and significant [[radon]] daughter concentrations in air. These levels were so high that in the late 1980s it was decided that something had to be done {{by who?|date=August 2016}}. Radiation protection standards were being revised, so that the levels of pollution would now be officially recognised as unsafe for human health. As a result, a supplementary $1.8 million program to improve Rum Jungle Creek South waste dumps was undertaken in 1990.
The first European person to travel to the Rum Jungle area was [[George Goyder]] in 1869; on this trip he noted an unidentified copper-like green ore in 1869 at "Giants Reef", which was later "rediscovered" and identified to be [[torbernite]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Annabell |first1=Ross |title=The Uranium Hunters |date=1971 |publisher=Rigby Limited |isbn=0727002627 |location=Adelaide |pages=23–27}}</ref> This discovery received minimal attention at the time and other Europeans and Chinese people began occupying the area, especially after the discovery of gold in the 1870s; prospectors also occasionally mined copper and other minerals on a small scale.<ref name=":1" />


These new arrivals exposed the local Aboriginal people (the Kungarakan and Warai) to a variety of illnesses and disease including [[smallpox]], [[leprosy]] and [[tuberculosis]]. Aboriginal people were also subjected to trauma including the sexual exploitation of women, forced migration and massacres.<ref name=":1" />
One of the main environmental impacts of uranium mining is the creation of large volumes of radioactive mine waste (tailings) which are left behind on the site. The major radioactive component of these tailings is uranium-238, an isotope with a halflife of 4.46 billion years. In 2003, a government survey of the tailings piles at Rum Jungle found that capping which was supposed to help contain this radioactive waste for at least 100 years, had failed in less than 20 years.

<ref name="INAP">
One such massacre was the Stapleton Siding Massacre in July 1895 when 80 Aboriginal people were killed following the distribution of poisoned damper. [[Joe McGinness|Joe 'Pumeri' McGuinness]] was told the story by his mother [[Alngindabu]], who survived the massacre, and said of it:<ref>{{Citation |author1=Joe McGinness |title=Son of Alyandabu my fight for aboriginal rights |publication-date=1991 |publisher=St Lucia, Qld., Queensland, Australia University of Queensland Press |isbn=978-0-7022-2335-8}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|text=The majority of the tribe (Kungarakany)... about one hundred people, became victims of poisoned damper... at a railway siding known as Stapleton... weed-killing powder... was supposedly mistaken for baking powder and added to the flour in preparing damper. Those who ate the poisoned damper became violently ill before their death.|author=Joe McGuinness|title=Son of Alyandabu my fight for Aboriginal rights (1991)}}
This was one of at least three poisoning incidents suffered by the Kungarakan people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stapleton Siding (Perrmadjin) |url=https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/detail.php?r=1008 |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=Colonial Frontier Massacres in Australia, 1788-1930}}</ref>

==Mining at Rum Jungle==

=== Uranium mining ===
In April 1948 a notice was published in the [[Commonwealth of Australia Gazette]] that the Government was offering rewards for the discovery of uranium ore in Australia and offered a reward of £25,000.<ref>{{cite news |date=5 April 1948 |title=Rewards for the discovery of uranium ore in the Commonwealth and its Territories |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article232814018 |accessdate=5 June 2024 |newspaper=[[Commonwealth of Australia Gazette]] |location=Australia, Australia |page=1848 |via=National Library of Australia |issue=55}}</ref> This reward was offered due to an increased need for uranium during [[World War II]] and it was the United States and Britain that had identified Australia as a potential source.<ref name=":1" />

In 1949, John Michael "Jack" White discovered [[torbernite]] in old nearby copper shafts.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Zoellner|first1=Tom|title=Uranium|date=2009|publisher=Penguin Books|location=New York|isbn=9780143116721|pages=186}}</ref> White was a buffalo shooter, crocodile hunter and prospector who held a small farm in the area with his Aboriginal partner (their name has not been shared). He recognised the uranium ore from a color pamphlet that had been produced as part of the announcement for the award and he delivered his samples to the Mines Branch in Darwin on 13 August 1949 and was later able to collect the full reward.<ref name=":1" /> News of this discovery was published throughout Australia.<ref>{{cite news |date=20 September 1949 |title=Uranium Find Rum Jungle |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article95654888 |accessdate=5 June 2024 |newspaper=[[Kalgoorlie Miner]] |location=Western Australia |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia |volume=55 |issue=14,511}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1949-09-21 |title=Uranium find at Rum Jungle |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article148049121 |access-date=2024-06-05 |work=Maryborough Chronicle}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=7 September 1949 |title=Uranium Find Reported |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article273708199 |accessdate=5 June 2024 |newspaper=[[Daily Mirror]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |page=3 (Late Final Extra 3) |via=National Library of Australia |issue=2580}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=6 October 1949 |title=Uranium Field Discovered |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article76221796 |accessdate=5 June 2024 |newspaper=[[The Central Queensland Herald]] |location=Queensland, Australia |page=13 |via=National Library of Australia |volume=19 |issue=1072}}</ref>

Work on developing the mine site began during the war as a project undertaken by the [[Allied Works Council]] but, to speed up progress, in 1952 the Australian Government funded the setting up of a mine and treatment plant to provide uranium oxide concentrate to the UK-US [[Combined Development Agency]] under a contract which ran from 1953 to 1962.<ref>{{cite news |date=5 October 1953 |title=Spectacular Activity At Rum Jungle |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2893699 |accessdate=5 June 2024 |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia |volume=28 |issue=8,145}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

The mine was officially opened on 17 September 1954 and the event was attended by the then Australian Prime Minister [[Robert Menzies]] who promised that "[t]he world will forget about atomic bombs and concentrate on using uranium for the benefit of humankind" while also talking about its importance in terms of the defence of Australia.<ref>{{cite news |date=18 September 1954 |title=Rum Jungle ore to suplly Australia's power needs: Prime Minister's forecast at opening of uranium plant |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article256864724 |accessdate=5 June 2024 |newspaper=[[Kalgoorlie Miner]] |location=Western Australia |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia |volume=60 |issue=16907}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=1 September 1954 |title=Milestone for Rum Jungle |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134087244 |accessdate=5 June 2024 |newspaper=[[Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia |issue=24,305}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=17 September 1954 |title=Rum Jungle Project Opening Today |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47615158 |accessdate=5 June 2024 |newspaper=[[The Advertiser (Adelaide)]] |location=South Australia |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia |volume=97 |issue=29,930}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=18 September 1954 |title=Menzies sets £3M uranium |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50608575 |accessdate=6 June 2024 |newspaper=[[The Courier-mail]] |location=Queensland, Australia |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=17 September 1954 |title=Our uranium aid in defence |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article229898518 |accessdate=6 June 2024 |newspaper=[[The Sun (Sydney)|The Sun]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |page=9 (LATE FINAL EXTRA) |via=National Library of Australia |issue=13,915}}</ref> On 13 September, days before the mine officially opened, four staff of the mine were killed when two trucks collided.<ref>{{cite news |date=14 September 1954 |title=Dead At Rum Jungle Named |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49880264 |accessdate=5 June 2024 |newspaper=[[The West Australian]] |location=Western Australia |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia |volume=70 |issue=21,262}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=13 September 1954 |title=Four killed as trucks hit head-on |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49879992 |accessdate=5 June 2024 |newspaper=[[The West Australian]] |location=Western Australia |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia |volume=70 |issue=21,261}}</ref>

The mine was the responsibility of Commonwealth Government, through the [[Australian Atomic Energy Commission]], was responsible for it, although management of it was on a contract basis by Territory Enterprises Pty Limited, a subsidiary of the [[Rio Tinto Group]]. [[Batchelor, Northern Territory|Batchelor]], a nearby town, accommodated most of the mining personnel and grew significantly at this time.<ref name=":0" />

By 1959 the economically viable ore had all been extracted but operations continued, on a small scale until 1963, and work continued there until April 1971 as stockpiled ore from Rum Jungle and other sites around Australia (including from [[Eva Creek]] and [[Adelaide River, Northern Territory|Adelaide River]]) continued to be processed.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last= |date=2012-06-16 |title=Rum Jungle |url=https://nuclear.australianmap.net/rum-jungle/ |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=Australian Nuclear and Uranium Sites |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Eva Creek – mining legacies |url=https://www.mininglegacies.org/mines/northern-territory/eva-creek/ |access-date=2024-06-05 |language=en}}</ref> A total of 863,000 tonnes of Uranium ore were processed and much was sold on the open market; some of this was also stockpiled and held in storage at [[Lucas Heights Reactor]] in Sydney.<ref name=":2" />

==== Pollution and cleanup ====
The Rum Jungle mine closed in April 1971<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110680216|title=A mining village refuses to die|last=Simper|first=Errol|date=2 October 1971|work=The Canberra Times|access-date=10 April 2018}}</ref> and the {{convert|200|hectare|acre|adj=on}} site was abandoned.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article126883382|title=NT wants $16m for Rum Jungle clean-up|date=1982-07-10|work=Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995)|access-date=2018-04-10|pages=3}}</ref> The Federal Government (which controlled the mine through its agency the [[Australian Atomic Energy Commission|Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC)]], now known as [[Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation|Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)]] decided not to rehabilitate the mine site {{why|date=August 2016}}. The mining company Conzinc (now part of the Rio Tinto Group, which owns [[Energy Resources of Australia|Energy Resources of Australia (ERA)]], operators of the [[Ranger Uranium Mine]] in [[Kakadu National Park]]) have consistently denied any responsibility for rehabilitation. This led to the mine becoming known as one of Australia's most polluted environments<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|title = Continuing Pollution From the Rum Jungle U-Cu Project: A Critical Evaluation of Environmental Monitoring and Rehabilitation|last1 = Mudd|first1 = G.M.|date = 2010|journal = Environmental Pollution|doi = 10.1016/j.envpol.2010.01.017|pmid = 20176422|last2 = Patterson|first2 = J. |volume=158 |issue = 5|pages=1252–1260| bibcode=2010EPoll.158.1252M }}</ref> due to the [[oxidation]] of sulphides and the release of [[acid]] and metals into the East Branch of the Finniss River. The 1500&nbsp;mm annual rainfall, along with the [[pyritic mineralisation]] in the area, created ideal conditions for such oxidation.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

An initial attempt to clean up Rum Jungle was made in 1977 following the [[Ranger Uranium Environmental Inquiry]] (1976 - 1977), which led to the setting up of a working group to examine more comprehensive rehabilitation. A$16.2 million Commonwealth-funded program got under way in 1983 to remove heavy metals and neutralise the tailings. Of the damage to the Rum Jungle area the Commissioner of the Inquiry, Justice [[Russell Fox]] stated:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rum Jungle uranium mine opens {{!}} Australia's Defining Moments Digital Classroom {{!}} National Museum of Australia |url=https://digital-classroom.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/rum-jungle-uranium-mine-opens |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=digital-classroom.nma.gov.au}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|text=[Rum Jungle] represents to many people, not least of all the Aboriginal people, an awful example of what should not be allowed to happen.|author=Justice Russell Fox, Commissioner|title=Ranger Uranium Environmental Inquiry, 1977}}

After mining, the area suffered elevated gamma radiation, alpha-radioactive dust, and significant [[radon]] daughter concentrations in air. These levels were so high that in the late 1980s it was decided that something had to be done.{{by whom|date=August 2016}} Radiation protection standards were being revised, so that the levels of pollution would now be officially recognised as unsafe for human health. As a result, a supplementary $1.8 million program to improve Rum Jungle Creek South waste dumps was undertaken in 1990.[''[[Wikipedia:Citation needed|citation needed]]'']

One of the main environmental impacts of uranium mining is the creation of large volumes of radioactive mine waste (tailings) which are left behind on the site. The major radioactive component of these tailings is uranium-238, which makes up over 99% of what is naturally occurring uranium, and is not very radioactive. While figures concerning the half-life of an isotope are often presented as meaning the element is more dangerous, in the case of Uranium-238 being 4.47 billion years, the opposite is in fact true: half-life is the time in which half of a collection of an element will decay, and produce a radioactive particle, ergo, the longer the half-life, the less radioactive the element. In 2003, a government survey of the tailings piles at Rum Jungle found that capping which was supposed to help contain this radioactive waste for at least 100 years, had failed in less than 20 years.<ref name="INAP">{{cite web
|url = http://www.inap.com.au/public_downloads/Research_Projects/Rum_Jungle_Report.pdf
|author = Taylor,G. Spain,A. Nefiodovas,A. Timms,G. Kuznetsov,V. Bennett, J.
|work = Australian Centre for Mining Environmental Research
|year = 2003
|title = Determination of the reasons for deterioration of the Rum Jungle waste rock cover
|access-date = 2007-04-06
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110219044627/http://inap.com.au/public_downloads/Research_Projects/Rum_Jungle_Report.pdf
|archive-date = 2011-02-19
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> The Territory and Federal Governments continue to argue over responsibility for funding rehabilitation on the polluted East Finniss River.<ref name="DIPE">
{{cite web
{{cite web
| url = http://www.inap.com.au/public_downloads/Research_Projects/Rum_Jungle_Report.pdf
|url = http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/naturalresources/water/aquatichealth/publications/pdf/2002/rumjungle_rep02_c.pdf
|author = Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment
| author = Taylor,G. Spain,A. Nefiodovas,A. Timms,G. Kuznetsov,V. Bennett, J.
|work = Technical Report 2002/1
| work = Australian Centre for Mining Environmental Research
|year=2003
|year = 2002
| title = Determination of the reasons for deterioration of the Rum Jungle waste rock cover
|title = Rum Jungle Monitoring Report 1993-1998
|pages = 176–9
}}
}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
</ref>
</ref> Contamination of local groundwater has yet to be addressed.<ref name="Mudd">
The Territory and Federal Governments continue to argue over responsibility for funding rehabilitation on the polluted East Finniss River
<ref name="DIPE">
{{cite web
{{cite web
|url = http://www.geo.tu-freiberg.de/umh/Abstract_View/mudd_146_abstract.pdf
| url = http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/naturalresources/water/aquatichealth/publications/pdf/2002/rumjungle_rep02_c.pdf
|author = Mudd, G.
| author = Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment
|work = Uranium Mining and Hydrogeology Conference, UMH IV
| work = Technical Report 2002/1
|year=2002
|year = 2004
|title = The continuing Rum Jungle dilemma : accounting for ground-surface water interactions in AMD polluted systems
| title = Rum Jungle Monitoring Report 1993-1998
|url-status = dead
| pages = 176–9
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051220031003/http://www.geo.tu-freiberg.de/umh/Abstract_View/mudd_146_abstract.pdf
}}
|archive-date = 2005-12-20
</ref>
Contamination of local groundwater has yet to be addressed.
<ref name="Mudd">
{{cite web
| url = http://www.geo.tu-freiberg.de/umh/Abstract_View/mudd_146_abstract.pdf
| author = Mudd, G.
| work = Uranium Mining and Hydrogeology Conference, UMH IV
|year=2004
| title = The continuing Rum Jungle dilemma : accounting for ground-surface water interactions in AMD polluted systems
}}
}}
</ref>
</ref>


===== Rum Jungle Lake =====
==Brown's Oxide Project==
One of the principal problems associated with rehabilitating the Rum Jungle Creek South (RJCS) open cut mine was that the area was converted to a lake after mining ceased; this is known as Rum Jungle Lake. It is considered to be the only water body in the Darwin region not infested with crocodiles and, after the mines closure, it quickly became very popular with locals and Darwin residents as a recreation reserve including activities such as [[Human swimming|swimming]], [[canoeing]] and [[scuba diving]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Rum Jungle Lake at Batchelor, Northern Territory, Australia |url=http://www.litchfieldnationalpark.com/Rum_Jungle_Lake_Litchfield_National_Park.htm |access-date=31 October 2012 |publisher=Tourism NT}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Rum Jungle Lake |url=http://www.cavedivers.com.au/dive-site/rum-jungle-lake |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713042958/http://www.cavedivers.com.au/dive-site/rum-jungle-lake |archive-date=13 July 2019 |access-date=31 October 2012 |publisher=Cave Divers Association of Australia}}</ref> In November 2010 swimming was closed to the public after a series of recordings showed low levels of radiation; after testing by the Environmental Research Institute it was decided that the site was safe and it was reopened in October 2012.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2012-10-15 |title=Old uranium site reopened for swimming |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2012-10-15/old-uranium-site-reopened-for-swimming/6155360 |access-date=2024-06-05 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref> As of June 2024 the [[Coomalie Shire|Coomalie Community Government Council]] released a community survey regarding planned further rehabilitation works on the lake.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rum Jungle Lake Project {{!}} Coomalie Community Government Council |url=https://www.coomalie.nt.gov.au/rum-jungle-lake-project |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=www.coomalie.nt.gov.au |language=en}}</ref>
In December 2001, [[Compass Resources]] lodged a Referral under the EPBC Act with [[Environment Australia]] (which is now DEH). That document referred to the proposed development of a large-scale mining project, the Browns [[Polymetallic]] Project, that would produce [[lead]], [[cobalt]], [[copper]], [[nickel]] and [[silver]] over a project life of at least 15 years. As indicated in the 2001 Referral, Compass considered that the Browns Polymetallic Project was a ‘nuclear action’ under the EPBC Act, on the basis that the project could be considered to include rehabilitating a facility or area in which mining or milling of uranium ore has previously been undertaken.<ref>[http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/environment/assessment/register/brownsoxide/index.html Brown's Oxide - Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>


=== Brown's Oxide Project ===
Compass suspended its work on the polymetallic proposal in 2002 when low metal prices caused the withdrawal of Compass’s financial partner (Doe Run).<ref>http://kakadu.nt.gov.au/pls/portal30/docs/FOLDER/TOPENDSECRET/ATTACHMENTS/AMCJFeb06lowres.pdf</ref>
In December 2001, [[Compass Resources]] lodged a Referral under the EPBC Act with [[Environment Australia]] (which is now DEH). That document referred to the proposed development of a large-scale mining project, the Browns [[Polymetallic]] Project, that would produce [[lead]], [[cobalt]], [[copper]], [[nickel]] and [[silver]] over a project life of at least 15 years. As indicated in the 2001 Referral, Compass considered that the Browns Polymetallic Project was a 'nuclear action' under the EPBC Act, on the basis that the project could be considered to include rehabilitating a facility or area in which mining or milling of uranium ore has previously been undertaken.<ref>[http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/environment/assessment/register/brownsoxide/index.html Brown's Oxide – Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060906070422/http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/environment/assessment/register/brownsoxide/index.html |date=2006-09-06 }}</ref>


Compass suspended its work on the polymetallic proposal in 2002 when low metal prices caused the withdrawal of Compass's financial partner (Doe Run).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kakadu.nt.gov.au/pls/portal30/docs/FOLDER/TOPENDSECRET/ATTACHMENTS/AMCJFeb06lowres.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2006-03-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928104435/http://kakadu.nt.gov.au/pls/portal30/docs/FOLDER/TOPENDSECRET/ATTACHMENTS/AMCJFeb06lowres.pdf |archive-date=2007-09-28 }}</ref>
In 2005, Compass lodged an application for a much smaller project focussing on cobalt, nickel and copper mining. Because this project, the Brown's Oxide Project is much smaller than the polymetallic project proposed previously, Compass is in a position to progress it on its own.


In 2005, Compass lodged an application for a much smaller project focusing on cobalt, nickel and copper mining. Because this project, the Brown's Oxide Project is much smaller than the polymetallic project proposed previously, Compass is in a position to progress it on its own.
The [[Government of the Northern Territory|Northern Territory Government]] has completed assessing this project and Ms [[Marion Scrymgour]] MLA, Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage in the Northern Territory Government has advised that she has concluded that the Browns Oxide Project as proposed in the Public Environmental Report and subsequent documents "can be managed without unacceptable environmental impacts"


The [[Government of the Northern Territory|Northern Territory Government]] has completed assessing this project and [[Marion Scrymgour]] MLA, Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage in the Northern Territory Government has advised that she has concluded that the Browns Oxide Project as proposed in the Public Environmental Report and subsequent documents "can be managed without unacceptable environmental impacts"
The Hon. [[Kon Vatskalis]] MLA Minister for Mines and Energy announced this approval as "good news" during question time in the Northern Territory Parliament on 4 May 2006. To ensure the environment is managed properly, this approval and its recommendations is subject to final review by the [[Government of Australia|Commonwealth Government]] under a bilateral agreement between the Northern Territory Government and the Commonwealth of Australia.<ref>http://aspect.comsec.com.au/asxdata/20060505/pdf/00612091.pdf</ref>


[[Kon Vatskalis]] MLA, Minister for Mines and Energy, announced this approval as "good news" during question time in the Northern Territory Parliament on 4 May 2006. To ensure the environment is managed properly, this approval and its recommendations is subject to final review by the [[Australian Government|Commonwealth Government]] under a bilateral agreement between the Northern Territory Government and the Commonwealth of Australia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aspect.comsec.com.au/asxdata/20060505/pdf/00612091.pdf |title=Archived copy |website=aspect.comsec.com.au |access-date=30 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927012733/http://aspect.comsec.com.au/asxdata/20060505/pdf/00612091.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Pending final Commonwealth approval, the project is set to be in production by early 2007.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
Pending final Commonwealth approval, the project is set to be in production by early 2007.


While the project is located near the old Rum Jungle mine, the Browns Oxide Project is targeting copper cobalt and nickel—not uranium. Nonetheless, Compass acknowledges that at some future point it would be interested in mining uranium at the nearby Rum Jungle site (over which it holds a lease). Any proposal to mine uranium would require a totally new application and environmental assessment as a separate project.
While the project is located near the old Rum Jungle mine, the Browns Oxide Project is targeting copper cobalt and nickel—not uranium. Nonetheless, Compass acknowledges that at some future point it would be interested in mining uranium at the nearby Rum Jungle site (over which it holds a lease). Any proposal to mine uranium would require a totally new application and environmental assessment as a separate project.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}


==Geology==
==Geology of the region==
The major uranium prospects of Brown's, Intermediate, White's, White's extension and Dyson's occur northwest of, but parallel to, the northeast trending Giant's Reef [[fault (geology)|Fault]]. Ore deposits occur in [[Precambrian]] [[carbonaceous]] [[slate]] and [[graphitic]] [[schist]] of the Lower [[Proterozoic]] Brooks Creek Group. Structurally, the deposits are within a sheared [[anticline]] on the southern flank of a [[granite]] [[dome (geology)|dome]]. Primary minerals include [[chalcopyrite]], [[bornite]], [[bournonite]], [[pyrite]], and [[uraninite]]. Oxidized ores include [[azurite]], [[malachite]], [[pseudomalachite]], iron oxides, torbernite, [[saleeite]], and [[phosphuranylite]].<ref name="Heinrich">{{cite book|last1=Heinrich|first1=E. Wm.|title=Mineralogy and Geology of Radioactive Raw Materials|date=1958|publisher=McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.|location=New York|pages=317-319}}</ref>
The major uranium prospects of Brown's, Intermediate, White's, White's extension and Dyson's occur northwest of, but parallel to, the northeast trending Giant's Reef [[fault (geology)|Fault]]. Ore deposits occur in [[Precambrian]] [[carbonaceous]] [[slate]] and [[graphitic]] [[schist]] of the Lower [[Proterozoic]] Brooks Creek Group. Structurally, the deposits are within a sheared [[anticline]] on the southern flank of a [[granite]] [[dome (geology)|dome]]. Primary minerals include [[chalcopyrite]], [[bornite]], [[bournonite]], [[pyrite]], and [[uraninite]]. Oxidized ores include [[azurite]], [[malachite]], [[pseudomalachite]], iron oxides, torbernite, [[saleeite]], and [[phosphuranylite]].<ref name="Heinrich">{{cite book|last1=Heinrich|first1=E. Wm.|title=Mineralogy and Geology of Radioactive Raw Materials|date=1958|publisher=McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.|location=New York|pages=317–319}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Cave Divers Association of Australia]]
* [[Cave Divers Association of Australia]]
*''[[There Are No Bugles]]''


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
{{reflist}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
* [https://portal.ga.gov.au/deposit-report/minerals/rum-jungle/333859 Rum Jungle Deposit Summary Report]
* [https://portergeo.com.au/database/mineinfo.asp?mineid=mn1026 Rum Jungle – Whites, Dysons, Intermediate, Browns, Mount Burton, Mount Fitch]
{{Commons category|Minerals of Rum Jungle}}
{{Commons category|Minerals of Rum Jungle}}
*{{cite news
*{{cite news
| first=Adrienne
| first=Adrienne
| last=Francis
| last=Francis
| author=
| url=http://www.abc.net.au/rural/nt/content/2006/s1576224.htm
| url=http://www.abc.net.au/rural/nt/content/2006/s1576224.htm
| title=Renewed activity around Rum Jungle
| title=Renewed activity around Rum Jungle
| work=ABC Rural: Northern Territory
| work=ABC Rural: Northern Territory
| publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]
| publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]
| pages=
| page=
|date=22 February 2006
|date=22 February 2006
| accessdate=2006-03-16
| access-date=2006-03-16
}}
}}
*{{cite news
*{{cite news
| first=Adrienne
| first=Adrienne
| last=Francis
| last=Francis
| author=
| url=http://www.abc.net.au/rural/nt/content/2006/s1576224.htm
| url=http://www.abc.net.au/rural/nt/content/2006/s1576224.htm
| title=Minerals Council defends uranium industry
| title=Minerals Council defends uranium industry
| work=ABC Rural: Northern Territory
| work=ABC Rural: Northern Territory
| publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation
| publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation
| pages=
| page=
|date=28 February 2006
|date=28 February 2006
| accessdate=2006-03-16
| access-date=2006-03-16
}}
*{{cite web
| last =
| first =
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| year = 2005
| url = http://www.acfonline.org.au/news.asp?news_id=674
| title = ACF's Submission on the Browns Oxide Project (NT)
| format =
| work =
| publisher = [[Australian Conservation Foundation]]
| accessdate = 2006-03-16
}}
}}
*{{cite web| year =2005| url =http://www.acfonline.org.au/news.asp?news_id=674| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20060825191413/http://www.acfonline.org.au/news.asp?news_id=674| url-status =dead| archive-date =2006-08-25| title =ACF's Submission on the Browns Oxide Project (NT)| publisher =[[Australian Conservation Foundation]]| access-date =2006-03-16}}
*{{cite web
*{{cite web
| year = 2006
|year = 2006
| url = http://www.compass-resources.info
|url = http://www.compass-resources.info
| title = Compass Resources protest site
|title = Compass Resources protest site
| work = anti-corporate satire
|work = anti-corporate satire
| publisher = Justin Tutty
|publisher = Justin Tutty
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070421024738/http://www.compass-resources.info/
|archive-date = 2007-04-21
}}
}}
*{{cite web
*{{cite web
Line 157: Line 200:
| url = http://www.compassnl.com/
| url = http://www.compassnl.com/
| title = Compass Resources NL
| title = Compass Resources NL
| access-date = 2006-03-16
| publisher =
| accessdate = 2006-03-16
| archive-date = 19 April 2006
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060419011558/http://www.compassnl.com/
}} - company web site
| url-status = dead
}} – company web site
*[http://www.mindat.org/loc-41612.html Rum Jungle data] at [[Mindat.org]]
*[http://www.mindat.org/loc-41612.html Rum Jungle data] at [[Mindat.org]]
*[http://www.rumjungle.nt.gov.au Rum Jungle mine site, Department of Resources] at [[Government of the Northern Territory]]
*[http://www.rumjungle.nt.gov.au Rum Jungle mine site, Department of Resources] at [[Government of the Northern Territory]]


{{Coomalie Shire Localities and Settlements}}
{{Coomalie Shire Localities and Settlements}}
{{Recreational dive sites|fresit}}
{{authority control}}


[[Category:Uranium mines in the Northern Territory]]
[[Category:Uranium mines in the Northern Territory]]
Line 169: Line 216:
[[Category:Surface mines in Australia]]
[[Category:Surface mines in Australia]]
[[Category:Underground mines in Australia]]
[[Category:Underground mines in Australia]]
[[Category:Mines in the Northern Territory]]
[[Category:Underwater diving sites in Australia]]
[[Category:Underwater diving sites in Australia]]
[[Category:Diving quarries]]
[[Category:Underwater diving quarries]]
[[Category:Mining in the Northern Territory]]

Latest revision as of 10:55, 5 October 2024

Rum Jungle
Northern Territory
Rum Jungle is located in Northern Territory
Rum Jungle
Rum Jungle
Location in Northern Territory
Coordinates12°59′39.8″S 131°01′22.7″E / 12.994389°S 131.022972°E / -12.994389; 131.022972
Population84 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)0845
LGA(s)Coomalie Shire
Territory electorate(s)Daly
Federal division(s)Lingiari
Rum Jungle
Browns Oxide Project entry gate
Location
Rum Jungle is located in Australia
Rum Jungle
Rum Jungle
Location in Australia
LocationBatchelor
TerritoryNorthern Territory
CountryAustralia
Coordinates12°59′S 131°01′E / 12.983°S 131.017°E / -12.983; 131.017
Production
ProductsUranium
History
Discovered1949
Opened1950
Closed1971
Location of key Northern Territory uranium mines
Water scene on Poett's old coffee plantation, Rum Jungle, Northern Territory
Malachite specimen from Rum Jungle, 10.5 × 6.5 × 3.2 cm

Rum Jungle or Unrungkoolpum is a locality in the Northern Territory of Australia located about 105 kilometres south of Darwin on the East Branch of the Finniss River and it shares a boundary with Litchfield National Park. It is 10 kilometres west of Batchelor.[2][3][4]

The joint traditional owners of this area and the Kungarakan and Warai peoples and their rights to this land are recognised in the Finnis River Land Claim which was granted in May 1981.[5][6]

The European name for this area derives its name from an incident in March 1873 when the teamsters of John Lewiss who were carting stores between Southport and Pine Creek, tapped a cask of rum and shared it with local miners from the nearby John Bull goldmine. After they drank together they woke up to find that one of the teamsters had stolen 750 ounces of gold from the miners, along with their horses, and had disappeared. Searches for the thief lasted for a number of months until the teamster and the gold were found.[7][8] The name was first used when reporting the death of Patrick Flynn in November 1873.[9]

One notable early resident who arrived in the area in 1909 was Nellie Flynn and her family; Flynn lived there until the 1970s and was a well-known identity in the area.[10][11]

It is best known as the site of a uranium deposit, found in 1949, which has been mined.[12]

History

[edit]

The first European person to travel to the Rum Jungle area was George Goyder in 1869; on this trip he noted an unidentified copper-like green ore in 1869 at "Giants Reef", which was later "rediscovered" and identified to be torbernite.[13] This discovery received minimal attention at the time and other Europeans and Chinese people began occupying the area, especially after the discovery of gold in the 1870s; prospectors also occasionally mined copper and other minerals on a small scale.[4]

These new arrivals exposed the local Aboriginal people (the Kungarakan and Warai) to a variety of illnesses and disease including smallpox, leprosy and tuberculosis. Aboriginal people were also subjected to trauma including the sexual exploitation of women, forced migration and massacres.[4]

One such massacre was the Stapleton Siding Massacre in July 1895 when 80 Aboriginal people were killed following the distribution of poisoned damper. Joe 'Pumeri' McGuinness was told the story by his mother Alngindabu, who survived the massacre, and said of it:[14]

The majority of the tribe (Kungarakany)... about one hundred people, became victims of poisoned damper... at a railway siding known as Stapleton... weed-killing powder... was supposedly mistaken for baking powder and added to the flour in preparing damper. Those who ate the poisoned damper became violently ill before their death.

— Joe McGuinness, Son of Alyandabu my fight for Aboriginal rights (1991)

This was one of at least three poisoning incidents suffered by the Kungarakan people.[15]

Mining at Rum Jungle

[edit]

Uranium mining

[edit]

In April 1948 a notice was published in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette that the Government was offering rewards for the discovery of uranium ore in Australia and offered a reward of £25,000.[16] This reward was offered due to an increased need for uranium during World War II and it was the United States and Britain that had identified Australia as a potential source.[4]

In 1949, John Michael "Jack" White discovered torbernite in old nearby copper shafts.[17] White was a buffalo shooter, crocodile hunter and prospector who held a small farm in the area with his Aboriginal partner (their name has not been shared). He recognised the uranium ore from a color pamphlet that had been produced as part of the announcement for the award and he delivered his samples to the Mines Branch in Darwin on 13 August 1949 and was later able to collect the full reward.[4] News of this discovery was published throughout Australia.[18][19][20][21]

Work on developing the mine site began during the war as a project undertaken by the Allied Works Council but, to speed up progress, in 1952 the Australian Government funded the setting up of a mine and treatment plant to provide uranium oxide concentrate to the UK-US Combined Development Agency under a contract which ran from 1953 to 1962.[22][23]

The mine was officially opened on 17 September 1954 and the event was attended by the then Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies who promised that "[t]he world will forget about atomic bombs and concentrate on using uranium for the benefit of humankind" while also talking about its importance in terms of the defence of Australia.[24][25][26][27][28] On 13 September, days before the mine officially opened, four staff of the mine were killed when two trucks collided.[29][30]

The mine was the responsibility of Commonwealth Government, through the Australian Atomic Energy Commission, was responsible for it, although management of it was on a contract basis by Territory Enterprises Pty Limited, a subsidiary of the Rio Tinto Group. Batchelor, a nearby town, accommodated most of the mining personnel and grew significantly at this time.[23]

By 1959 the economically viable ore had all been extracted but operations continued, on a small scale until 1963, and work continued there until April 1971 as stockpiled ore from Rum Jungle and other sites around Australia (including from Eva Creek and Adelaide River) continued to be processed.[4][31][32] A total of 863,000 tonnes of Uranium ore were processed and much was sold on the open market; some of this was also stockpiled and held in storage at Lucas Heights Reactor in Sydney.[31]

Pollution and cleanup

[edit]

The Rum Jungle mine closed in April 1971[33] and the 200-hectare (490-acre) site was abandoned.[34] The Federal Government (which controlled the mine through its agency the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC), now known as Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) decided not to rehabilitate the mine site [why?]. The mining company Conzinc (now part of the Rio Tinto Group, which owns Energy Resources of Australia (ERA), operators of the Ranger Uranium Mine in Kakadu National Park) have consistently denied any responsibility for rehabilitation. This led to the mine becoming known as one of Australia's most polluted environments[23] due to the oxidation of sulphides and the release of acid and metals into the East Branch of the Finniss River. The 1500 mm annual rainfall, along with the pyritic mineralisation in the area, created ideal conditions for such oxidation.[citation needed]

An initial attempt to clean up Rum Jungle was made in 1977 following the Ranger Uranium Environmental Inquiry (1976 - 1977), which led to the setting up of a working group to examine more comprehensive rehabilitation. A$16.2 million Commonwealth-funded program got under way in 1983 to remove heavy metals and neutralise the tailings. Of the damage to the Rum Jungle area the Commissioner of the Inquiry, Justice Russell Fox stated:[35]

[Rum Jungle] represents to many people, not least of all the Aboriginal people, an awful example of what should not be allowed to happen.

— Justice Russell Fox, Commissioner, Ranger Uranium Environmental Inquiry, 1977

After mining, the area suffered elevated gamma radiation, alpha-radioactive dust, and significant radon daughter concentrations in air. These levels were so high that in the late 1980s it was decided that something had to be done.[by whom?] Radiation protection standards were being revised, so that the levels of pollution would now be officially recognised as unsafe for human health. As a result, a supplementary $1.8 million program to improve Rum Jungle Creek South waste dumps was undertaken in 1990.[citation needed]

One of the main environmental impacts of uranium mining is the creation of large volumes of radioactive mine waste (tailings) which are left behind on the site. The major radioactive component of these tailings is uranium-238, which makes up over 99% of what is naturally occurring uranium, and is not very radioactive. While figures concerning the half-life of an isotope are often presented as meaning the element is more dangerous, in the case of Uranium-238 being 4.47 billion years, the opposite is in fact true: half-life is the time in which half of a collection of an element will decay, and produce a radioactive particle, ergo, the longer the half-life, the less radioactive the element. In 2003, a government survey of the tailings piles at Rum Jungle found that capping which was supposed to help contain this radioactive waste for at least 100 years, had failed in less than 20 years.[36] The Territory and Federal Governments continue to argue over responsibility for funding rehabilitation on the polluted East Finniss River.[37] Contamination of local groundwater has yet to be addressed.[38]

Rum Jungle Lake
[edit]

One of the principal problems associated with rehabilitating the Rum Jungle Creek South (RJCS) open cut mine was that the area was converted to a lake after mining ceased; this is known as Rum Jungle Lake. It is considered to be the only water body in the Darwin region not infested with crocodiles and, after the mines closure, it quickly became very popular with locals and Darwin residents as a recreation reserve including activities such as swimming, canoeing and scuba diving.[39][40] In November 2010 swimming was closed to the public after a series of recordings showed low levels of radiation; after testing by the Environmental Research Institute it was decided that the site was safe and it was reopened in October 2012.[41] As of June 2024 the Coomalie Community Government Council released a community survey regarding planned further rehabilitation works on the lake.[42]

Brown's Oxide Project

[edit]

In December 2001, Compass Resources lodged a Referral under the EPBC Act with Environment Australia (which is now DEH). That document referred to the proposed development of a large-scale mining project, the Browns Polymetallic Project, that would produce lead, cobalt, copper, nickel and silver over a project life of at least 15 years. As indicated in the 2001 Referral, Compass considered that the Browns Polymetallic Project was a 'nuclear action' under the EPBC Act, on the basis that the project could be considered to include rehabilitating a facility or area in which mining or milling of uranium ore has previously been undertaken.[43]

Compass suspended its work on the polymetallic proposal in 2002 when low metal prices caused the withdrawal of Compass's financial partner (Doe Run).[44]

In 2005, Compass lodged an application for a much smaller project focusing on cobalt, nickel and copper mining. Because this project, the Brown's Oxide Project is much smaller than the polymetallic project proposed previously, Compass is in a position to progress it on its own.

The Northern Territory Government has completed assessing this project and Marion Scrymgour MLA, Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage in the Northern Territory Government has advised that she has concluded that the Browns Oxide Project as proposed in the Public Environmental Report and subsequent documents "can be managed without unacceptable environmental impacts"

Kon Vatskalis MLA, Minister for Mines and Energy, announced this approval as "good news" during question time in the Northern Territory Parliament on 4 May 2006. To ensure the environment is managed properly, this approval and its recommendations is subject to final review by the Commonwealth Government under a bilateral agreement between the Northern Territory Government and the Commonwealth of Australia.[45] Pending final Commonwealth approval, the project is set to be in production by early 2007.[citation needed]

While the project is located near the old Rum Jungle mine, the Browns Oxide Project is targeting copper cobalt and nickel—not uranium. Nonetheless, Compass acknowledges that at some future point it would be interested in mining uranium at the nearby Rum Jungle site (over which it holds a lease). Any proposal to mine uranium would require a totally new application and environmental assessment as a separate project.[citation needed]

Geology of the region

[edit]

The major uranium prospects of Brown's, Intermediate, White's, White's extension and Dyson's occur northwest of, but parallel to, the northeast trending Giant's Reef Fault. Ore deposits occur in Precambrian carbonaceous slate and graphitic schist of the Lower Proterozoic Brooks Creek Group. Structurally, the deposits are within a sheared anticline on the southern flank of a granite dome. Primary minerals include chalcopyrite, bornite, bournonite, pyrite, and uraninite. Oxidized ores include azurite, malachite, pseudomalachite, iron oxides, torbernite, saleeite, and phosphuranylite.[46]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Rum Jungle (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2017. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "About the Kungarakan Culture & Education Association". Kungarakan Culture & Education Association. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Rum Jungle uranium mine opens | Australia's Defining Moments Digital Classroom | National Museum of Australia". digital-classroom.nma.gov.au. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Rum Jungle uranium mine". National Museum of Australia. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  5. ^ Government, Northern Territory (27 March 2024). "Rum Jungle History". NT.GOV.AU. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  6. ^ Australia. Office of the Aboriginal Land Commissioner (1982), Finniss River land claim : report, Government Printer, ISBN 978-0-644-01874-6
  7. ^ Beatty, Bill (2 August 1947). "There's drama & tragedy in place names". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 8. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  8. ^ "Rum Jungle". NT Place Names Register. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Northern Territory Times". Northern Territory Times and Gazette. Vol. I, no. 4. Northern Territory, Australia. 28 November 1873. p. 2. Retrieved 5 June 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Nellie Flynn (Territory Women)". Territory Stories. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Nellie 'Shotgun' Flynn — the grand dame of Batchelor". ABC News. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  12. ^ "Rum Jungle". Department of Mines and Energy. Northern Territory Government. 2013. Archived from the original on 1 April 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  13. ^ Annabell, Ross (1971). The Uranium Hunters. Adelaide: Rigby Limited. pp. 23–27. ISBN 0727002627.
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