General News
11 August, 2026
Carbine roadhouse blues
A RESIDENT at Mt Carbine’s Brooklyn Village is dismayed over the lack of communication about the recent closure of the local roadhouse, and the increasing dust drift from the nearby EQ Resources’ tungsten mine operation.
“I rely on the Mt Carbine Roadhouse for fuel, necessities and the occasional pie,” resident Chelsey Reis said.
“But it was just closed. Not a word. Then a few weeks ago, a sign appeared on the gate of the roadhouse saying it had been sold.”
Ms Reis said she had tried calling the mine twice over a couple of weeks about who had bought the enterprise, but she had not received a response.
EQ Resources confirmed to The Express that it had purchased the Mt Carbine Roadhouse and planned upgrades to provide accommodation facilities for employees, and food and beverage offerings to the local community as a commercial business.
“We are currently working with Mareeba Shire Council to complete the necessary regulatory and compliance requirements before reopening the commercial kitchen,” Group Investor Relations and Communications Manager Rosalyn MacNeill said.
“While there are still several steps to complete, our aim is to reopen the Roadhouse as soon as those requirements have been met.
“Based on current progress, we have been advising local residents who have enquired that we are targeting a reopening in mid to late August, subject to approvals.”
Ms MacNeill said the Mt Carbine team was also planning a community information session to provide residents with an opportunity to hear directly from site management, ask questions and discuss the future of the roadhouse and the operation more broadly.
Ms Reis had also hoped to discuss the increase in noise and the high levels of dust blowing over her and other residents’ homes following the “massive increase” in mine operations.
“We are constantly cleaning as dust penetrates fly screens, people are having to wash their cars as they are coated in dust, and we have also noticed that we are suffering allergic reactions similar to hay fever.”
She said the mine was integral to the town and its future and she had assumed more information would have been forthcoming.
Ms Reis said the village had about 20 houses and people were actually coming to the area because of its affordability.
“We are a small town, but we need quality of life, and we need to know our future.”
She said Mt Carbine had no official residents’ advocacy group and the Mareeba Shire Council had not provided any information either.
When asked about the dust concerns, Ms MacNeill told The Express the mine operated within Australia’s rigorous mining, workplace health and safety, and environmental regulatory framework and as it had expanded, the company had extended the site’s existing noise and visual barrier to reduce potential impacts on nearby residents.
She acknowledged a temporary exploration drilling program outside the areas where mining traditionally occurred may have “resulted in noise being heard from locations residents were not previously accustomed to”.
That program was expected to conclude by 15 August.
Ms MacNeill said another resident had reported the noise from overnight dozer work which had led to a change in works to daylight hours “wherever practicable”.
The mine had also stopped work following feedback on dust excesses and introduced a second water truck and a dust collection system on the drilling rig before recommencing a program.
“We recognise that residents may still experience amenity impacts from time to time. Where concerns are raised, we investigate them, assess the circumstances and, where appropriate, implement practical measures to reduce those impacts,” she said.
She said management had not received any formal complaints about the dust as outlined by Ms Reis but acknowledged they were sometimes raised informally with employees or contactors, and did not reach appropriate channels.
“That does not diminish the importance of the concerns that have been raised,” she said.
“We encourage anyone with concerns to contact EQ Resources through our formal community contact channels so the matter can be recorded, investigated and responded to appropriately.”
