MINERVA MINE SITE
COSTERFIELD RESERVOIR ROAD COSTERFIELD, GREATER BENDIGO CITY
Statement of Significance
The Costerfield Gold and Antimony Mining Precinct consists of three sites (Bombay Mine, Minerva Mine and Costerfield Main shaft. The precinct has a range of concrete, brick and timber foundations and mining earthworks that are remnants of ore extraction and processing operations from the 1890s to the 1940s. The Costerfield sites have a unique history among other Victorian gold mines. Although rich in gold, Costerfield ore became renowned for its antimony content. On three different occasions, 1861-83, 1905-22 and 1935-51 the complex ore was mined with great success. Costerfield was also historically important during the First World War when it was a major supplier of antimony to the British Government, the metal being vital for the manufacture of munitions.
The Costerfield Gold and Antimony Mining Precinct is of historical, archaeological and scientific importance to the State of Victoria.
The Costerfield Gold and Antimony Mining Precinct is historically and scientifically important for the mining of gold and antimony. The Costerfield ore is famous for its complexity and the role it played the development of ore processing technology in Victoria. The precinct is important for containing evidence of some of these technological developments. Some of the mining relics on the site, such as the foundations of the Chilean Mill, are extremely rare in Victoria.
The Costerfield Gold and Antimony Mining Precinct is archaeologically important for its potential to yield artefacts and evidence which will be able to provide significant information about the technological history of gold mining.
[Source: Victorian Heritage Register]
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COSTERFIELD GOLD AND ANTIMONY MINING PRECINCT
Victorian Heritage Register H1298 -
BOMBAY MINE AND CYANIDE WORKS
Victorian Heritage Inventory -
COSTERFIELD MINE SITE
Victorian Heritage Inventory
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