Blackwater (Queensland)

Blackwater is a city in the east of the Australian state of Queensland. At the 2006 census, 5,031 inhabitants were counted.

Six large opencast mines and an underground coal mine have changed the landscape around the city and are also the main employers for their population. South of the city of Blackdown Tableland National Park is located on the crest of the Great Dividing Range.

The nearest large towns are Rockhampton 198 km east to the coast and 79 km west of Emerald. All three cities are located on the Capricorn Highway.

Naming

Blackwater was probably after the Blackwater Creek, a tributary of the Mackenzie River, named. This stream led black water, which was caused by the tree roots growing in the creek. The coal deposits were discovered in 1845 by Ludwig Leichhardt.