MAIN LEAD CO

GLENELG HIGHWAY SCARSDALE, 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

    MAIN LEAD CO - History

    Contextual History:History of Place:
    Heritage Inventory History of Site:
    SMYTHES AND BROWNES JUNCTION GOLD MINING COMPANY
    SMYTHESDALE AND BROWNE'S JUNCTION COMPANY (August 1860 report)
    BROWNS AND SMYTHES JUNCTION COMPANY (November 1860), on the Hong Kong Lead and possibly the Golden Gate Lead in Allotment 3 at Scarsdale
    25.06.1860: company formed.
    08.1860: shaft is through the rock.
    12.1860: largest steam engine in the district
    11.1860: reached the black in their shaft and are fitting up a good engine; it is expected the company will get the Trunk and Hong Kong Leads which will then proceed to Allotment 4 where the Bute Co. is operating.
    12.1860: have the largest steam engine in this part of the district; through the rock and into a thick bed of black clay.
    01.1861: shaft bottomed at 180 feet, about 60 to 70 feet too shallow; dip of reef indicate the gutter is south of the shaft which indicates that this may be the Hong Kong and Croesus Leads rather than the Smythe's and Browne's which are thought to be to the east.
    03.1861: struck a little wash-dirt but not yet into the depth of it.
    04.1861: gutter reached; broken into the gutter and obtained over 30 ozs to 3 machines full.
    06.1861: have got very good wash-dirt but there is some uncertainty about the direction of the lead.
    07.1861: very good claim.
    08.1861: doing very well.
    09.1861: paying moderately well.
    11.1861: excellent returns; yield of 200 ozs for last week or 10 ozs per man.
    12.1861: doing well, 720 fathoms superficial of wash-dirt yielded 1450 ozs.
    10.1862: using a 18 inch by 36 inch steam engine for pumping, winding and puddling, three 16 foot diameter puddling machines placed some height above the ground for easy disposal of tailings, 8.25 inch pumps with 3 foot stroke operate for about 8 hours a day; flat wire rope was used at first, but are now using Manilla rope
    1860 to 10.1862: recorded production of 7,651 ozs 10 dwt (or 237.994 kg).
    MAIN LEAD Co.
    08.1865 to 12.1866: recorded production of 335 ozs 21dwt (or 10.453 kg).18

    Heritage Inventory Description

    MAIN LEAD CO - Heritage Inventory Description

    Site 105.01 is a very disturbed site with the remnants of quartz and mullock across an area 100m by 75m. There are also a few small piles of quartz and mullock, and workings further west towards the creek./nSite 105.02 is on the east bank of the Woady Yaloak River, and consists of a mullock heap, two quartz wash heaps and a dam. The quartz wash heaps, north of the position where the shaft was located, are relatively undisturbed. There are three finger formations, along which the material was deposited, in one heap and two in the other. A narrow gap runs between the two heaps. In total these heaps cover an area approximately 45m by 45m and up to 3m high. In addition to these two main heaps, wash is distributed over an area 30m in diameter to the west of the shaft. The mullock heap is south of the shaft position, and is 30m by 20m and up to 2.5m high. There is also a dam 45 metreseast of the shaft location that is 25m by 15m. The site is partially overgrown with gorse and blackberries.

    Heritage Inventory Significance: Not relevant

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

  • BUTE CO NO.1

    

    Victorian Heritage Inventory
  • BUTE CO NO.2 (MAIN SHAFT)

    

    Victorian Heritage Inventory
  • BILLING AND CO.1

    

    Victorian Heritage Inventory
• Public contributions