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Mount Lindesay
Mount Lindesay
	The distinctly shaped peak of Mount Lindesay
Highest point
Elevation	1,177 m (3,862 ft)
Geography
	Mount Lindesay Queensland, Australia
Parent range	McPherson Range
Climbing
First ascent	1872

Mount Lindesay
Queensland
Mount Lindesay; Queensland
	Mount Lindesay
Coordinates	28°19′50″S 152°44′00″E / 28.3305°S 152.7333°E
Population	14 (2021 census)
• Density	0.82/km2 (2.12/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4287
Area	17.1 km2 (6.6 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	22.4 km (14 mi) SW of Rathdowney ; 53.8 km (33 mi) SW of Beaudesert ; 123 km (76 mi) SSW of Brisbane CBD ;
LGA(s)	Scenic Rim Region
State electorate(s)	Scenic Rim
Federal division(s)	Wright
	Suburbs around Mount Lindesay:

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Mount Lindesay is a rural locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia.^[2] It borders New South Wales.^[3] In the 2021 census, Mount Lindesay had a population of 14 people.^[1]

The mountain of the same name (height 1,175 metres (3,855 ft) is on the south-west boundary of the locality (28°20′41″S 152°43′22″E / 28.3447°S 152.7228°E / -28.3447; 152.7228 (Mount Lindesday (mountain))) on the border between Queensland and New South Wales.^[4]

Geography

The mountain lies on the Queensland-New South Wales border, approximately 140 km south west of Brisbane, Australia. Mount Lindesay is one of a number of peaks in the McPherson Range, and is remarkable for its tiered summit, the eroded remnant of lava flows from the nearby Focal Peak shield volcano.^[5] The mountain is situated within the Mount Barney National Park in Queensland and the Border Ranges National Park in New South Wales. Apart from the northern slopes, the rest of the peak is covered in dense rainforest, and the summit is frequently in cloud and mist.^{[citation needed]}

The Mount Lindesay Highway enters the locality from the north-east (Palen Creek), passes to the west side of the mountain, and exits to the south-west (Dairy Flat, New South Wales).^[3]

History

On 6 July 1828, the botanist and explorer Allan Cunningham originally named this mountain Mount Hooker after botanist William Hooker and called another mountain (now Mount Barney) by the name Mount Lindesay after Colonel Patrick Lindesay, the Commandant of Troops in New South Wales 1827–1836. Sometime in the late 1830s or early 1840s, either the New South Wales Surveyor-General Thomas Mitchell, or Moreton District surveyor Robert Dixon, are believed to have changed the names to be Mount Lindesay and Mount Barney (after Lieutenant-Colonel George Barney) respectively.^[4]

The first known European ascent of Mount Lindesay was most likely by Collector of Customs, William Thornton, and the Kinchela brothers, John and James, sometime between 1846 and 1848.^[6] All were stationed in Queensland at the time and knew each other well with the Kinchela brothers based at Telemon station on the Upper Logan within sight of the mountain.^[7]

The first recorded (and second) ascent of Mount Lindesay was made in May 1872, by Thomas de Montmorency Murray-Prior (1848-1902) and Phillip Walter Pears (1846-1924). At the time of the 1872 ascent, an Aboriginal elder at nearby Unumgar station claimed to Pears that his father had once climbed the peak.^[8]

The second recorded (and third) ascent of Mount Lindesay was made in July 1890, by the Norwegian naturalist and explorer Carsten Egeberg Borchgrevink (1864-1934), then working in the district as a surveyor's labourer, and Edwin Villiers-Brown, of Beaudesert. There were a further eight recorded ascents by the late 1920s, when pioneering climbers such as Bert Salmon (1899-1982) started visiting the peak regularly. The first women to climb Mount Lindesay were Brisbane climbers Jean Easton and Nora Dimes, who made the ascent with Bert Salmon in March 1931.^[7]

On 26 December 1928, Mount Lindesay was the site of the first known recreational climbing fatality in Australia, when Edwin Lyle Vidler fell to his death whilst attempting a solo ascent of Vidler's Chimney. He is buried in a grave in the rainforest, not far from where he fell.^[9]^[10] The crevice he attempted to climb up is now known as Vidler's Chimney and the first successful ascent was not until 1953.^[11] In 1992, descendants of the Vidler family of Jamberoo erected a memorial outside the Rathdowney Information Centre and Historical Museum in Rathdowney.^[12]

Mount Lindesay National Park was gazetted in 1947. In 1980, it was incorporated into an enlarged Mount Barney National Park.^[13]

In August 1978 The Northern Star newspaper reported 3 local men (Stephen Marsh, Peter Taylor and Lewis Reid) climbed the mountain and signed a book in a metal container on the peak containing the names of members of another local expedition a few years earlier (John Martin, Barry Martin, Philip Martin, Raymond Martin, Neil Mahoney, George Ellen, John Gorman and John Bushell).^[14]

On 29 November 2008, the mountain was part of a successful native title claim made by the Trevor Close on behalf of the Githabul people,^[15]^[16] for whom the peak holds a special significance.^[15]

On 19 June 2011, Ross Miller, one of a party of six, fell to his death while climbing in a designated area.^[17]

In November 2019, a bushfire from the south burned across the mountain above the cliffs for the first time in living memory, reaching the summit from the western side. Most of the forest on top was burned, apart from several narrow bands on the lower veranda and a small area of rainforest, east of the summit. The fire significantly impacted the "tourist route", particularly on the lower cliff, with much of the vegetation destroyed, leaving unstable and potentially dangerous sections. Since then, there has been some significant regeneration of shrubs and trees on both the upper and lower sections of the mountain, lessening the danger of falling rock. In October 2023, the route to the summit remained exposed and challenging and it is not recommended for inexperienced climbers.^{[citation needed]}

During the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to 15 January 2022, there was a police checkpoint on the Mount Lindesday Highway where it crosses into New South Wales (28°20′13″S 152°42′01″E / 28.33700°S 152.70030°E / -28.33700; 152.70030 (COVID border checkpoint)) to restrict the movement of people and hence the transmission of COVID-19.^[18]^[19]

Demographics

In the 2016 census, Mount Lindesay had a population of 3 people.^[20]

In the 2021 census, Mount Lindesay had a population of 14 people.^[1]

Education

There are no schools in Mount Lindesay. The nearest government primary school is Rathdowney State School in Rathdowney to the north-east. The nearest government secondary school is Beaudesert State High School in Beaudesert, further to the north-east.^[3]

Attractions

The Mount Lindesay area circa 1955–1956.

Despite appearances, Mount Lindesay offers few opportunities for rock-climbers, due to the unsound nature of the rock (decaying rhyolite). There is one steep and exposed scrambling route to the summit, rated at approximately grade 6–7, which starts at the south east corner of the upper cliffs. However, this is not a bushwalking route as such, and anyone making an ascent should have basic rock-climbing and abseiling skills, or be under the guidance of experienced rock-climbers.^[21]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Mount Lindesay (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
^ "Mount Lindesay – locality in Scenic Rim Region (entry 45174)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Mount Lindesay – mountain in the Scenic Rim Region (entry 19447)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
^ R.W. Johnson, J. Knutson, S.R. Taylor, 1989,Intraplate Volcanism in Eastern Australia and New Zealand
^ Mary Murray-Prior, 'An ascent of Mt. Lindesay', Queenslander, 1 November 1902, p.974
^ ^a ^b Thomson, Robert (2001), "The first ascent of Mt Lindesay: a climbing 'whodunit'", Queensland Review, 8 (1) (published May 2001): 1–20, doi:10.1017/S1321816600002336, ISSN 1321-8166
^ P.W. Pears, 'Mt. Lindesay', Brisbane Courier, 22 November 1923, p.6
^ "A TRAGIC STORY". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 4 January 1929. p. 15. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
^ "OBITUARY". The Queenslander. Queensland, Australia. 3 January 1929. p. 59. Retrieved 17 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^ Meadows, Michael H (2015), The living rock : the invention of climbing in eastern Australia, Living Rock Press, p. 124, ISBN 978-0-9925440-2-7
^ "Edwin Lyle VIDLER aged 22 years, accidentally killed on the cliffs of Mt. Lindesay of 26th December 1928. Erected by descendants of the Vidler pioneering family of Jamberoo in 1992". Retrieved 17 January 2022.
^ "Nature, culture and history: Mount Barney National Park". Parks and forests. Queensland Government. 19 October 2009. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^ "Mountain Conquered by Woodenbong Men". The Northern Star. 2 August 1978.
^ ^a ^b "Githabul People's native title determination" (PDF). Native Title Tribunal. 29 November 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
^ "More native title claims planned for southern Qld". ABC News Online. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 12 September 2007. Archived from the original on 26 January 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
^ "Tragedy on Mt Lindesay". Beaudesert Times. 23 June 2011. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
^ O'Brien, Rose (7 August 2020). "The Queensland Border 2020". Queensland Stories. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
^ "Queensland's COVID-19 border restrictions are set to be dumped. How will it work?". ABC News. 13 January 2022. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Mount Lindesay (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
^ R.Rankin, 1992, Secrets of the Scenic Rim