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Australia

Ironbark No. 1 (Ellensfield) Mine

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Australia

Ironbark No. 1 (Ellensfield) Mine

Location: 32 km NE from Moranbah, Queensland, Australia

Address:

Level 20, 324 Queen Street
Brisbane
Queensland, Australia
4000

Contacts:

Additional Resources for Suppliers & Investors

Categories

Summary

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Coal (metallurgical)
  • Coal (thermal)
Mining Method
  • Longwall
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotIronbark No.1 underground operation is the Fitzroy Mining Operation’s latest expansion.

ROM coal from the Ironbark will be hauled by truck to the existing Carborough Downs Coal Mine (CDCM) coal handling and preparation plant (CHPP). Product coal will be loaded onto trains at the CDCM train loading facility for transport to port and exported to overseas markets.

Ironbark is the first carbon abatement project built in the industry since the Safeguard Mechanism reforms. The Ironbark facility is designed to abate fugitive methane emissions while converting waste coal mine gas into electricity, contributing to environmental sustainability and energy security.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Fitzroy QLD Resources Ltd (UK) 100 % Indirect
Fitzroy Resources operates Ironbark mine in central Queensland.

On 26 November, 2025, a newly formed company purchased a majority shareholding in Bowen Basin mining company Fitzroy Resources.

Argo Queensland, formed two months ago, has acquired a 70 per cent stake in the company for an undisclosed sum.

The transaction could take up to four months and was a strong vote of confidence in the long-term potential of the mines.

Contractors

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SourceSource

Deposit type

  • Sedimentary

Summary:

The Ironbark No. 1 Coal Mine is located in the northern Bowen Basin coalfields in Central Queensland.

The geology of the mine site comprises the Permian Rangal Coal Measures and overlying Triassic Rewan Group sediments. These sediments outcrop at the surface or are overlain by Tertiary sediments. Localised deposits of unconsolidated alluvium occur within the creek beds that traverse the mine site.

At a regional scale, the target Rangal Coal Measures sub-crop to the north-west of the Ironbark No. 1 Coal Mine. The Rewan Formation covers the property with the overlying Clematis Group outcropping in the Carborough Range to the east. The underlying Fort Cooper Coal Measures and the upper Yarrabee Tuff marker band occur below the Rangal Coal Measures at mineable depths.

Rangal Coal Seam Geology.
The Leichhardt and Vermont Seams of the Rangal Coal Measures form the principal economic coal resources in the Ironbark No. 1 Coal Mine. A high gamma marker occurs immediately below the floor of the Vermont Upper Seam and it is interpreted to be the Yarrabee Tuff. The Yarrabee Tuff averages 0.5m thick. This tuff marks the interpreted top of the Fort Cooper Coal Measures.

Leichhardt Seam.
The Leichhardt Seam is typically 4.5 - 5.0m thick, thinning towards the southern boundary of the deposit.

The Leichhardt Seam has typically been divided into four plies, Q1 to Q4, however up to seven plies have been logged in some holes. The uppermost ply, Q1, is dull and high ash (30% - 40% ash) and often has calcite veining and is noted to be comparatively strong. This ply is planned to be left as roof due to coal quality and strata control benefits.

The coal below the Q1 is the principal target working section (LHDWS). For modelling and economic evaluation, the Leichhardt Seam is modelled in two sections, Q1 and LHDWS. The LHDWS is defined from cored holes.

In the eastern portion of the Project area, a minor seam occurs 40 - 50m below the Leichhardt Seam named the Leichhardt Lower. The seam has been identified in only three holes in the area.

Vermont Seam
The Vermont Seam in the property has three plies; the Vermont Upper (VU), the Yarrabee Tuff (YT) and the Vermont Lower (VL). The Vermont Seam occurs 55 - 65m below the Leichhardt Seam.

The Vermont Upper ranges from 1.5 - 3.5m and averages 2.4m thick. The VU is typically the better quality of the Vermont Seam plies with an average raw ash of 24%. The Yarrabee Tuff is viewed as the regional stratigraphic marker delineating the base of the Rangal Coal Measures.

The Vermont Lower ranges from 0.8 - 1.7m and averages 1.3m thick. The VL has an average raw ash average of 36%.

Girrah Seam.
Coal seams below the Yarrabee Tuff exhibit a significant content of tuffaceous material, high inherent ash and low yielding washability characteristics. In the Project area, the Girrah Seam lies close to the VL and has a thickness greater than 15m.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Commodity Production

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All production numbers are expressed as clean coal. * According to 2017 study.

Operational metrics

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Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

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Workforce

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