Quick facts - QAL History 

• In the 1950s Comalco and Kaiser joined forces to develop newly found deposits of bauxite in Weipa, North Queensland.

• Rich deposits of bauxite had been discovered in Weipa in 1955, and in the early 1960s  engineers started to investigate suitable sites in Queensland for a large alumina plant.

• An agreement was made between the Queensland Government and CRA/Comalco to ensure that the bauxite mined in Weipa would be processed in Queensland. The government was after vertical integration of industry from mining through to smelting.

• The owners were hesitant to select a remote site, given the lack of infrastructure, so a choice had to be made between Gladstone and Brisbane.

• In 1951 Marty Hansen MLA at the time, was sent to Brisbane to push Port Curtis as the logical choice – with Barney Point in mind. 

• Gladstone (500km north of Brisbane) was chosen because its combined advantages outweighed any other location - availability of land, a deep-water harbour adjacent to the plant site, rail access, a nearby power station, etc.

• Site construction from 1963 to 1966 with a peak construction workforce of 2800 people

• Production began on March 11, 1967

• QAL became one of Australia’s largest alumina refineries and was expanded over the years