BELL’S REEF QUARTZ COMPANY MINING SITE
CORNER OF SAILORS CREEK ROAD AND RYAN'S TRACK, WOMBAT STATE FOREST
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Statement of Significance
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BELL’S REEF QUARTZ COMPANY MINING SITE - History
Bells Reef, located at the head of Old Tom’s Gully, was discovered and first worked in 1880. Pioneering mining on the reef was carried out by the Bell Brothers. In the late 1870s they had been operating the Telegraph Saw Mill in the area, extracting timber from the upper reaches of Old Tom Gully. The Bell’s Reef Quartz Company was formed in August 1880. The prospectus for the company appeared in the Argus (6/9/1880, P.8). The company made terms with the Bell Brothers to erect battery. In February 1881 the battery was christened but reported as being not in operation due to a prolonged drought/lack of water. In January 1882, the mining plant/lease was advertised for sale (Argus, 13/1/1882, P.2). In the 1920s, the Ballarat Star, has two brief reports on another company, Bell’s Reef Extended, sinking a shaft (depth 130 feet, Ballarat Star, 13/9/1922, P.8) and erecting machinery. Between 1934 and 1935, Melbourne newspapers (Argus, Age and Herald) have small reports on another company, Bells Reef NL, working two shafts and crushing ore at a State Battery. The Age (15/5/1935, P.15) reported that the main shaft was down 126 feet.BELL’S REEF QUARTZ COMPANY MINING SITE - Interpretation of Site
Given the limited recorded mining history for Bell’s Reef, it is most likely that the mining remains belong to the Bell’s Reef Quartz Company that was formed in August 1880. However, the nature of the extant remains do not match well with the details on the auction notice. This may mean that the mine was never fully developed. As no tailings were found on the site, it would appear that the battery never crushed ore. Another possible explanation for the recorded mining features is that they related to the 1920s mining venture. The nature of the extant foundations are more suggestive of this time period. Most likely the remains of the 1930s mine are those recorded to the north that are listed on the Victorian Heritage Inventory as H7723-0680, Bells Reef Mine Site.
Heritage Inventory Description
BELL’S REEF QUARTZ COMPANY MINING SITE - Heritage Inventory Description
Quartz mine Open (subsided) shaft - approx. 40m deep with dumped rubbish at base. Shaft has been filled once with mullock from its associated heap. (Photo 1) Mullock heap - eastern side of the heap is intact, western side has been removed, excavated to fill the shaft. Pond – rectangular in shape Machinery foundations associated with the winding engine (bed log impressions and engine mounting blocks). Next to the edge of Ryan’s Track is a 7x8m spread of red bricks, possible demolished boiler setting Foundations most likely belonging to a battery (engine bed and remnants of a boiler setting, random stones set in hard mortar with plastered surfaces); brick wall (bricks set in hard mortar) assoc. with 8x10m U-shaped sunken feature, 90cm deep with plastered floor. Quartz mining Patch of prospecting shafts which would have been mined by windlass. All have been filled once with sections of their associated mullock heaps. At least three have subsided to a depth where assisted recovery would be necessary. Bushy Gully, shallow alluvial diggings The gully is overgrown, obscuring a band of shallow alluvial holes, 2 to 4m deep.
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