A1 GOLD MINE
A1 TRACK GAFFNEYS CREEK, MANSFIELD SHIRE
-
Add to tour
You must log in to do that.
-
Share
-
Shortlist place
You must log in to do that.
- Download report
Statement of Significance
This record has minimal details. Please look to the right-hand-side bar for any further details about this record.
-
-
A1 GOLD MINE - History
Gold was discovered in Raspberry Creek in 1860. A large formation was visible in a rock outcrop above the creek, and a prospecting claim on this outcrop was pegged out in September 1862. In 1864, the outcrop had a open cut with a 60 foot high face. In December of that year the A1 Gold Mining Company was founded.A tramway to the mill was constructed in 1865. While the open cut was essentially finished by 1870, the property changed hands and continued to be developed over the next 110 years. The peak decades of production were the 1940s, 50s and 60s, when over 220, 000 ounces of gold were produced.
A1 GOLD MINE - Interpretation of Site
The open cut represents the earliest phase of workings, from 1862-1870. The mullock derives from a variety of sources - the open cut, No 4 adit, and the hoist shaft. The period represented is 1860s-1915. The site is representative of open cut mining processes, but not ore treatment or the living and working conditions of the miners.
The rock-walled feature that is built into a mullock dump in the gully is of unknown purpose. The structure is substantial, 7 m wide at the top with wing walls 7 m long at each side. . It may have retained the mullock around an ore pass connected to workings below. The long rock wall is a line of large spalls from the open cut.
A1 GOLD MINE - Archaeological Significance
The site contains abundant mining features relating to the working of the open cut and adit.No associated hut or machinary sites have been located. There remains a possibility that sites associated with the earliest workings in the gully may have been buried by the mullock heaps and survive at the original ground surface. It is also possible that sites may be hidden in dense vegetation at the site, away from the dumping areas. Archaeological significance is medium, based on potential.
A1 GOLD MINE - Historical Significance
The A1 Mine was historically the 7th largest gold-processing operation in Victoria. Its greater historical significance was in the mid 1900s when it was one of a handful of flagship companies that carried the hopes of Victorian mining. This era coincided with the period of peak gold production from the mine, but the fabric that once supported this high significance is now gone. The open cut was long finished at this time.
Heritage Inventory Description
A1 GOLD MINE - Heritage Inventory Description
The site is situated in a deep gully on the south side of Raspberry Creek, approximately 5 kilometres south-east of Gaffney's Creek, Victoria.At the south end of the site is a large side-hill open cut, with a high vertical rock face on the south side. An adit entrance is located on an access track north of the open cut. To the north, numerous lines of mullock spill down the gully from the open cut and the adit forming an extensive deposit. The possible line of an old tramway was located on the east side of the gully. A rocked-in funnel-shaped feature of unknown purpose is visible in the centre of the gully, built into the adjacent mullock dump. A long rock wall is a dumping line of large spalls.
-
-
-
-
-
A1 GOLD MINEVictorian Heritage Inventory
-
-