COUNTESS COMPANY

COUNTESS TRACK LERDERDERG, MOORABOOL 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

    COUNTESS COMPANY - History

    Heritage Inventory History of Site: The mine, on Union Reef, was being worked by the North Star Company in the late 1870s. This company was reported to be operating a steam-powered crushing plant in 1879. The North Star Company appears to had previously known as the Empress Co. In 1881 the mine was being worked by the Countess Company (late North Star) who had erected steam-powered pumping and winding plant. Two years later the company were reported as operating a 18-head stamping battery which was crushing ore from Big Reef. The company appears to have not mined profitably and by 1886 had been wound up and its plant sold off.

    Heritage Inventory Description

    COUNTESS COMPANY - Heritage Inventory Description

    Mullock heap - Large heap with two dumping phases. The latest phase is represented by a single dump (35 metres long, 10 metres high) which overlies a dump which has four distinct dumping lines. The latter dump is approximately 75 metres long and 15 metres high. At the rear of the heap (east) is an open shaft.Mining machinery - East side of the open shaft is a small stone pump-pit and some parallel depression (decayed bedlogs) and possible boiler setting (obscured by vegetation).Dams - A small dam with 5 metre high embankment is located north of the shaft; and there is another dam near the mining machinery foundations. Large dam - In the gully below (west) the mullock heap is breached embankment (50 metres long, 6 metres high).Mullock heap - Below the large dam is an intact mullock heap (single dumping line).Battery - Below the mullock heap is a 100 metre wide sludge pond. Above the north-east corner of the sludge pond is a benched platform which contains the decaying remains of mortar blocks and horses belonging to approximately 20-head of stamps. There are also some protruding tie bolts and brick rubble. The platform is very overgrown and there is the possibility of buried features. Reef workings - The workings continue north from the mine site. The main features are a long stretch of open cutting and associated mullock heap, open shaft and intact mullock heap and a patch of partly bulldozed heaps and shaft. Alluvial workings - A second embankment runs south from the mullock heap. Water from this dam was used to sluice the western bank of the creek. The bank has been sluiced to a depth of two metres and has mounds of pebbles at its base.Yankee Reef workings (northern end of line, south to Countess Company) - At least three distinct patches of narrow open cuts, mullock paddocks and small dumps of quartz. Reef exposed in open cuts.

    Heritage Inventory Significance: The site has:- scientific significance - because of the range of mining relics- archaeological potential- network values - Yankee Creek workings, Trojan mine, Yankee-Big Reef workings, Countess CompanySIGNIFICANCE RANKING: Regional

    Recorded by: David Bannear

    Heritage Inventory Site Features: - mullock heap - mining machinery - dams- large dam- mullock heap - battery - reef workings - alluvial workings- Yankee Reef workings

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

  • COUNTESS COMPANY

    

    Victorian Heritage Inventory
• Public contributions