RICE'S FREEHOLD CO

DONALD MCLEANS ROAD PIGGOREET, GOLDEN PLAINS SHIRE

All information on this page is maintained by Heritage Victoria. Click below for their website and contact details.

Victorian Heritage Inventory

Statement of Significance

• Additional Place Information

  • History

    RICE'S FREEHOLD CO - History

    Contextual History:History of Place:
    Heritage Inventory History of Site:
    RICE FREEHOLD CO., Derwent Jacks
    19.01.1901: battery in full swing, clean up at the end of the week.
    26.10.1901: the Hoare Brothers have won the contract to dismantle the battery from this mine and re-erect it at the Williams Fancy Mine.
    NEW RICE'S FREEHOLD CO., Derwent Jacks or Piggoreet
    09.03.1907: machinery is to be erected.
    27.04.1907: poppet legs are hoisted and the piers for the engine and gearing are nearly complete.
    25.05.1907: new winding plant will be ready soon and tenders will be called to erect a 10 head battery.
    06.07.1907: contracted with Messrs Lonie, Bodycomb & Co. for the supply of a 10 head battery of the latest pattern and with an engine large enough to drive extra stamps if required; the engine is being supplied by Miller & Co.
    23.11.1907: all the brick work is completed at the battery, and the engine and boxes are in position.
    18.01.1908: expect to have battery completed in 2 to 3 weeks; the second boiler has been built in.
    08.02.1908: purchased a steam winch.
    22.02.1908: wheel on battery broken.
    1899 to 1901: Recorded production of 16 ozs from 97 tons (or 0.498 kg from 98 tonnes).
    01.1908 to 12.1908: Recorded production of 486 ozs 13 dwt from 893 tons (or 15.137 kg from 907 tonnes).11

    Heritage Inventory Description

    RICE'S FREEHOLD CO - Heritage Inventory Description

    A very good example of an early 1900's quartz reef mine where many features are extant and the operation of the mine can be readily be understood. The site has both a main and pumping shaft, with large intact foundations for each, a large intact mullock heap, a setting for two boilers, and part of a foundation for what probablymust have been the battery. The lack of an intact battery foundation is the one feature that is missing from this site. The separation of pumping from the main mining shaft is an interesting aspect to this site. The main shaft is 3.36m by 1.53m, the winder and winding foundations are east of the shaft, the winder has an overall dimension of 7.45m by 3.3m and the winding engine foundation is 5.67m by 1.3m. The settings for the two boilers, located south of the winding foundations for the main shaft, are three narrow mounds 7m long with two gaps 1.3m wide between the mounds. The mullock heap is west of the shaft. It is intact has three fingers one is 50m by 20m by m high with a conical section forming the end of the heap. This conical section istwo metreshigher than the rest of the heap. The second finger is 30m by 8m by m high, and the third is 10m by 5m. The pumping shaft is approximately 25m south of the main shaft, it is 1.6x1.4m and has a brick lined pump bob pit 7m long on the north side. The brick pumping and probably battery engine foundations are north of the pit. The overall dimension of these foundations is approximately 7.2m by 3.35m. Part of this foundation appears to have been built on top of an earlier foundation. A section of a concrete foundation for what may have been a battery are located immediately west of the pumping engine foundations, but it is not possible to positively identify the purpose of this concrete foundation. In addition to these foundations an adit comes from the pumping shaft and empties into a dam 50 m by 10 m. The dam is 15 m south of the level of the pumping shaft. Tailing sand from a battery covers an area 45 m by 10 m which is level with the southern edge of the dam.

• Location map
• Explore related places
  • Show:
    -- select -- Nearby Places

  • ALCHEMIST CO

    

    Victorian Heritage Inventory
  • DEEP LEAD MINES, DERWENT JACK'S GULLY (1)

    

    Victorian Heritage Inventory
  • DEEP LEAD MINES, DERWENT JACK'S GULLY (2)

    

    Victorian Heritage Inventory
• Public contributions