Since the establishment of the School of Mines Ballarat (SMB) in 1870, Federation University Australia has emerged in multiple forms, and under multiple names, to educate generations of engineers, nurses, and teachers – and in more recent years, games designers, sports and exercise scientists, craft beer brewers, and other professional occupations inconceivable to the University’s founders in the late 19th century. Today, our footprint stretches around the world, thanks to key partnerships established domestically, and with institutions in China, Malaysia, and India. But the story starts with a meeting of the Ballarat Mining Board, in 1869, and a pressing need for innovation.A number of screen backgrounds used during 2020, the 150th anniversary of the Ballarat School of Mines. The anniversary took place in the middle of lockdowns associated with Covid19, making screen backgrounds important.non-fictionfederation university, anniversary, sesquicentenary, 150th anniversary, covid19

Graham Willey was a School of Mines Ballarat student from 1953-55. He was awarded the 1955 Honour Blazer. The School of Mines was established in 1870 in Ballarat, making it Australia's third oldest tertiary institution. Redmond Barry was its first president, and he was involved in the creation of university degree level courses for the school. The School of Mines was divided into a tertiary division and a technical division. The tertiary division provided higher education courses such as mining engineering, geology, education and business studies, while the technical division provided such programs as wool classing, plumbing and bricklaying.It remained in that form until the 1967 when it was split into three institutions, Ballarat School of Industries, Ballarat Technical School, and Ballarat Institute of Advanced Education. They remained three entities until 1976. Ballarat Institute of Advanced Education merged into Ballarat College of Advanced Education. The Ballarat School of Industries and Ballarat Technical School merged into the School of Mines and Industries, Ballarat (SMB) in 1976. Several entities merged or had arrangements with SMB. In 1994, a memo of understanding (MOU) was signed between SMB and the Ararat Technical School, which was founded in 1969. Then, in 1998, SMB and the Horsham-based Wimmera Institute of TAFE (1984), dating back to 1882, merged into the University of Ballarat to create a larger University.This three quarter lined, 3 buttoned, bottle green woolen blazer is edged in black twill piping and has a SMB badge on pocket "XVII ATH. XI Honor 1955 S.R.C." The 2 side pockets are also edged in the black twill and there is a trim of the twill 8.3cm from the sleeve cuff. The breast pocket has a top binding of yellow and green diagonal stripes. Cloth label - Messer & Opie Ballarat On embroidered badge "Incenio Effodore Opes", "XVII ATH XI Honor 1955 S.R.C."blazer, honor blazer, harold john hassell, smb, school of mines ballarat, graham willey, costume, textiles, coat of arms

"Mr. J. B. Rankine, the inspector for the Dundas goldfield, entered upon his duties on June 4, 1897. He states that his preliminary examination of the mines in active operation on the field, which was of a hurried nature, revealed in several instances a very unsystematic method of mining, which must have been attended with grave risk to the workmen had it been allowed to continue. The underground workings in one, particular mine which he inspected, and wherein a large number of men were employed, were of such a serious and dangerous nature that immediate steps and measures had to be taken to secure the ground for the safety of the men so employed. Without entering on this occasion into the question of culpability, he desired to place on record that the manager had shown a readiness and willingness to carry out his (the Inspector's) instructions. (West Australian, 21 February 1898)Handwritten letter on folded, lined paper. The letter was written in Norseman and relates to school fees for the Ballarat School of Mines. Norseman Oct 17 98 F.Mmaretll esq Registrar Ballarat School of Mines Sir Yours of the 1st instant to hand and I have much pleasure in forwarding you a cheque for L8.8.0 the account of school fees. Your remarks re telling the Minister are really too funny to be taken seriously. the remind one of kids at School "If you don't give me my marbles ill tell your father" however you have been very patient in the matter + I don;t grumble. Hope school is doing well + maintaining its good name, My kind regards to proff Smith + other enquiring friends Yours very truly J.B. Rankinej.b. rankine, dundas goldfield

This specimen is a native copper specimen that is metallic. Copper is typically found in the earth's crust and is often found alongside other metals such as gold, zinc, lead and silver which all belong to the same group which is the Copper/Gold group. Copper is most commonly formed from large masses of molten lava rock which has solidified in the earth's crust and over time though different sizes and speeds of crystal growth has turned into large amounts of copper, stored in porphyry copper deposits. Copper has a distinctive colour, yet can sometime appear blue and greenish which is often caused by oxidisation or a mixture of copper and other metals. This specific specimen was recovered from Moonta, South Australia. The Moonta Mining Company was established in 1861, after a Shepard in the area noticed traces of copper. This lead to a rush in the copper mining industry which was relatively young in Australia at the time, making Moonta Mining Company one of the richest in Australia. By the 1860's, South Australia had been nicknamed the "Copper Kingdom" due to its vast amount of Large copper mines and resources. As of 2016, Australia was the second largest producer of Copper internationally, following behind Chile in first place. This copper specimen is significant historically and scientifically as it is such an important metal commonly used throughout the world in various ways. Copper is an invaluable recourse used in daily life, used in most electrical appliances as it is a great conductor of heat and electricity, as well as being soft and malleable, making it easy to bend and mould into delicate sheets and wires. Copper does not corrode and is therefore used in the production of water pipes among countless other significant necessities that are often overlooked in our society. Historically, Copper holds great significance as it was the first metal used by humans. It was discovered roughly 9000 years ago and was utilised by the Neolithic Man who learnt that heating the metal made it more malleable, thus tools and utensils were made which were far superior to the previous stone tools used by humans. This history and its connection to the current and ongoing relationship between humans and copper must be preserved and highlighted as it is integral to the history of all humankind. A small, palm-sized solid native copper mineral specimen with shades of browns, black and rustic tones throughout the specimen.NATIVE (metalic) COPPER / Locality: Moonta, South Australiabeechworth, burke museum, geological specimen, native specimen, geological, mineral, mineralogy, indigo shire, beechworth museum, copper, copper ore

Altering course of Reedy Creek, El Dorado. Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold & Tin Mine Company was formed in 1899. The company's first power station, located at the eastern end of the valley began operating with its 340 Kilowatt steam-powered generator. By 1909, from 2,500,000 cubic yards worked, reported recovery was 17,284 ounces of gold and 224 tons of tin ore. By 1909, Cocks Pioneer’s power plant had become inadequate and uneconomical. The barge was floated downstream about a mile, but lost time caused the operations to cease. Following testing, a new mine was established by diverting Reid's Creek at a cost of £25 000. Settling dams were built, one of which held 1,935,900 cubic feet. Sold earth banks, built against a wall of stringy bark saplings constructed and laced with vertical props, were built. In 1914, the company was reformed as Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL, another power station was constructed at the western end of the township, near the junction of Clear and Reid's Creeks. From 6,800,000 cubic yards of material processed, the returns were 64,397 ounces of gold and 855 ton of tin. Cocks Pioneer mine then moved the barge downs stream and continued sluicing. In 1929 Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold and Tin Mining Company ceased operations due to a drop in values. Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL carried on large-scale hydraulic sluicing operations until 1941. Handwritten across the front: 'Altering course of creek. Eldorado'mining, gold, tin, sluicing, reedy creek, cocks pioneer, el dorado, eldorado, men, horses

Horse team , Cocks Pioneer Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold & Tin Mine Company was formed in 1899. The company's first power station, located at the eastern end of the valley began operating with its 340 Kilowatt steam-powered generator. By 1909, from 2,500,000 cubic yards worked, reported recovery was 17 284 ounces of gold and 224 tons of tin ore. By 1909, Cocks Pioneer’s power plant had become inadequate and uneconomical. The barge was floated downstream about a mile, but lost time caused the operations to cease. Following testing, a new mine was established by diverting Reid's Creek at a cost of £25,000. Settling dams were built, one of which held 1,935,900 cubic feet. Sold earth banks, built against a wall of stringy bark saplings constructed and laced with vertical props, were built. In 1914, the company was reformed as Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL, another power station was constructed at the western end of the township, near the junction of Clear and Reid's Creeks. From 6,800,000 cubic yards of material processed, the returns were 64,397 ounces of gold and 855 ton of tin. Cocks Pioneer mine then moved the barge downs stream and continued sluicing. In 1929 Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold and Tin Mining Company ceased operations due to a drop in values. Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL carried on large-scale hydraulic sluicing operations until 1941. mining, gold, tin, sluicing, men, cocks pioneer, el dorado, eldorado, horses, gold mining, tin mining

Cocks Pioneer Creek Diversion. Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold & Tin Mine Company was formed in 1899. The company's first power station, located at the eastern end of the valley began operating with its 340 Kilowatt steam-powered generator. By 1909, from 2,500,000 cubic yards worked, reported recovery was 17,284 ounces of gold and 224 tons of tin ore. By 1909, Cocks Pioneer’s power plant had become inadequate and uneconomical. The barge was floated downstream about a mile, but lost time caused the operations to cease. Following testing, a new mine was established by diverting Reid's Creek at a cost of £25,000. Settling dams were built, one of which held 1,935,900 cubic feet. Sold earth banks, built against a wall of stringy bark saplings constructed and laced with vertical props, were built. In 1914, the company was reformed as Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL, another power station was constructed at the western end of the township, near the junction of Clear and Reid's Creeks. From 6,800,000 cubic yards of material processed, the returns were 64,397 ounces of gold and 855 ton of tin. Cocks Pioneer mine then moved the barge downs stream and continued sluicing. In 1929 Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold and Tin Mining Company ceased operations due to a drop in values. Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL carried on large-scale hydraulic sluicing operations until 1941. mining, gold, tin, cocks pioneer, creek, gold mining, tin mining, el dorado, eldorado

Cocks Pioneer Pipes and Open Cut. Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold & Tin Mine Company was formed in 1899. The company's first power station, located at the eastern end of the valley began operating with its 340 Kilowatt steam-powered generator. By 1909, from 2,500,000 cubic yards worked, reported recovery was 17,284 ounces of gold and 224 tons of tin ore. By 1909, Cocks Pioneer’s power plant had become inadequate and uneconomical. The barge was floated downstream about a mile, but lost time caused the operations to cease. Following testing, a new mine was established by diverting Reid's Creek at a cost of £25,000. Settling dams were built, one of which held 1,935,900 cubic feet. Sold earth banks, built against a wall of stringy bark saplings constructed and laced with vertical props, were built. In 1914, the company was reformed as Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL, another power station was constructed at the western end of the township, near the junction of Clear and Reid's Creeks. From 6,800,000 cubic yards of material processed, the returns were 64 397 ounces of gold and 855 ton of tin. Cocks Pioneer mine then moved the barge downs stream and continued sluicing. In 1929 Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold and Tin Mining Company ceased operations due to a drop in values. Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL carried on large-scale hydraulic sluicing operations until 1941. mining, gold, tin, open cut, sluicing, gold mining, tin mining, cocks pioneer, el dorado, eldorado

Cocks Pioneer New Engines, c. 1934. Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold & Tin Mine Company was formed in 1899. The company's first power station, located at the eastern end of the valley began operating with its 340 Kilowatt steam-powered generator. By 1909, from 2,500,000 cubic yards worked, reported recovery was 17,284 ounces of gold and 224 tons of tin ore. By 1909, Cocks Pioneer’s power plant had become inadequate and uneconomical. The barge was floated downstream about a mile, but lost time caused the operations to cease. Following testing, a new mine was established by diverting Reid's Creek at a cost of £25,000. Settling dams were built, one of which held 1,935,900 cubic feet. Sold earth banks, built against a wall of stringy bark saplings constructed and laced with vertical props, were built. In 1914, the company was reformed as Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL, another power station was constructed at the western end of the township, near the junction of Clear and Reid's Creeks. From 6,800,000 cubic yards of material processed, the returns were 64 397 ounces of gold and 855 ton of tin. Cocks Pioneer mine then moved the barge downs stream and continued sluicing. In 1929 Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold and Tin Mining Company ceased operations due to a drop in values. Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL carried on large-scale hydraulic sluicing operations until 1941. mining, gold, tin, engine, electricity, gold mining, tin mining, cocks pioneer, el dorado, eldorado

Cocks Pioneer Ponds, c. 1930s. Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold & Tin Mine Company was formed in 1899. The company's first power station, located at the eastern end of the valley began operating with its 340 Kilowatt steam-powered generator. By 1909, from 2,500,000 cubic yards worked, reported recovery was 17,284 ounces of gold and 224 tons of tin ore. By 1909, Cocks Pioneer’s power plant had become inadequate and uneconomical. The barge was floated downstream about a mile, but lost time caused the operations to cease. Following testing, a new mine was established by diverting Reid's Creek at a cost of £25,000. Settling dams were built, one of which held 1,935,900 cubic feet. Sold earth banks, built against a wall of stringy bark saplings constructed and laced with vertical props, were built. In 1914, the company was reformed as Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL, another power station was constructed at the western end of the township, near the junction of Clear and Reid's Creeks. From 6,800,000 cubic yards of material processed, the returns were 64 397 ounces of gold and 855 ton of tin. Cocks Pioneer mine then moved the barge downs stream and continued sluicing. In 1929 Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold and Tin Mining Company ceased operations due to a drop in values. Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL carried on large-scale hydraulic sluicing operations until 1941. mining, gold, tin, gold mining, tin mining, cocks pioneer, el dorado, eldorado

Cocks Pioneer Ponds from Monument Hill. Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold & Tin Mine Company was formed in 1899. The company's first power station, located at the eastern end of the valley began operating with its 340 Kilowatt steam-powered generator. By 1909, from 2,500,000 cubic yards worked, reported recovery was 17,284 ounces of gold and 224 tons of tin ore. By 1909, Cocks Pioneer’s power plant had become inadequate and uneconomical. The barge was floated downstream about a mile, but lost time caused the operations to cease. Following testing, a new mine was established by diverting Reid's Creek at a cost of £25,000. Settling dams were built, one of which held 1,935,900 cubic feet. Sold earth banks, built against a wall of stringy bark saplings constructed and laced with vertical props, were built. In 1914, the company was reformed as Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL, another power station was constructed at the western end of the township, near the junction of Clear and Reid's Creeks. From 6,800,000 cubic yards of material processed, the returns were 64,397 ounces of gold and 855 ton of tin. Cocks Pioneer mine then moved the barge downs stream and continued sluicing. In 1929 Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold and Tin Mining Company ceased operations due to a drop in values. Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL carried on large-scale hydraulic sluicing operations until 1941. mining, gold, tin, hydraulic, sluicing, gold mining, tin mining, monument hill, cocks pioneer, el dorado, eldorado

Cocks Pioneer, 1907. Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold & Tin Mine Company was formed in 1899. The company's first power station, located at the eastern end of the valley began operating with its 340 Kilowatt steam-powered generator. By 1909, from 2,500,000 cubic yards worked, reported recovery was 17,284 ounces of gold and 224 tons of tin ore. By 1909, Cocks Pioneer’s power plant had become inadequate and uneconomical. The barge was floated downstream about a mile, but lost time caused the operations to cease. Following testing, a new mine was established by diverting Reid's Creek at a cost of £25,000. Settling dams were built, one of which held 1,935,900 cubic feet. Sold earth banks, built against a wall of stringy bark saplings constructed and laced with vertical props, were built. In 1914, the company was reformed as Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL, another power station was constructed at the western end of the township, near the junction of Clear and Reid's Creeks. From 6,800,000 cubic yards of material processed, the returns were 64,397 ounces of gold and 855 ton of tin. Cocks Pioneer mine then moved the barge downs stream and continued sluicing. In 1929 Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold and Tin Mining Company ceased operations due to a drop in values. Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL carried on large-scale hydraulic sluicing operations until 1941. Handwritten across front: 'HAROLD S. TEMBY / Photo'; '"COCKS PIONEER" 1907'.mining, gold, tin, open cut, barge, gold mining, tin mining, cocks pioneer, el dorado, eldorado

Cocks Pioneer after Flood. Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold & Tin Mine Company was formed in 1899. The company's first power station, located at the eastern end of the valley began operating with its 340 Kilowatt steam-powered generator. By 1909, from 2,500,000 cubic yards worked, reported recovery was 17,284 ounces of gold and 224 tons of tin ore. By 1909, Cocks Pioneer’s power plant had become inadequate and uneconomical. The barge was floated downstream about a mile, but lost time caused the operations to cease. Following testing, a new mine was established by diverting Reid's Creek at a cost of £25,000. Settling dams were built, one of which held 1,935,900 cubic feet. Sold earth banks, built against a wall of stringy bark saplings constructed and laced with vertical props, were built. In 1914, the company was reformed as Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL, another power station was constructed at the western end of the township, near the junction of Clear and Reid's Creeks. From 6,800,000 cubic yards of material processed, the returns were 64,397 ounces of gold and 855 ton of tin. Cocks Pioneer mine then moved the barge downs stream and continued sluicing. In 1929 Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold and Tin Mining Company ceased operations due to a drop in values. Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL carried on large-scale hydraulic sluicing operations until 1941. mining, gold, tin, barge, floods, gold mining, tin mining, cocks pioneer, el dorado, eldorado, men

Cocks Pioneer Barge, c. 1900s. Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold & Tin Mine Company was formed in 1899. The company's first power station, located at the eastern end of the valley began operating with its 340 Kilowatt steam-powered generator. By 1909, from 2,500,000 cubic yards worked, reported recovery was 17,284 ounces of gold and 224 tons of tin ore. By 1909, Cocks Pioneer’s power plant had become inadequate and uneconomical. The barge was floated downstream about a mile, but lost time caused the operations to cease. Following testing, a new mine was established by diverting Reid's Creek at a cost of £25,000. Settling dams were built, one of which held 1,935,900 cubic feet. Sold earth banks, built against a wall of stringy bark saplings constructed and laced with vertical props, were built. In 1914, the company was reformed as Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL, another power station was constructed at the western end of the township, near the junction of Clear and Reid's Creeks. From 6,800,000 cubic yards of material processed, the returns were 64 397 ounces of gold and 855 ton of tin. Cocks Pioneer mine then moved the barge downs stream and continued sluicing. In 1929 Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold and Tin Mining Company ceased operations due to a drop in values. Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL carried on large-scale hydraulic sluicing operations until 1941. mining, gold, tin, sluicing, gold mining, tin mining, barge, cocks pioneer, el dorado, eldorado

Cocks Pioneer Engine c1930s. Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold & Tin Mine Company was formed in 1899. The company's first power station, located at the eastern end of the valley began operating with its 340 Kilowatt steam-powered generator. By 1909, from 2,500,000 cubic yards worked, reported recovery was 17,284 ounces of gold and 224 tons of tin ore. By 1909, Cocks Pioneer’s power plant had become inadequate and uneconomical. The barge was floated downstream about a mile, but lost time caused the operations to cease. Following testing, a new mine was established by diverting Reid's Creek at a cost of £25 000. Settling dams were built, one of which held 1,,935,900 cubic feet. Sold earth banks, built against a wall of stringy bark saplings constructed and laced with vertical props, were built. In 1914, the company was reformed as Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL, another power station was constructed at the western end of the township, near the junction of Clear and Reid's Creeks. From 6,800,000 cubic yards of material processed, the returns were 64,397 ounces of gold and 855 ton of tin. Cocks Pioneer mine then moved the barge downs stream and continued sluicing. In 1929 Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold and Tin Mining Company ceased operations due to a drop in values. Cock’s Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL carried on large-scale hydraulic sluicing operations until 1941. mining, gold, tin, gold mining, tin mining, machinery, engines, men, cocks pioneer, el dorado, eldorado

Corbould Hall was named after Ballarat School of Mines alumni WIlliam Corbould. William Corbould was the son of a Ballarat tailor. He attended Ballarat College, and obtained certificates in assaying and metallurgy at the Ballarat School of Mines (SMB) in 1883, studying under the revered Professor Mica Smith. Corbould was not a born student and remembered his first experience at SMB: 'From the Registrar's Office I was led to be introduced to the Professor of Chemistry, one Mica Smith. The initial encounter gave me little encouragement - his large laboratory was filled with hundreds of bottles bearing strange labels with queer symbols on them. My heart sank. At the first opportunity I grabbed my hat and made for the door, but the good professor called me back. I pointed out that I was never any good at school ... so it was no use pretending to be clever enough to understand all those weird symbols! The Professor told me not to worry about that and took me to one of the benches where he found a blowpipe and a charcoal block. Mixing together two powders from bottles on the shelf he transferred a sample to the charcoal and directed the bunsen flame onto it. Soon it began to melt and a white bead appeared in front of my eyes. He then took a test tube and added a little colourless liquid from each of two bottles. A beautiful dark blue colour appeared. My interest was won.' During Corbould's mining career he travelled to Europe twice, and visited most of Australia's main mining fields. Corbould started his career as an assayer at Pinnacle Silver Mine, Silverton, and was then a self-employed assayer at Broken Hill. Corbould became an assayer for the infant BHP mine, and later worked in Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie, including managing Hannan's Reward, the oldest gold mine on the Kalgoorlie gold field. He spent 13 years at the Mount Elliott copper fields as general manager. In 1923, at the age of 57, Corbould went to Mount Isa and reported on options, experimented with new metallurgical processes and floated a company. John Carden of CRA said: 'Corbould was the man who brought Urquhart to Mount Isa. He was the man who made it all possible. He is tremendously important in the Mount Isa story, because he was the first technical man, the first professional man on the scene. He was responsible as I said, for bringing finance to the place, but I think even more importantly he was the first man to recognise the need to put all the little claims in the Mount Isa discovery together. I think perhaps his major contribution to Mount Isa was this amalgamation on the various claims. He recognised that the ore bodies at Mount Isa were not as rich as Broken Hill and they would never have survived had it been fragmented, so he was terribly important.' After completing major financial negotiations for Mt Isa Mine from London in 1927 Corbould remained in Europe where he remained until his death. Corbould was awarded the Legion of Honour of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurigical Engineers for fifty years service. Corbould died at Monaco in 1949 at the age of 82. He bequested 6000 pounds to the Ballarat School of Mines, his will stating 'for the purpose of founding a scholarship to commemorate the memory of the late Alfred Mica Smith'. The accumulated income from this sum provides the Mica Smith travelling scholarship, enabling successful students in mining, metallurgy or chemistry to undertake a year's travelling abroad. The first award was made in 1957. In the same year a general purpose hall at SMB was named the Corbould Hall as a tribute to a distinguished former student and generous benefactor.ballarat school of mines corbould building, corbould hall, corbould building

This photograph dating to 1910 depicts an open cut sluicing site located in El Dorado captured looking east up the open cut from the number 3 Barge site. Sluicing was undertaken in the area from 1900 to 1942 with some short breaks between these periods. The image depicts a location mined by Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Sluicing Company (as recorded on the annotation on the card mount). It portrays open cut rocks with a crevice in the center of the image where the sluicing was being undertaken. There is a small timber structure on the right of the image which could be an entrance to a mine or supports made of wood to prevent a cave in at the open cut site and above the cut rock there is bush. The timber structure has rail tracks on top of the bridge which could suggest the identification of this structure as a mine entrance. The rail tracks were used for little carts which hauled soil from the mine. The Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines N.L was one of El Dorado's two largest open cut sluicing mines of the 20th Century. The other was named the Cocks El Dorado Gold Dredging Company. The Cocks Pioneer Mines operated from 1901 until 1941 and found a total of 117,378 ounces of Gold and 1,673 tones of tin concentrates over these years. The Cocks company was formed in 1898 and operated until 1941. Open cut sluicing involved the use of high-powered hoses which used the centrifugal sand pump system (known as hydraulic sluicing) which broke down the soil which was then processed for gold and other precious metals. From 1914 , four years after this image was captured, the company reformed to Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL (previously it was known as Cocks Pioneer Sluicing Co) and undertook large scale sluicing operations until 1929 and then 1934-1941. El Dorado is located on Reedy Creek and is surrounded by forested country to the north and east. It is 20 km east of Wangaratta in Victoria's regional north-east. John Cock was the son of a Cornish minor who arrived in El Dorado in 1858. Cock founded his gold and tin mining company which ran successfully for many years in the El Dorado region. It was an open cut sluicing company because of the abandonment of underground mining after this was deemed too dangerous. In 1935 Cock's El Dorado Company commissioned the floating dredge which is still visible in El Dorado today. The dredge was built by the Thompson engineering works, Castlemaine, and weighed over 2,000 tones and today has a place on the Victorian Registers of historic buildings. Interestingly, the name El Dorado does not derive from the gold in the region, but from the Barambogie pastoral run completed by William Baker in 1840-1841. Gold was discovered in El Dorado 1854 but the gold was too deep for individual prospectors to find, it required the use of heavy machinery.The search for gold is ingrained into the history of Victoria and therefore, images like this one which portray an open cut sluicing site can reveal important information for society and technology for the date when the photograph was taken. This image is of important historical significance for its ability to convey information about sluicing and the methods used to find gold in 1910. It also shows a location where sluicing was undertook which provides insight into the impact of sluicing on the environment at a time when it was done. This image is important for current research into the history of El Dorado, a small regional location near Wangaratta in Victoria's North East. Therefore, this image has the capacity to be beneficial for research into society and the motivations of those living and working in this region during this period and therefore, has social significance. The Beechworth Burke Museum has additional images relating to gold sluicing and El Dorado which can be analysed and studied alongside images like this one.Sepia coloured rectangular photograph printed on gloss photographic paper mounted on board.Obverse: COCKS PIONEER Q + T SL CO, N.L. / 1910 / LOOKING EAST UP OPEN CUT / FROM NO3 BARGE SITE / Reverse: 1997 . 2611 / A02611el dorado, north east gold, sluicing, gold sluicing, hydraulic sluicing, 1910, gold and tin mine, open cut mining, mining, gold mining, north-east victoria, beechworth, burke museum

Copy of a piece about Richard Hartley Smith Abbott. Abbott was born in Bendigo. He was a hardware merchant, it operated as Abbot Supply Co. He was a director of the Bendigo gas Co, Sandhurst Building Society and Sandhurst Trustees Co. He also helped pioneer tanning in Australia and he had his tannery in Mandurang. He served on the Strathfieldsaye Council and later the Bendigo City Council. He was elected to the Legislative Council in 1907 and in 1932 served as a Senator. In 1887 he was on the committee to establish an art gallery. He served on the School of Mines Council. In 1910, he attended a meeting about Miners' Phthisis in Bendigo. He invested in the Bendigo mines and his firm was a major supplier of various hardware for the mining companies. There is also a photo.bendigo, history, long gully history group, the long gully history group - richard hartley smith abbott, parliamentary library, abbott supply co, bendigo gas co, sandhurst building society, sandhurst trustees co, strathfieldsaye council, bendigo city council, art gallery, school of mines council, miners' phthisis

18 large forms (form 5) headed: Mines Act 1928, The Honorable the Minister of Mines has granted a Suspension of the Labour Covenants as under - . These were granted to various companies for a period of 1 to 3 months, some of the reasons being - to complete negotiations, to raise capital, to re-organise, and the lease is held on behalf of a London Company. Items date range from 1941 to 1942. Some of the places to which these apply are; Bendigo, South Wattle Gully Coy N.L. Castlemaine Vic 3450, Central Wattle Gully Coy N.L., North Hustlers G. M. Coy N.L., Elphinstone, Chewton, South Wattle GullyCoy N.L.,Sandhurst, Forbes Carshalton Gold Mining Coy N.L., Gold Dumps Pty Ltd, Huntly & Nerring.Government Printergold, mining, suspension of labour covenants, gold mining, suspension of labour covenants

Some brief research? Notes written by Peter Ellis from the years 1881 to 1899. Mentioned is the Bendigo School of Mines Science Society and some of its meetings and the number of people who attended. Also mentioned are: The animal of Australia by Dr. MacGillivray; a paper on graptolite by Mr T L Hall, M.A., Director of Castlemaine School of Mines; Annual Report June 30 1888, Spiders, ? & Marsupials (MacGillivray/Rev Williams; Nancarrow - Slides & Cross Courses - Geological quartz of Goldfield; 27/1/1887 Meetings held during the year - some were well attended, some were not; On the 31 May the President (MacGillivray) spoke at some length on the Requirement of a Local Museum; Annual report 1900; Mining Society formed 1899 and Scientific Conversation lecturettes on Chemistry & Electricity.bendigo, history, early bendigo, peter ellis collection, the a-- of australia, dr macgillivray, t l hall ma, castlemaine school of mines, bendigo school of mines science society, rev williams, nancarrow, sandhurst district, requirements of a local museum, melb public library

Typed copy of recount by Albert Richardson of a fire at Unity Mine on Tuesday 8-10-1907. Report from the Bendigo Advertiser Wednesday October 9th 1907. Notes mention Fire Brigade, miners, how the fire started and how the men down the shaft escaped when the rope crash down the shaft. On the back is a handwritten carbon copy of notes titled Famous Gold Mines of Bendigo and Eaglehawk. Notes give yields of gold for alluvial and quartz mining. Deep Shafts in 1904 of which there were eleven with a depth of more than 3000 feet and 53 over 2000 feet and two which were more than 4000 feet. Wages for 1911 for Engine Drivers and Firemen and Boiler Attendants. Note on winding plants and air compressors.document, gold, ulster gold mining coy no liability, ulster gold mining company no liability, unity mine fire 8/10/1907, bendigo advertiser 9/10/1907, garden gully reef hotel, wm addicoat, louis pabst, edward morris, conrad inglefinger, edward fuller, frederick allen, wm whitford, mr jewell, carlisle mine, famous gold mines of bendigo and eaglehawk, new chum line, garden gully line, hustlers line, victoria quartz mine, new chum railway, mines report 1911 p15, albert richardson

Handwritten copy of a report in the Bendigo Advertiser 24/5/1907. ''Serious break in Water Main which is situated about 100 yards south of the mine. Main service pipe which supplies Harveytown has been leaking for some time past. Water soaking through old surface workings into the Belmont & Saxby shaft where it rose 60 feet and filled two x-cuts, one out weat 208 ft, and the other out east about 45 ft. Ellenborough began baling on Sunday 26th May, and it will take many days before work can be resumed. The mine was only working one shift and no men were underground at time of in rush''. Document from Albert Richardson Collection of mining history.document, gold, drainage problems, drainage problems, ellenborough flooded, bendigo advertiser, 27/5/1907, harveytown, belmont & saxby, ellenborough, albert richardson

Black and white photograph. Three males underground in Deborah Mine with drill and pick. Lamp on wall. Quartz shows well. Deborah Mine 1000 ft. level. Inscription on back: A. Richardson, 29 Harrison St., Bendigo.mining, underground equipment, miners, bendigo, mines and mining, mine, mines, miners, person, males, workers, group, central deborah mine

2 typed copies of history and description of the Central Deborah Mine. Document describes the Historical Record, Historical Background, Brief Chronological History, Some Facts (a brief description of the machinery), Miners' Wages, Price of Gold, Huge Mining Machinery of Other Days, Some Notes on the Geology and the Central Deborah Reefs. Written by A. Richardson. One copy has 1235 D in a circle written on the top left corner and the second copy has Mr John Arthur 15/11/71 30c written across the top.mine, gold, central deborah mine, central deborah gold mine, history of central deborah gold mine, victoria hill, mining machinery, a. richardson, central deborah gold mine geology, central deborah gold mine reefs, price of gold

Cash Book - Virginia Consols GM Co No Liability hard cover containing paper pages listing: 1 Cash entries, calls, Virginia Gold Mine 2 directors' fees North deborah Co and other mining Cos. managed by McColl Rankin & Stanistreet (1938 - 1943) duration Nov 1933 - 1943 a front ledger cover b rear ledgercover c Cash book binding d Virginia Consols GM Co No Liability binding e first page Nov 1933McColl Rankin & Stanistreet

Diggers & Mining. Diggers and miners. Like this quartz mine on the Black Hill, Ballarat (1855) with its crushing machine at the base of the hill - - - Slide: Shows dwellings one made from timber with chimney, one made from canvas, with a veranda and what appears to be a round metal chimney. 2 men in the for ground have some timber and could be contemplating a timber dwelling. There are a couple of other dwellings in the background. Not many trees left on the hill. Markings: 26 994:LIF I. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Two green covered auction catalogues with dark blue printing for an auction held on the 25th February 1937 of Mining Machinery, 5 Head Battery, Complete Cyanide Plant and Equipment, Buildings, Lease No. 7480, et. Sale held at the Gisborne Gold Mine No Liability, Bullet-proof Forest, Gisborne. Catalogues have descriptions of lots and sale prices written in the columns at the right side of the page. A Special Notice at the front of the catalogue mentions the plant will be first offered as a whole, with a view to recommencing operations. Yield is also mentioned.business, auctioneers, j h curnow & son pty ltd, ian dyett collection - auction catalogue - gisborne gold mine no liability, j h curnow & son, j l jamieson, bolton bros pty ltd

This company was registered in May 1871. It amalgamated the Adventure, Advance and Try-me-well mines to mine below the 300 foot levels of these mines.Collection of Government Gazette and newspaper articles relating to the 'Adventure and Advance Amalgamated Quartz Mining Company' on the Victoria Reef, Sandhurst. . Papers include the registration notice of the Mine in 1871, detailing the shareholders. Half yearly meeting reports 1872 - 1880 are attached. Slip of paper attached to each item describes the content, for example 'Half yearly meeting reports of the Adventure and Advance Company as published in the Bendigo Advertiser from 30.1.1872 - 31.8.1880. Missing February 1873, February 1877. Also included, Victoria Consols Company Reports 31.8.1880.adventure gold mine, sandhurst, goldmining, adventure and advance amalgamated quartz mining company

Handwritten copy of production statistics from Windmill Hill. Some of the Miners were: Sullivan and his sons, Lindsay and Taylor, Thorpe & Co and Mr Lansell. The mines mentioned are: Confidence Lease, Central Windmill, Cinderella Claim,Confidence Extended, Extended Hustlers, Carlisle, Garden Gully, Johnsons Reef, United Hustlers & Redan, North Johnsons and United Devonshire. Also a piece of paper (b) with Johnsons Group See Annals of Bendigo 1872. Page 140. Document from Albert Richardson Collection of mining history.gold, windmill hill, windmill hill, production statistics, sullivan and his sons, lindsay and taylor, thorpe & co and mr lansell, confidence lease, central windmill, cinderella claim, confidence extended, extended hustlers, carlisle, garden gully, johnsons reef, united hustlers & redan, north johnsons and united devonshire. a m s special edition 1/6/1899 page 47, annals of bendigo 1872 page 140, albert richardson

Handwritten extract from the Bendigo Advertiser 27/12/1910 Page 2. ''The Victoria Quartz, having deepened its shaft to 4,614 feet, had to abandon sinking on account of an inrush of water from the flooded mines to the south on the line. The influx occurred on the 15th of June, and notwithstanding that baling has been carried on almost constantly the company has failed to get the water out. It appears that the deep ground will have to be abandoned, owing to the absence of some proper scheme to cope with the water.'' Albert Richardson Mining History Collection.document, gold, drainage problems, drainage problems, new chum line drainage problems 1910, bendigo advertiser 27/12/1910 page 2, victoria quartz, albert richardson