The Radium Hill is located near Olary in eastern South Australia, approximately 530 km northeast of Adelaide.
The story of this mine, mined for radium between 1906 and 1931 and for uranium
between 1954 and 1961, involves Sir Douglas Mawson, Madame Curie and Professor Lord Rutherford.
Ngadjuri and Wilyakali People
Wilyakali traditional lands covered an estimated 8,400 square miles (22,000 km2) from the Barrier Ranges
westwards to Olary in South Australia. The clan probably only comprised 60-80 people at any one time and they spoke a dialect of the Bargundji language ("river talk")
Ngadjuri occupied the central Flinders Ranges and the western portion of the Olary Ranges.
According to Norman Tindale, before the mid-1850s, the Wilyakali People retreated southwards to resist the Ngadjuri People who wanted them to adopt their Ceremonial rites. (circumcision rite)
It is likely that various Aboriginal groups travelled over the arid land around Radium Hill to trade stone, ochre, tools, ceremonial items and other resources. Many clans appear to have met at the rockholes at Mootwingee in NSW, which had water in drought times (Gerritsen, 1976).
Rock engravings (petroglyphs) from the Karolta site on the North Olary Plains are of great antiquity.
Various Aboriginal groups of the region identify
collectively as the Adnyamathanha people.
Aboriginal cultures vary, but often, ceremonial occasions, involved scarification, circumcision, subincision and, in some regions, also the removal of a tooth.
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| For Aboriginal people scarification has been used as a rite of passage, Critic (Adelaide, SA : 1897-1924) |
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| Aboriginal people in corroboree costume at Carriewerloo Station, South Australia. Observer (Adelaide, SA : 1905 - 1931), Saturday 1 July 1905 |
1890s Uranium was first discovered in the Mount Lofty Ranges in 1890 .
1900s
By 1906, prospector Arthur John Smith had found and named the Little Queen Bee gold and copper mine, Outalpa gold mine, Boomerang gold mine, and King's Bluff copper mine.
In that same year, 1906, Smith was in the Outalpa area, near Olary, when he thought he'd found tin oxide or tungsten (Wolfram) when
camped at Teasdale’s dam. He pegged a claim on 20th March, then travelled with his ore samples to Adelaide by train. The samples were later found to be radio-active.
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| Mr A. J. Smith, discovered ore at Radium Hill, SA, Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954), Sunday 1 June 1913 |
The future Antarctic explorer, Douglas Mawson, was a geologist at Adelaide University where the ore samples were tested and named, the uranium/radium bearing mineral "Davidite", after Professor Edgeworth David. Mawson also
proposed the name Radium Hill for the site. The mine was called "Smith's Carnotite Mine" (a similar uranium-bearing mineral) at first.
In 1906, Mawson spent weeks exploring the Olary Ranges region on horse and motorbike. He found rocks dating from one of the planet’s oldest and most widespread ice ages.
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| Dr. Douglas Maw soil, of SouthAustralia,... who has plans for an Australian Antarctic Expedition.Australian Town and Country Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1870 - 1919), Wednesday 11 January 1911 |
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| Critic (Adelaide, SA : 1897-1924), Wednesday 10 November 1909 |
In the early days Radium Hill produced radium for Marie Sklodowska-Curie who was awarded her second Nobel Prize for the discovery of radium in 1911. Ernest Rutherford, the father of nuclear physics and the first man to
successfully slit an atom, also received Radium Hill radium.
One of the stages in the break-down of uranium to radium is the production of a radioactive gas, radon, which, in a matter of a few days, disintegrates to form solid radioactive products, which adhere to dust particles and can be inhaled.
Australian Museum
Radium Hill was isolated, dry, and arid. The days were hot and nights cold.
Radium reached a price of £13,000 per gram in 1911.
WWI
Mining ceased in 1914.
Waterfront land on Nelson Parade in Hunters Hill, NSW, was the site of the Radium Hill refinery, which closed in 1915.
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| RADIUM FACTORY AT SYDNEY (Hunter's Hill, NSW), Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 - 1954), Friday 30 January 1914 |
1920s
Mining operations commenced again in 1923.
A treatment plant was built in 1923 at Dry Creek near Adelaide to produce radium bromide for medical applications, but was not cost-effective and ceased operations by 1932.
At Paralana Hot Springs, a private sanatorium near Mount Painter in the 1920s, patients and guests took baths in the thermal springs of
naturally occurring radium.
1940s
After the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively,
bringing an end to the war in the Pacific, finding uranium for atomic weapons and defence became a priority.
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| Labor Call (Melbourne, Vic. : 1906 - 1953), Thursday 29 May 1947, |
The Housing Trust designed the town, building 145 houses between 1949 and 1952.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) formed in March 1949.
The Provisions of the Uranium Mining Act 1949 prevented employees from revealing information about their work. Oaths were required by employees.
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| Lunch time in the mess at Radium Hill, SA, News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), Thursday 28 July 1949 |
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| Radium Hill, SA, News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), Thursday 28 July 1949 |
1950s
The Korean War began in June 1950, and this anxious period motived the USA to contribute almost £4,000,000 to develop Radium Hill to supply uranium.
There was opposition in the
community to atomic weapons, demonstrated by and during South Australian Peace Council’s two-day peace conference in June 1950.
In November 1951, a pilot plant was constructed at Radium Hill.
A power generator for electricity supply was installed in 1951. Water was pumped from a dam to a storage tank near the town. A pipeline was laid from the Umberumberka Reservoir near Broken Hill.
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| Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), Monday 24 March 1952 |
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| Radium Hill, SA, News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), Thursday 11 December 1952 |
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| Radium Hill, SA, News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), Thursday 11 December 1952 |
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| Radium Hill, SA, uranium mine in 1952 - drive in. (It was not heritage listed). Photo SLSA B-70347. |
The Radium Hill underground mine was
recommissioned in a full-scale operation in 1954 and operated by the South Australian Government, for the British and US nuclear weapons programs. (also, a rare earths treatment plant at Port Pirie)
At Radium Hill Australian Inland Mission (AIM) Hospital, 117 babies were born between 1953 and 1961.The AIM also provided health care services to the miners and their families. The nursing sisters lived in the adjoining house and were on call 24/7.
There was also a public school and Kindergarten, post office, police station, government retail store, weather Station, State Bank branch and a civic hall. And, later, a wet canteen ( two Nissen huts), milk bar, library, swimming pool,
recreation room and drive-in cinema.
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| Swimming pool at Radium Hill, SA |
Two churches were built by volunteers; a Catholic Church with school and a Uniting Church used by all other de-nominations.
Sports included soccer, cricket, Australian Rules football, tennis and golf.
Officially opened by Governor-General Sir William Slim on 10 November 1954.
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| RADIUM HILL MINE OPENING, SA. Radium Hill mine which was opened last week by the Governor-General (Sir William Slim) . This was revealed at the official luncheon by the Premier (Mr. Playford), Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Thursday 18 November 1954 |
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| Radium Hill, SA, Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Thursday 18 November 1954 |
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| Radium Hill Mine, SA, In the mine shaft at the 200 foot level (L to R) — The Premier (Mr. Playford), the Minister of Mines (Sir Lyell McEwin), the Governor-General (Sir William Slim), and the general manager of the Radium Hill project (Mr. T. A. Rodgers). Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Thursday 18 November 1954 |
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| Miners listen to Sir William Slim's opening address, Radium Hill, SA. Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Thursday 18 November 1954 |
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| The head frame showing the entrance to the shaft. (L to R) — R. Archer, a mine surveyor, and W. Cahill, a miner. Radium Hill, SA Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Thursday 18 November 1954 |
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| The Flying Doctor wireless service has many uses for outback people. Here Mr. E. Foreman, whose wife gave birth to a daughter in Broken Hill the day before the mine (Radium Hill, SA) was opened, hears news of his wife and baby from the doctor at Broken Hill, while Sister J. McKay, of the Radium Hill Hospital, operates the wireless. Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Thursday 18 November 1954 |
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| The Governor-General (Sir William Slim in a mine shaft at the 200-foot level, Radium Hill, SA. Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Thursday 18 November 1954 |
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| Bill (Hugger) Giles (pictured above) lives in an iron and wood dwelling at the end ofthe Radium Hill, SA, airstrip. News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), Friday 12 November 1954 |
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| Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 13 November 1954 |
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| Radium Hill, SA, Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 13 November 1954 |
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| Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 - 1954), Saturday 8 August 1953 |
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| Tent camp at Radium Hill, SA, 1950s |
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| Radium Hill minesite, SA, 1954 |
A town for 1100 people was built at Radium Hill, with water piped from NSW. A railway spur connected Radium Hill with the Broken Hill–Port Pirie line, and a power line was constructed from Morgan.
The ore was sent by rail to Port Pirie for treatment and shipped to America or the United Kingdom.
The uranium grades at Radium Hill were moderate to low. However, the rare earths grade was
exceptional, with values up to 7% rare earth oxides.
There was a growing, overseas demand for uranium for nuclear experiments and for emerging atomic power.
Radium Hill was a substantial employer of new migrants to Australia. Wages were high.
The safety measures involved frequent showers, washing clothes regularly, blood testing and dust monitoring.
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| Minig underground at Radium Hill, SA, Beaudesert Times (Qld. : 1908 - 1954), Friday 15 April 1955 |
Because the residents of Radium Hill were mostly single males, only beer (ale and stout) were sold at the canteen in an attempt to avoid trouble. Opening hours were also limited.
In April 1954, Vladimir and Evdokia Petrov, Soviet spies masquerading as diplomats in Canberra, defected to Australia. This led to
security concerns, and some staff at Radium Hill were believed to be seconded from ASIO.
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| Site of Single Staff Mess and Living Quarters at Radium Hill, SA, South Australian History Network, (1953-1961) |
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| United Church at Radium Hill, SA, (1953-1961), South Australian History Network |
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| Catholic Church at Radium Hill, SA, (1953-1961), South Australian History Network |
Radium Hill canteen was divided into two sections: one for men only and the other for women and their escorts (
1.)
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| Radium Hill, SA, Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Wednesday 4 July 1956 |
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THE FRUIT and vegetable counter of the Government store are, from left, Mrs. Roy Simpson, Mrs. Stan Foubister, and Mrs. Jock Brown. All goods are sold at cost. Radium Hill, SA. Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Wednesday 4 July 1956 |
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GENERAL MANAGER of the Radium Hill project (SA), Mr. T. A. Rodgers (left), with Mr. John Kleeman, assistant mill superintendent, inspect flotation cells in the treatment plant. Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Wednesday 4 July 1956 |
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| Timbering operation at the 400 foot level in the uranium mine at Radium Hill, South Australia, 1957, NLAUST |
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| Radium Hill, SA, Walkabout. Vol. 24 No. 7 (1 July 1958) |
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| Radium Hill, SA, Walkabout. Vol. 24 No. 7 (1 July 1958) |
1960s
The mine closed in December 1961. Later, it was revealed that radioactive ore was used to construct roads and other infrastructure and the tailings dam was not capped when the mine closed. The wind had dispersed tailings into the surrounding landscape.
By the end of 1963, 165 houses, cubicles and mining structures had been demolished.
1970s
In 1979, a study found that cancer-related deaths by former Radium Hill workers to be four times the national average.
1980s
Rehabilitation in the site occurred in the 1980s.
1990s
The Radium Hill health study was finally published in 1991, concluding that radiation may have contributed to the premature deaths of workers at the site.
In late 1997, it was revealed that the disused underground workings the Radium Hill mine had been a licensed repository for radioactive wastes since 1981.
2000s
The museum established by the Radium Hill Historical Association in an old circa 1926 ex-station hand’s cottage on Tikalina Station in 1996, closed in 2018 and is being relocated.
The Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission found that the former state-owned Radium Hill mine and associated Rare Earths Treatment Plant at Port Pirie, which closed in 1961 and 1962 respectively, were
not operated, regulated or decommissioned in accordance with current practice, and nor would they have been permitted under the current regulatory framework.
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| Radium Hill, SA, (abandoned uranium mine) and other mineral deposits, 2009. Frans de Wit |
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| Radium Hill, SA, (abandoned uranium mine) and other mineral deposits, 2009. Frans de Wit |
Today, all that remains of Radium Hill is some foundations, infrastructure remnants, tailings impoundment and some waste rock and heavy media reject piles.
Many cite environmental impacts, Aboriginal land access and nuclear proliferation as reasons for ceasing or restricting the nuclear industry.
Around Radium Hill
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| Concrete ore bins and silos, Radium Hill, SA |
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| The Radium Hill Camp Ground from the top of Tank Hill, SA |
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| Unsealed road from Radium Hill, leads to Barrier Highway via Tikilina Homestead, SA, 2011, South Australian History Network |
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| Memorial stone at Radium Hill, on The Avenue, SA. The town's water tank on the hill in the distance, South Australian History Network |
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| Site of Catholic Church at Radium Hill, SA. When they were demolishing the town after the mine closed in 1961, the cross fell onto the bull dozer's engine and damaged it. They thought it was divine intervention so the church was never fully demolished! South Australian History Network |
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| Site of The Avenue at Radium Hill township, SA, South Australian History Network |
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| Plaque at Radium Hill Pioneers Cemetery. The plaque lists those buried at the cemetery - it makes poignant reading. South Australian History Network |
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| Tank Hill at Radium Hill, SA, 2 million gallon concrete water tank was built for the Radium Hill township, South Australian History Network |
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| Radium Hill, SA, mining remains |
Things To Do and Places to Go
Radium Hill Historical Association
The Radium Hill former uranium mine is located 40 kilometres southwest of Cockburn in South Australia and approximately 110 kilometres from Broken Hill.
