Alluvial and deep lead: the gold was coarse and bright in colour. The Working Miners # 1 was the richest with 7, 000 ounces per week being extracted for some time. The largest nuggets found were 103 and 73 ounces respectively. The Working Miner’s # 1 drove 700 feet underground to strike payable gold. Unfortunately, a burst of sand and water took place, which terminated the career of one of the best mines in Victoria.
Mining Companies:
- Working Miners # 1 estab. 1875 Mr. James Pearce Mgr.
- Golden Lake Co. estab. 1876
- Working Miners # 1 restab. 1877/78 Mr. T Walters Mgr.
- Working Miners # 2 estab. 1879
- Amalgamated Working Miners # 1 & 2 estab. 1880
- Son’s of Freedom Co. estab. 1872 [very small]
- Try Again Co. etab. 1873 [very small]
Other mines in the area:
- Excelsior
- Wilson & Shiell’s ,
- Iron Bark Gully
- North Homebush
- Phoenix
Gold cyanidation: a sodium cyanide solution is used to leach gold from ore. The ore is mixed with cyanide solution in large tanks. Because cyanide leaching is very efficient, it allows profitable mining of much lower ore grades.
These heaps of spoil also called mullock have all but disappeared in recent as modern technology has allowed the trace amounts of gold to be removed. There is a remaining mullock heap opposite the school block on the Avoca – Dunnolly Road just before the School Rd intersection.
Homebush is on the right of the plan
In the collection of the State Library of Victoria