The glory hole, Mt Isa

A mined-out section provides the fantastic impression of five giant columns and lintel staring upwards from the depth where they have collapsed like some half-buried Egyptian temple. The whole cut was poured full of colour and marked with curious striations. At one end mine tailings from underground workings were being dumped to fill the glory hole. These glory holes are developed from the surface, the ore being mined and passed down a series of sieves to a lower haulage level. The pillars are left to support the hanging wall. From August 1945 in his capacity as official war artist Emerson Curtis undertook a three month tour of Queensland. Travelling mostly by train he captured a rich visual record of the extensive wartime activities, people and industry of this ' frontier ' state.