Mines

This mine was until very recently, the oldest working gold mine in the state, and it has also been said, the oldest working gold mine in the country. Part of the site is still used as a treatment works for gold mined elsewhere in the area. Much of the original mine site is in good condition. It has some unique equipment such as the poppet head lift that is still in working order. (Me touchee buttons, me hear horrible electric noise, me switch off button real quick!).

The mine really consisted of two separate mines, the old shaft mine, and the newer drive in mine. Yes, you used to be able to drive right into the mine in trucks and things, right down about 160 metres (almost 500 ft) to the flooded sections of the mine. The older mine shaft is still intact, although blocked. I was not about to go down it, because the only way down was by ladder, and there was a 400 metre drop down to the lower levels of the mine. So I explored the above ground sections of the mine which are very interesting in themselves. Besides the poppet head, there is an old rock crushing battery, winding shed, settling tanks, ventilation shaft heads, old mine entrances and more.

The poppet head, note cables to the right of it leading to the winding house.

The winding house and a chemical storage tank

Poppet head, winding house and treatment tank

Zoom in on cables from poppet head to the winding house

Old steam boiler for the winding house

Small ventilation fan unit. It is about 2 metres high and the same wide.

Looking down the vent hole

Entry to a short side mine

Hopper used for unloading trucks

Rusty and corroded hopper side as shown above

The Battery

The Battery building contained a rock battery, no, not an electrical unit, a thing that crushed rocks so the gold could be removed from them. It is probably the only such battery still existing in such good condition in the country, apart from those in tourist traps.

The side of the Battery building

Nice old wooden construction of the old battery building

This old belt driven system was once powered by steam, but now is powered by a small infernal combustion engine

It has some really old but quite nice wood construction in this shed

Massive old wooden gears and newer safety mesh.

Side view of the trays of the stamping press.
These would shake from side to side rapidly. Lighter particles of dirt would was out, while the heavier gold would collect in the groove in the middle of the tray.

The main stamping press. Still in excellent condition. Note the pipes to deliver water at the top.

The acid wash. This used acid to remove impurities from the gold.

Settling tanks

I'm not real sure what these were used for, or if indeed there were really settling tanks. But judging from the debris in the bottom they were. They could have been used to store mine tailing sludge, allowing gold to settle to the bottom. Or they could just be big water tanks no one bothered to clean out.

Side of the battery building and the settling tank in the distance

The delightful settling tanks, with their attached dodgy catwalks

This image gives you an idea of the steepness of the hillside mining site. The photo was taken from the same level as the Battery Shed, and looks down to the roof of the lockers building, at the poppet head base level. I was about the same height as the Poppet head here.

The catwalk over the top of the settling tank.

Detail of the catwalk

View from the top of the settling tank. The old mine entrance was in that pit on the left. It was bulldozed over :(

The bottom of the tank is filled with grass and small shrubs. The soil is dusty and you keep on sinking right on into it!

View back down the catwalks

You can't quite see it, but the bottom of this ladder has been washed away. There's about a 2 foot gap there. It shook like mad because it wasn't anchored.

Settling tank ladder

This green paint seems to prevent rust well.

The support buildings

There are a few lockers rooms and other sheds near the base of these buildings

Poppet head viewed from the base of the settling tank with the locker building in the foreground.

Locker room

Shaft Crew Locker

A tea room, still with tea, coffee, sugar and more sealed in their containers

Spare parts and tools

A mine stretcher and old first aid kit

I wonder what these buttons do?

Some nice paint left behind. I contemplated taking it but decided not to.

More control panels

Storage area with nice happy chemicals

The Poppet Head

This poppet head was placed above the main mine shaft. It had two lifts which lifted crew,ore and equipment into and out of the mine. I would have loved to have climbed it, but when I got to the first level I noticed the floor boards were mostly old and rotted. In addition, it would have put me in plain view of a nearby housing estate.

Base of the poppet head.

Poppet head base with underground loco on right

Detail of small electric loco

Lift cage area at base of poppet head. The lifts were stored down below on mine level 1 The shafts are welded shut.

Looking down the sealed shaft one can just see a pump which was pumping water out of the mine when I visited

Looking up the poppet head lift shafts. Note the wooden floors above.

More of the poppet head

Other side of poppet head showing the other side of the lift cage doors.

Winding house.

Located by the poppet head, the winding house contained the gear and equipment used to wind the mine shaft lift cages up and down the shaft. This equipment was originally powered by steam, but now is (still) powered by electricity. It was possible to switch on the power to this equipment and move the lift cages but it was very noisy (needs oil) so I switched it off straight away.

The winding gear. In the center of the image is the huge main pulley. To the right is the gear casing from the electric motor. To the top left is one of the huge gauges used to indicate the height of the lift cage.

Overview of equipment, main motor and control cabin at left

A better view of the main motor, step voltage equipment and control cabin.

Winding house controls and level indicator gauge. Note the red panic button on right.

Another, better lit view of the winding drums and two level indicator gauges. The lift cages are just below level 1

View up the poppet head showing the cables.

Power control panel

Hmm, okay I won't then, well not again

Where the old steam boiler and pistons used to be, hundreds of ore samples are now stored

This is probably worth something, but it just seemed to contain a small amount of grey dirt.

Old wagon bogie, with a cracked wheel.

This pit was once the entrance to the drive through mine. Some bastard bulldozed over it :(