BELL'S, UNITY AND CARLISLE MINE SITES
414B~K/PP3473A NORTH OF VICTORIA STREET, WEST OF BENNETT STREET & EAST OF BELL STREET IRONBARK, GREATER BENDIGO CITY
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Statement of Significance
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BELL'S, UNITY AND CARLISLE MINE SITES - History
SiteCard data copied on 10/09/2024:Land parcel 414BK takes in one of the richest sections of the Garden Gully Line of reef. It contains three mines – Bell’s (Bells and Watson), Unity and Carlisle. Quartz mining on this part of the reef was pioneered by Bell & Watson in the late 1850s. Other claims were taken out to the south and north of their claim. By 1866 Bell and Watson’s main shaft was down 112 feet and ore rich in gold was being recovered. By the early 1870s, the richness of their claim was legendary. In 1871, various mining companies formed to work the line of reef. These companies were formed through the amalgamation of adjoining claims. The Unity Mining Company was formed through the amalgamation of five claims, including Bells and Watson’s. By September 1871, this company were erecting a 25h.p. engine to haul ore to the surface and to pump, if necessary to 1,000 feet. By November 1871, the Unity’s main shaft as down 140 feet. Three claims next (north) of the Unity also amalgamated – Carlisle, North Garden Gully and Passby. The main shaft of this company was the North Garden Gully which had 18 to 20 inch winding and pumping cylinder engine. Both the Unity and Carlisle/North Garden Gully/Passby mines were linked and worked cooperatively, e.g., they shared a crushing battery which was located between the Unity and Carlise mines . When Joseph Bell died in 1889, he had large shareholdings in both mines. At an extraordinary meeting (21 January 1883) of the Carlisle, North Garden Gully and Passbye United Company the directors were given power to ‘erect a crushing plant, in conjunction with the Unity Company’. The Bendigo Advertiser (16/10/1883, p.3) provides a description of the starting of this battery. It consisted of 30 revolving stampers of five heads in each box. The battery was driven by an engine having a cylinder of 22 inches in diameter. There were two 61/2ft diameter boilers that were 28ft long. The two boilers were supplied by water by a Wilson’s (of London) steam donkey pump. The whole of the machinery was enclosed and covered with a galvanised corrugated iron building, and the floor laid with sawn bluestone flagging. The chimney stack was 125 ft high. In 1899, the Unity Company erected a new winding plant/high pressure-boiler and additions were made to the battery, with an addition of two extra battery boxes. By this time, the shaft was down over 2,258ft. The issue of tailings (battery sands) draining into creeks was reported in local newspapers. An article in the Bendigo Advertiser (18/11/1905, p.11) shows that the Carlisle and Unity mines were doing their best to keep the slimes (tailings) confined to their property. For many years they had been able to send thousands of tons of slimes down the shaft to fill stopes. However, by 1902 stopes were being filled with mullock so the slimes had to be stacked above ground. There were three sludge draining channels leading from the Unity mine to a nearby creek (a sloping grade of at least 1:10) There was also a large settling trough at the Garden Gully United mine which sometimes also discharged sludge into the creek. In 1907 (9/10/1907, p.7) the Unity’s engine house was destroyed by a great fire and the machinery plant (winding engines, air compressor and pumps) were damaged. Besides the engine house the storeroom and portion of the blacksmith shop were destroyed. By the 1920s, the Carlisle/Unity mine was mainly involved with prospecting for new gold reserves. The addressing the risk from mine shafts and sand dumps in Bendigo commenced during the 1930s. In 1960-61 the Reclamation Committee directed its dump removal program to reclaiming the Unity Dump.BELL'S, UNITY AND CARLISLE MINE SITES - Interpretation of Site
Historical mapping shows that there were three mines located on the land parcel. These were Bell & Watson, Unity and Carlisle. No surface evidence survives. Two of the mine sites - Bell's and Unity - are covered by a thick deposits of tailings (also called battery sands, slimes or sludge) and copses of pepper trees. The mine sites are located on public land and any buried archaeological features or artefacts are protected from disturbance by a covering of tailings.
Heritage Inventory Description
BELL'S, UNITY AND CARLISLE MINE SITES - Heritage Inventory Description
There is no surface evidence of mining relics on the land parcel. Apart from a section of land at the northern end (the site of the Carlisle shaft) which is bedrock, the rest of the land (the sites of Bell’s and Unity mines) is covered by deposits of tailings over 20cm deep. There are corpses of pepper trees with the ground surface below the trees obscured by thick weed growth. Some fruit trees/garden plants are located on the Bell Street side near the site of the Unity shaft. (Photos 1 to 5 and Map 1) The site of the battery lies in a copse of pepper trees. Its footprint was traced through a scatter of brick fragments.(See Map 2 & Photos 6 and 7) Based on what was found through the excavation of the Catherine Reef United Battery, it is likely that if surface deposits of tailings were removed there would be insitu archaeological evidence of the battery in the form of (1) timber, stone and brick foundations, and (2) corroded iron fragments. It is also likely that there may be buried machinery foundations associated with the Unity Mine site and Bell’s.
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