Slowly but significantly the boom in mineral exploration in the Cairns region is turning into production.

In the latest addition to the growing number of mineral producers, small Tasmanian company Icon Resources has resurrected the old Mt Carbine tungsten mine.

Through a royalties deal with the mine's owner, Icon has secured a 14-year lease and is expected to move quickly into production of tungsten through re-processing the tailings from what was the country's biggest tungsten producer until the world price collapsed in the 1980s.

Tungsten (wolframite) is all the talk among explorers and miners at the moment with Vital Metals also exploring around Mt Carbine and Queensland Ores nearing a start-up to full production at its Wolfram Camp mine west of Dimbulah.

Virtually every week the explorers are announcing upgrades to their prospects right throughout the region with tungsten, tin and base metals high on the agenda.

As technology has improved and the world minerals market booms - yes it has fallen lately but those falls were from unrealistically high prices - the chances of many old mines reopening grows.

Thirty jobs here, 50 jobs there, 100 construction jobs elsewhere - they all add to a significant number of new positions for miners around the region.

And at a time when there is a downturn in the tourism industry, every new job is valuable.

 

 

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