Glenden wiped off map: 300 homes to be bulldozed as miner Glencore exits

More than 300 homes are set to be bulldozed as a miner winds up operations in Central Queensland.

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More than 300 homes are set to be bulldozed in the midst of an Australian housing crisis as a miner winds up operations in Central Queensland.

The potential destruction of hundreds of perfectly serviceable homes has left locals devastated and stunned delegates at the LGAQ Bush Council Convention in Goondiwindi as mayors warn of the ongoing drain from the state’s interior.

But the state government insists a final decision for the future of the town is yet to be reached with the department confirming it is working with the exiting mining company to assess whether the houses are “suitable for alternative uses”.

Swiss multinational Glencore has a contractual obligation to remove the town of Glenden south west of Mackay as it winds up mining operations which have existed for 40 years.

Incoming miner QCoal is planning to create a mining camp with accommodation for 450 at the new $1.8 billion Byerwen coal mine 20km out of town, and won’t need the houses.

Isaac Regional Council Mayor Anne Baker said the focus in a housing crisis should be on building and maintaining communities, not bulldozing them.

“This should be a straightforward transition in a mining town from one company to another,’’ Cr Baker said.

“Infrastructure is there for QCoal’s taking.’’

The township of Glenden in Central Queensland. Picture: Contributed

Melissa Payne moved to Glenden with her family in 1982 before the town existed when her father was employed to help build the community.

She owned the local general store for nearly a decade but she was forced to close its doors in November as the town’s population dwindled down from about 350 families to about 40.

“It’s extremely frustrating,” Ms Payne said of the prospect of her hometown being bulldozed.

“I’ve grown up here, I have raised my family here, I have done everything here in this town.

Empty houses and streets in the coal mining town of Glenden in the seat of Burdekin Photo: John Andersen

“It can be an amazing place to raise a family — a safe environment and all the bonuses that come along with living in a small community.”

Ms Payne’s children grew up in the town and her daughter, Dakota, who died about 26 years ago, is buried in Glenden.

Now she may be forced to leave her deceased child behind in the ghost town.

“What do I end up with? I end up with a roadside grave in a cow paddock,” Ms Payne said.

Isaac Regional Council Mayor Anne Baker.

Isaac council says the state government has the power to deny QCoal housing its workers at the Byerwen mine site, with the view workers would instead live in Glenden and save it from being wiped off the map.

Resources Minister Scott Stewart said no decision has been reached in relation to approving a infrastructure lease application.

“I will consider submissions from stakeholders before making any decision,” he told The Courier-Mail.

The Department of Resources said Glencore had begun the staged process of exiting Glenden as the Newlands Mining operation winds down and the department is considering options for the town’s homes.

“Most of Glenden’s houses and commercial properties are owned by Glencore but sit on land leased from the state,” a department spokeswoman said.

“The department is working with Glencore regarding their strategy to identify whether properties are surplus to Glencore’s needs and whether they are suitable for alternative uses.”

Longreach Mayor Tony Rayner told the bush council convention Glenden’s experience was mirrored across the Queensland interior.

Towns that were surviving were also losing services rapidly with his own town suffering a 50 per cent decline in banking service in the past decade alone.

Empty houses and streets in the coal mining town of Glenden in the seat of Burdekin Photo: John Andersen

“We understand a mining company’s right to make a profit, but there has to be a commitment to community that goes with it,’’ he said.

“You don’t just destroy a town.’’

Cr Rayner said the state outside the south east risked being reduced to a series of regional coastal cities, and a “ghost’’ interior.

Yet the contribution to GDP by western Queensland was significant, but was often not recognised.

Originally published as Glenden wiped off map: 300 homes to be bulldozed as miner Glencore exits