Story: Rock, limestone and clay

Phosphate shipment, Ravensbourne

Phosphate shipment, Ravensbourne

New Zealand imports almost all of its phosphate, as local sources are negligible. Fertiliser works such as those at Ravensbourne in Otago process it into superphosphate. When the nearby Milburn phosphate deposits were quarried in the 1920s, it was local rather than imported phosphate that was railed to Ravensbourne – over a distance of some 50 kilometres.

Using this item

Ravensdown Fertilizer
Photograph by Mike Arnold

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Carl Walrond, 'Rock, limestone and clay - Raw materials', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/5204/phosphate-shipment-ravensbourne (accessed 17 April 2024)

Story by Carl Walrond, published 12 Jun 2006