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BERRY CONSOLS EXTENDED DEEP LEAD GOLD MINE
865 CRESWICK-LAWRENCE ROAD LAWRENCE, HEPBURN SHIRE

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Victorian Heritage Register
BERRY CONSOLS EXTENDED DEEP LEAD GOLD MINE SOHE 2008
BERRY CONSOLS EXTENDED DEEP LEAD GOLD MINE SOHE 2008
BERRY CONSOLS EXTENDED DEEP LEAD GOLD MINE SOHE 2008
BERRY CONSOLS EXTENDED DEEP LEAD GOLD MINE SOHE 2008
BERRY CONSOLS EXTENDED DEEP LEAD GOLD MINE SOHE 2008
BERRY CONSOLS EXTENDED DEEP LEAD GOLD MINE SOHE 2008
BERRY CONSOLS EXTENDED DEEP LEAD GOLD MINE SOHE 2008
BERRY CONSOLS EXTENDED DEEP LEAD GOLD MINE SOHE 2008
berry consols extended deep lead gold mine plan
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Statement of Significance

The State's richest deep alluvial gold lead system, known as the Berry Lead System, runs north from Creswick, slightly to the west of Smeaton. Mining of the lead system took place from the 1870s until the early 1900s. The Berry Consols Extended Company was floated in 1881. The company mined unprofitably until 1897 by which time investors had paid £75,500 in calls. For the next decade the company was one of the field's leading gold producers and during the early 1900s was its flagship. In 1903 the mine was employing the bulk of the district's miners (160 out of a total force of 180) and was responsible for the introducing electric lighting and locomotives for underground mining. The mine closed in 1907 having produced 100,727 ounces of gold making it the field's fifth largest gold producer.

The Berry Consols Extended Deep Lead Gold Mine is of historical, archaeological and scientific importance to the State of Victoria.

The Berry Consols Extended Deep Lead Gold Mine is historically and scientifically important as a characteristic example of an important form of gold mining. Gold mining sites are of crucial importance for the pivotal role they have played since 1851 in the development of Victoria. As well as being a significant producer of Victoria's nineteenth century wealth, deep lead mining, with its intensive use of machinery, played an important role in the development of Victorian manufacturing industry. The Berry Consols Extended Deep Lead Gold Mine is important for its manifestation of this facet of gold mining.

Deep lead mining involved massive underground operations resulting in, among other things, large dumps of mullock, pebbles and slimes forming around the surface mining plant. Post-mining quarrying activities have badly disturbed (sometimes completely removed) the surface dumps. Berry Consols Extended Deep Lead Gold Mine is now unique in that its still retains its various heaps, relatively untouched and in their original condition. This makes the site the best place in the State to appreciate, through the nature and magnitude of the heaps, the scale of the underground operations.

The Berry Consols Extended Deep Lead Gold Mine is scientifically important for its potential to yield artefacts and evidence which will be able to provide significant information about the technological history of gold mining.

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    • Permit Exemptions

      BERRY CONSOLS EXTENDED DEEP LEAD GOLD MINE - Permit Exemptions

      General Exemptions:

      General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.

      Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.

      Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.

      Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions.

      Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.

      Specific Exemptions:

      EXEMPTIONS FROM PERMITS:
      (Classes of works or activities which may be undertaken without a permit under
      Part 4 of the Heritage Act 1995)

      No permits are required for the following classes of works provided they are
      carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Conservation Plan For
      Historic Mining Sites prepared by David Bannear in 1996.

      * Mineral Exploration
      * Fire suppression duties
      * Timber production
      * Weed and vermin control
      * Public safety
      * Rehabilitation

      No permits are required for the following classes of works in the event
      portions of the land may used for agricultural purposes:
      1. Grazing, cropping or other use of the land in accordance with a
      professionally prepared conservation plan for the site, providing the plan has
      been approved by Heritage Victoria.
      2. Retaining access to the rest of the land
      3. Normal land care maintenance, including weed, pest and soil erosion
      controls, and removal of fallen trees where necessary.

Public contributions

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