Calcifer, Queensland

The town is located 200 kilometres (120 mi) west of Cairns, and southeast of Chillagoe. It is near Calcifer Creek.^[1]

The town's name was derived from a combination of the words calx, cuprum and ferrum, the Latin words for "limestone", "copper", and "iron" respectively. The town was established in 1894, when John Moffat established a copper smelter on the site. At its height in 1898, the town had stores, a branch of the Bank of Australasia, a cricket team, and five hotels.^{[2][3][page needed]}

The township was officially proclaimed on 25 March 1899.^[4]

An accident at the nearby Hobson mine in 1903 killed three men; and by 1907 smelting operations had moved to Chillagoe, and the site was all but deserted. Today, all that remains are the foundations of the smelters and a small cemetery with five graves.^{[2][3][page needed]}