[1] The Glen Smelting Company immediately commenced building smelters at Gibbs Creek which Moffat renamed Irvinebank after his birthplace in Scotland.

Moffat purchased a five head battery lying idle at Thompson's Creek, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) away and re-erected it above the Irvinebank dam.

[1] Declining assays, falling tin prices and rising overdrafts led to the demise of the Irvinebank Mining Company; the Queensland National Bank forced him to retire as a Director in 1912 in favour of J. S. Reid.

World War I dispersed the mining population and the collapse of the European market in 1914 forced the closure of the works.

[1] The place covers an area along the base of a spur running down to the junction of Gibbs and MacDonald creeks in the centre of Irvinebank township.

The area forms a precinct containing a representative range of buildings and structures relating to mineral treatment, railways, residential dwellings and community activities.

Structural and archaeological remains exemplify the layout and arrangement of a "state of the art" late 19th century reduction plant showing changes in technology and in the flow of improvement capital.

The early smelter works and assay office are now mainly surface archaeological structures following their demolition and subsequent erosion.

A pig sty log weir with stone and concrete infill continues to dam Gibbs and MacDonald creeks.

[1] Surviving plant includes:[1] Irvinebank State Treatment Works was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria.

Mining entrepreneur John Moffat, based at Irvinebank, created an empire in the Cairns hinterland which exported metals valued at £4 million over 25 years.

The complex of mill buildings and machinery has potential to provide further information about the development of tin concentrating technology and mining and metallurgical engineering in Queensland.

Remnants of the blast furnace flue, brick chimney base, smelter retaining wall and assay office remain.

[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.

The mill has a special association with John Moffat, who operated it from 1884 until 1912, as owner and general manager of the Irvinebank Mining Company.

He was a regional entrepreneur who controlled and developed North Queensland from 1880 to 1918 by establishing mines, constructing mills, towns, tramways, roads and public buildings.