Students dig for glory at University Mine Open Weekend

Students from around Australia will gather at The University of Queensland's Experimental Mine in Indooroopilly on May 5 and 6 for the 36th annual National Student Mining Competition.

Teams will compete in events such as rock drilling, rail setting, surveying and gold panning.

This year the games will be combined with a national student conference for people involved with the minerals industry.

The games also coincide with the Experimental Mine Open Weekend, which is free and open to the public between 10am and 3pm on both days.

The weekend will include hourly tours of the research facilities, including a free underground mine tour. The mine is located off Isles Road, Indooroopilly.

The UQ Department of Mining, Minerals and Materials Engineering has restored a network of mine shafts and tunnels that form a maze under residential Indooroopilly.

The mine was originally worked for its deposits of Silver, Lead and Zinc; but is now used for experimental work by UQ students.

The weekend is run and coordinated by the Southern Queensland Branch Student Chapter of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

Media: For further information, contact Sam Catalano (mobile 0402 433 072), Caroline O'Keefe (mobile 0402 342 651) or Brad Turner at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2659).