SYDNEY, May 7 (Xinhua) -- The first shipment of bauxite from a new mine in the Australian State of Queensland has left port on Monday bound for China.

The 62,000-ton shipment is part of a four-year export deal. Used in automotive, manufacturing and building industries, bauxite is a mineral used in the production of aluminium.

"From the turning of the first sod, to the first shipment in only nine months, the Bauxite Hills Mine is a prime example of the demand for Queensland's minerals," Queensland Mines Minister Anthony Lynham said.

"We continue to see that with strong, safe, established trade routes to the northern hemisphere, Queensland is ideally located to meet demand from Asia and other eastern markets."

As a result of the four year export deal, over 200 jobs have been created in the local community.