GOLDEN LAKE CO

GOLDEN LAKE ROAD PIGGOREET, GOLDEN PLAINS SHIRE

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Victorian Heritage Inventory

Statement of Significance

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  • History

    GOLDEN LAKE CO - History

    Contextual History:History of Place:
    Heritage Inventory History of Site:
    ZUYDER ZEE GOLD MINING COMPANY and JUNCTION COMPANY/
    GOLDEN LAKE COMPANY
    1862: company registered on lead
    02.1863: two original companies amalgamated
    1863: £1000 was spent on boring to locate the lead and the shaft was sunk near the deepest bore.
    06.1864: have started their machinery and commenced sinking; shaft is expected to be 300 feet deep.
    09.1864: sinking; at a depth of 160 feet and have not been troubled by water.
    1864: engines and boilers brought from Melbourne in sections; two pumps were required one 12 inches in diameter and one 10 inches in diameter.
    12.1864: water heavy; erecting a second lift of pumps, one large lift was not sufficient; sinking will resume in a few days when the pumps are installed.
    ;shaft, 9 feet 3 inches by 3 feet 6 inches, down 166 feet; using a 20.25 inch by 48 inch steam engine for pumping, a 14.25 inch by 36 inch steam engine for winding, 2 boilers: 26 feet by 6 feet 6 inches which are fitted with Salter safety valves, 12 inch pumps with 6 foot stroke; to erect another lift of 12 inch pump to deal with water
    03.1865: having difficulty in keeping shaft dry to allow blasting despite the double column of pumps.
    2 additional pumps fixed with 2 x 12 inch draw lifts working side by side
    06.1865: quantity of water baled from the shaft is enormous, probably the greatest stream from one shaft in the district, consequently sinking is slow.
    09.1865: relative idle because of the large quantities of water and will need the assistance with the baling from their neighbours.
    15.08.1865: three compartment shaft; 2 sets of 12 inch pumps, working side by side, with windbore on one set for sinking; working constantly at 14 x 6 foot 4 inch strokes per minute
    1865: shares worth £25 each; sinking continued during the year but was delayed by the erection of machinery.
    12.1865: had to suspend operations the water having become too great since the Scarsdale Extended ceased baling.
    03.1866: still unable to resume sinking because of the cessation of the Extended; water is too much to bale from one shaft.
    29.05.1866: machinery overhauled, boilers cleaned and pumping resumed at ten 6 foot 4 inch strokes per minute
    06.1866: commenced pumping and with the assistance of the companies on either side, the Golden Horn and the Scarsdale Extended, the company should bottom this time.
    28.08.1866: water light; pumps working between five and six 3 foot 6 inch strokes per minute
    09.1866: sinking through rock.
    12.1866: swamped since the Scarsdale Extended ceased operations.
    09.1867: steadily sinking and expect to be through the rock soon; water light.
    18.11.1867: two cast iron puddling machines with framework, water tank and cage purchased for 550 pounds, nearly new; contract let to take down and remove from No. 2 shaft, Defiance Company, at Sebastopol and re-erect on the ground for 296 pounds 19 shillings; plunger workings supplied for 60 pounds
    1867: got through the rock at 281 feet; mining in the area was set back when the mines from the Trunk to the Galatea were swamped, an agreement was made for all to pump continuously for 16 weeks.
    03.1868: yield for the quarter of 2137 ozs.
    11.05.1868: main shaft down 325 feet; skidding shaft for cage
    06.1868: driven into the gutter; prospects encouraging.
    09.1868: contract let for additional winding gear to allow for double winding; contract let for erecting framework for 2 additional puddling machines ;yield for the quarter 692 ozs 14 dwt
    12.1868: yield for the quarter 437 ozs.
    03.1869: yield for the quarter 792 ozs.
    12.1869: yield for the quarter 1131 ozs
    03.1870: yield for the quarter 1573 ozs.
    06.1870: yield for the quarter 1651 ozs; swamped out; in addition to its own excellent pumping machinery erected, with the Golden Horn Company, powerful pumping machinery at the abandoned shaft of the Alpha Co.
    09.1870: yield for the quarter 1551 ozs 17 dwt.
    12.1870: yield for the quarter 2039 ozs 4 dwt 4 gr
    1870: C. Pender was the mine manager.
    03.1871: yield for the quarter 1983 ozs 4 dwt.
    06.1871: yield for the quarter 2165 ozs 10 dwt.
    09.1871: yield for the quarter 1893 ozs 3 dwt.
    12.1871: yield for the quarter 1503 ozs 4 dwt.
    1871: average per fortnight was 250 ozs; it was also during this year that the township of Golden Lake sprang up on an unselected piece of tree covered land.
    03.1872: yield for the quarter 1659 ozs 18 dwt.
    06.1872: yield for the quarter 1399 ozs
    02.11.1872: quarterly report operations carried out satisfactorily; profits reduced by the amount of work done proving the gutter; yield of gold for the quarter 1350 ozs 6 dwt 9 gr from 66,616 trucks giving a low average of 9 to 8 dwt per load; portion of the machinery from Piggoreet sold to Messrs Thompson for £120; lease of Alpha plant to Trunk Lead Co. expires on 31 December 1872.
    12.1872: yield for the quarter 1713 ozs.
    1872: capital called up was £14,400 with £50,000 returned as dividends; average number of miners was 130; a tramline brought in fuel and timber from the ranges; the company originally built a boarding house for the miners which later became the State School; average weekly yield for the year was 120 ozs.
    03.1873: yield for the quarter 2239 ozs 10 dwt.
    06.1873: yield for the quarter 1474 ozs.49
    09.1873: yield for the quarter 1528 ozs 8 dwt.
    12.1873: yield for the quarter 1257 ozs.50
    1873: average weekly yield was 160 ozs for the year, giving a 5s weekly dividend per share.
    06.1874: yield for the quarter 1191 ozs 18 dwt.
    09.1874: yield for the quarter 1131 ozs 15 dwt.
    12.1874: yield for the quarter 1540 ozs.53
    1874: average fortnightly yield for the year was 200 ozs.
    03.1875: operations are drawing to a close; yield for the quarter 990 ozs.
    07.1868 to 03.1875: recorded production of 35,336 ozs 1 dwt 7 gr (or 1,099.100 kg).
    16.06.1875: shareholders decided to wind up company and sell plant which is estimated to be worth between £1700 and £1800.
    06.187:worked out; has been one of the best and steadiest mines in the district.

    Heritage Inventory Description

    GOLDEN LAKE CO - Heritage Inventory Description

    This site has two enormous quartz wash heaps, possibly the largest deep lead mine site in Victoria. The shaft is a depression. One section of quartz wash, north west of the shaft, is exclusively quartz wash and covers an area of approximately 140m by 60m and is 3m high. The other heap includes the mullock heap, which is 2-3 m higher than the quartz wash. This second heap runs south past the shaft and then runs both east and west. This heap covers an area nearly 200m long and 60m wide and the quartz wash is up to 6m high. The heaps are relatively undisturbed and retain the fingers formations along which the mullock and wash was dumped. There are approximately thirty fingers in the heaps. One section 30m by 30m has been taken out of the larger heap, but this does not detract significantly from the appearance of the heaps./nThere are good views to the Golden Horn mine from atop the heaps at this site./nThis is a very important site which demonstrates the scale of the operations and the huge effort involved in working in the deep leads. It is the largest relatively intact quartz wash heap and mullock in the Smythesdale and Buninyong Mining Divisions

    Heritage Inventory Signficance: -

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