Travel Channel

Captains Flat

Bygone Mining Town

Captains Flat Road
Off King's Highway
Captains Flat, ACT 2623

Nearest Train: Fifty minutes drive from central Canberra.

Phone: +61 2 6299 7307

Fax: +61 2 6299 1520

Located in a pretty valley, Captain's Flat has a rich mining history with gold being discovered in the 1880s. Until 1883 it was an alluvial field and visitors can pan for gold in the Molonglo River today. By the 1890s, Captains Flat was a major producer of copper ore. Except for a small boom in the 1930s, when new technology allowed mining for zinc and lead, the 20th century was quiet and in 1962 the last mine closed. Today you can discover the town's history at the museum and lunch at the hotel which boasts of a 32-metre bar.