Old Tivoli Pit

In 1862, John Robinson purchase 16.2 hectares (40 acres) of land at Chuwar, north of Ipswich (about three miles out) for £1 an acre.  The purpose - to open a coal mine! 

John and his new business partner Harry Hooper, immediately set about clearing the land as well as obtaining all the equipment needed. In 1863, John travelled to Sydney to apply for mining rights on the land. By 1866 John and Harry had opened their coal seam, and were producing coal, and by 1867, their mine was in full production, the coal was wound to the surface by means of a horse walking in a circle, turning a large pole, to which a cable was attached (a horse whim). John and Harry employed seventy men and called their mine the "Tivoli Pit", thus the suburb of Tivoli was born.

As John and Harry's mine was the first mine in the Tivoli area, their mine was later referred lovingly to as the "Old Tivoli Pit" as others began to recognise the value of mining and more mines started to open.  By 1870, the "OLd Tivoli Pit" was producing over 7,000 tonnes of coal a year, making the mine, QUeensland's largest producer, which was by this time bought to the surface by means of a steam engine.

Shortly after the beginnings of the Queensland Railways, which did indeed run from Ipswich to Grandchester, the QUeensland Government decided to change the locomotives fuel, from billet wood to coal followed by coke and in 1869 the Railways Authorities approached John & Harry to make the coke that was needed.  A contract was signed and the "Old Tivoli Pit" started production.  John & Harry built a battery of coke ovens, twenty three in total, and remnants of these ovens were still standing in a ruined state in 1985. 

They supplied the Mount Crosby Pumping Station, Ipswich Pumping Station and were the first to supply coke to the Queensland Railways in early 1970.

The Old Tivoli Pits occupied Portions 67, 68 & 69 on The Tivoli Fault Line, with the Eclipse Mine and the Perseverance Mine backing onto the Pit.  Today the old entrance to the mine can still be easily identified on Francis Street, Tivoli.

John & Harry eventually sold the "Old Pit" in 1876 to their younger business partner, Mr James Gulland of North Ipswich.  John went on to become the "Officer-in-Charge" of the Crown Land Office at Helidon and Harry went on to become Ipswich Mayor for a time before also moving his family to Helidon, purchasing farm land next to John's.  James Gulland continued mining the "Old Pit" until its closure in the early 1880's.

It is said that the Pit got its name of Tivoli, and therefore the suburb, from a middle name the Hooper family often used.