[1] The Great Northern tin lode was discovered in 1879 and four prospectors, William Jack, William Ronald Joss, John Newell and Thomas Brandon, who had been working in the Tinaroo and Wild River area for some time applied on 12 April 1880 at Thornborough for a sixty-acre Mineral Freehold.

They located two to three hundred weights of rich tin and, local legend has it, they smelted it crudely on site in a tree stump using their felt hats as bellows.

Jack and Newell communicated their find to John Moffat in Stanthorpe who agreed to invest in a battery and smelter in the newly named Herberton area.

John Moffat, Anthony Linedale and George Seaman from Stanthorpe and Tent Hill arrived in Herberton in mid October 1880.

Moffat's milling experience enabled him to secure leases and determine the location of tin batteries.

After Samuel Denny's experiments at tin smelting on behalf of other miners failed, Moffat enlisted his support for the Great Northern venture.

Moffat formed the Herberton Tin Company to manage the Great Northern battery and all his mining interests including the Great Northern mine, on behalf of his Glen Smelting Company in Tent Hill, New South Wales.

Moffat's manager, William Bonar, who had previously worked on the Palmer Goldfield, was able to accurately assess the direction of the lode and patterns and distributions to determine where it might next appear as benches and steps in the shaft, a contrasting policy to the reckless devastation of many lodes on Herberton hill.

[1] Moffat sought to sell the Great Northern mine and battery several times during the late 1880s and early 1890s.

[1] In 1928 encouraging results were obtained from the hitherto barren side of a porphry dyke at the 122-metre (400 ft) level.

£7,658 worth of tin averaging 11.1% was won from 767 long tons (779 t) of ore. Freehold title was regained over the mine.

In the spa lode behind the boiler shed a winze and shaft were sunk for 10 long tons (10 t) of good ore in 1938.

The new owner, F. L. Stamp, commenced work on the mine in June and put down six prospecting holes to obtain new lodes.

[1] The place contains a comprehensive range of functions that exemplify historical tin mining in the Herberton district including - alluvial workings, shaft sinking, winding and pumping, maintenance and accommodation.

[1] The surviving plant includes:[1] Great Northern Mine was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria.

The Great Northern mine at Herberton is historically significant as the pioneer lode tin producer in Australia (compared with alluvial production).

Hence, the Great Northern had a key role in stimulating the development of the mining industry and the economy of the Atherton Tableland.

The rare plant includes a Harkness compressor (possibly the only Harkness product surviving in Australia), a Horwood compressor (the only known intact item) and a very early and rare 1878 Marshall portable steam engine in good condition.

[1] The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history.