UNION COMPANY
MARYBOROUGH-BALLARAT ROAD DUNACH, CENTRAL GOLDFIELDS SHIRE
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Statement of Significance
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UNION COMPANY - History
Contextual History:History of Place:
Heritage Inventory History of Site:
Second period of alluvial mining at Mount Greenock
March 1865: Ground for about 100 miners occupied about 1½ miles south of Mount Greenock, near the Antrim Arms, or junction of Clunes and Ballarat Roads. A tunnelling company, in driving westwards into the plains, obtained some good prospects. It is probable this may be Mount Greenock lead, or a tributary of it.
September 1865: Considerable falling off has taken place in the Mount Greenock Plain leasing companies.
September 1866: The alluvial mining about Mount Greenock continues in a depressed state, owing to the want of sufficient capital to work the main lead which is so heavily charged with water. The Hoffnung Co., at Mt. Greenock South, has had a 12hp engine, with 6 inch pipes and a 70 ft lift, employed for some months past exclusively in pumping, but have had to suspend operations to place in 10 inch pipes, which is thought will clear the lead so as to enable the miners to proceed.
September 1866: Alluvial mining about Mount Greenock continues in a depressed state, owing to want of capital.
March 1867: Mount Greenock Lead will probably remain unworked indefinitely until outside capital is brought in.
September 1867: Hoffnung Co. - broken down a third time.
March 1868: Alluvial mining still in depressed state for want of capital. An effort being made by the Union Co. to raise sufficient funds to develop the Mount Greenock deep lead, nee about £4000.
September 1868: The Union Co., Mount Greenock South, now erecting plant...will assist the Hoffnung with water. Private ground on the south side of Hoffnung has been let to a mining company = Nicholls Freehold Co.
March 1869: Nicholls Freehold - erection of two engines of collective power of 48hp. Union Co. bottomed on gold at 150 feet.
September 1869: The large mining companies on the plains are each progressing favourably.
1868: Rip Van Winkle Co. - first attempt to find Mt Greenock Lead. Party sank shaft to 230 feet, then mining depression set in and shaft abandoned.
June 1870: Hoffnung Co. in prosperous state, Union Co. to the north and Nichol's Freehold to the south, Rose Co. let on tribute. Potosi Co. not yet struck the gutter. so far spent £9,000. The Gladstone Co. have completed and started two engines.
December 1870: Alluvial mining in the deep ground has disappointed our expectations. It was thought that Mount Greenock Lead, when found, would give good results; but after the expenditure of more than £20,000 in the Potosi and Gladstone claims, the aforesaid lead has been found to be worthless in the parts worked, so that we have nothing but the subsidiary leads to depend upon in alluvial mining. Nichol's Freehold, Union and Hoffnung claims produced respectively 1,296 ozs, 676 ozs and 331 ozs.
September 1871: Nichol's Freehold - 659 ozs.; Union Co. - 358 ozs.
March 1872: Union and Hoffnung companies continue to work profitably. The alluvial ground on the south side of the Mount spreads over too large a space to be worked with profit Nichol's Freehold has ceased working for this cause, and their fine plant which cost about £5,000 is being sold and removed.
June 1872: Hoffnung Co. - 381 ozs., Union Co. - 302 ozs.
September 1874: A new company has been formed to work Nichol's Freehold, about 1½ miles south of the Mount.
March 1875: Hoffnung Co. employs 21 men, produced 660 ozs.
June 1875: Nichol's Freehold erecting steam machinery.
December 1876: Nichol's Freehold completed their plant.
September 1876: Hoffnung Co. still keeps up an excellent yield per ton of wash dirt.
September 1877: Hoffman Gold Mining Co., Mount Greenock, produced 404 ozs, employed 20 men.
September 1879: Union Gold Mining Co., Mount Greenock, produced 753 ozs. of gold during the quarter. Mount Greenock Extended Co. is progressing fast.
1880: Rip Van Winkle Co. - second attempt to find Mt Greenock Lead. Powerful machinery installed, costing £6,000. Ground purchased for £9,000 from Mr Samuels of Talbot. Ground proved unpayable. Abandoned and plant removed
December 1884: Union Co., Mt Greenock, has at last ceased work, after being in existence for about 20 years. A new lease has been taken up on Mt Greenock to work the ground to the east of old Union Extended claim in direction of the Princess Alexandra Tunnel.
June 1885: South Greenock Co, may return something payable soon. Adams' Freehold Co. has taken up 800 acres of land under Mining on Private Property Act, 1884. Expected to bottom in a few days.
September 1885: South Greenock Co. have stopped work but a leases has lately been taken up close to the NE, by Richard Hull, under the Mining on Private Property Act. Already payable gold, which is supposed to be the real Mt Greenock Lead. Adams' Freehold Co. - 16 men employed main driving.
June 1886: Adams' Freehold Co. have sunk shaft no. 2 to 103 ft.Heritage Inventory Description
UNION COMPANY - Heritage Inventory Description
Deep lead mining commenced to the south of Mt Greenock in 1865 when a tunnelling company, driving westwards into the basaltic plain, were successful in picking up the Mt Greenock Lead, or a tributary of it. A number of prospecting companies immediately commenced sinking shafts on the plains at Mt Greenock South. The Hoffnung Company was one of the largest concerns but found itself unable to attract sufficient capital to install adequate pumping machinery. Deep lead mining languished for several years until 1869 when two other companies - Union and Nicholls Freehold - joined the fray and also erected steam-powered pumping machinery. Collectively, these three companies had sufficient power to dewater the lead. In March 1869, the Union Company bottomed on gold at 150 feet. The three companies were to all mine with varying success until the early 1880s, but only the Hoffnung, with a total production of 1,120kg of gold, rose to any prominence. Other companies who tried the south plains, including the Potosi and Gladstone, were not successful at all: eg., the Potosi Company spent ú9,000 without finding profitable gold. Site 8.1: Union Co./nMullock heap - Remnant of mullock heap and pebble dump. Part of the mine site has been turned into a cap park for Major Mitchell Trail.
Heritage Inventory Significance: Regional - site to be protected The sites as a precinct have: Historical significanceùevidence of the mining which took place along one of Amherst Mining Division's richest deep leads. Social valueùthe mullock heaps associated with the mine sites are prominent landscape features. EXISTING HERITAGE LISTING: Schedule One: Buildings recommended for inclusion or retention in the Shire of Talbot and Clunes Interim Development Order; This is one of the many sites named and used for the survey work by Major Mitchell but due to surrounding development has become the most prominent of the local sites. Its bare volcanic cone forms a graceful feature in the landscape and contrast strongly with the surrounding forest. The surrounding area, including mines, roads, bridges and several early buildings combine to form an historical landscape of considerable significance. INTERPRETATION: Mount Greenock was climbed and named by Major Thomas Mitchell on 26 September 1836. He chose the name from a burgh on the Forth of Clyde. The vantage point resulted in much useful survey work by Mitchell and led him to refer to the bare surrounding volcanic cones as the 'Mammeloid Hills.' The Mount formed part of Alexander MacCallum's Dunach Forest pastoral run from 1841 and this was sometime referred to as the 'Mount Greenock' run. Mining along the Mount Grenock Creek (or McCallum's Creek as it was later known) commenced in the mid 1850s and the area saw a mining boom in the 1870s and 80s when the deep alluvial lead running under the mount was exploited. Several mines had their workings on the slopes of Mount Greenock. The town of Dunach was largely a product of this mining boom and was also sustained by extensive farming in the vicinity. EXTANT REMAINS: Mount Greenock is still largely as Mitchell found it (judging from his sketch from the summit). Some mine workings are located on the lower slopes, several roads now skirt the base and a commemorative cairn has been erected on the summit. SOURCES:Talbot and Clunes Conservation Study, Richard Aitken 1988
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UNION COMPANYVictorian Heritage Inventory
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HOFFNUNG COMPANYVictorian Heritage Inventory
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