Queensland Cement and Lime Company (QCL) was a company that manufactured

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...

and

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

for use in

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form Physical object, objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Pr ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. It supplied many major projects in Queensland. It was also known as Queensland Cement Limited.

History

The company was established in 1914, operating a cement factory at Station Road (now Station Avenue), Darra in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

(). From 1916, it obtained limestone from

Gore Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manitouli ...

on the

Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was general ...

. In the early 1930s, it built Oxley Wharf on the Brisbane River at Seventeen Mile Rocks (). The company had a

dredge Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...

Mud Island Mud Island is a small peninsula located in Memphis, Tennessee. It is bordered by the Mississippi River to the west and the Wolf River and Harbor Town to the east. Mud Island River Park is located within the Memphis city limits, 1.2 miles fr ...

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

from where they obtained

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and ...

, which was then transported up the river to the wharf from where it was conveyed via the company's private road to the Darra factory. By 1936, the company ceased using limestone from Gore in favour of the coral from Moreton Bay. Army ship Crusader

In the decade following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

the company acquired the Australian Army ship ''Crusader'' and the former HMAS ''LST 3022'' after they were decommissioned from military service. These vessels were renamed ''Cementco'' and ''Coral'' respectively, and were extensively modified for their new roles. ''Coral'' was used to dredge coral from Morton Bay, and ''Cementco'' transported the material up the Brisbane River to the company's cement factory at Darra. In 1969, the road transport was replaced by a 3.5 km overhead

conveyor A conveyor system is a common piece of mechanical handling equipment that moves materials from one location to another. Conveyors are especially useful in applications involving the transport of heavy or bulky materials. Conveyor systems allow ...

. In 1988 the company was renamed Queensland Cement Limited following some company mergers. In 1995, the company was unable to renew its dredging licences for Moreton Bay, leading to the closure of the Darra factory in 1998 after its stockpile was completely exhausted. In 2003, the company merged with Australian Cement Holdings to create

Cement Australia A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel (aggregate) together. Cement mixe ...

, which (as at 2020) still has some facilities at Station Avenue within a large industrial estate.

Legacy

The company's wharf site at Seventeen Mile Rocks was taken over by

Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...

in 1990. The council developed the site into the Rocks Riverside Park which opened in December 2003. The park incorporates elements of its industrial heritage. The locality of Cement Mills in the

Goondiwindi Region The Goondiwindi Region is a local government area located in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia along the state's border with New South Wales. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas which d ...

is located at the site of the company's works near Gore.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Queensland Cement and Lime Company
Cement Australia heritage
Australian companies established in 1914 Manufacturing companies established in 1914 Cement companies of Australia Companies based in Queensland Defunct manufacturing companies of Australia

History

Legacy

References

Further reading

External links