The photographs in this set depict views across the water at Lake Sambell. The images date from approximately 1960. The present day park and reserve occupies the site of the former Rocky Mountain Mining Company, an open-cut sluice mine that began operations in the mid-19th Century and operated until the early 1900s, through the peak of Victoria’s Gold Rush. It was converted into a park and leisure area in the 1920s. Lake Sambell was formally opened to the public on Friday 5th October 1928 and was opened by the Victorian Government’s Minister of Lands, Mr Bailey, as part of initiatives to boost the economies and development of country towns. The lake was named after Mr L.H. Sambell, a shire engineer and secretary of the Forward Beechworth Committee who was involved in promoting the transformation of the mining site and promoting plantation forestry and tourism as alternative industries. £300 to begin the process was provided by Mr J. McConvill, a former resident of Beechworth, who is remembered in a street name adjacent to the lake. Residents of Beechworth have worked to raise funds to improve the Lake Sambell reserve several times, such as efforts in the 1930s and 1940s to raise the banks several feet to deepen the water for swimming purposes. Fundraising campaigns include the ‘Ugly Man’ competition conducted on behalf of the Wallace Park-Lake Sambell Development Scheme. The latter competition was run by the Fire Brigade Bend’s team as part of a larger competition called the ‘Mile of Pennies’; it was won by Mr Len Knight of Beechworth’s Commercial Hotel. The ‘Mile of Pennies’ was conducted at a Carnival held on New Year’s Eve, 1947. It was proposed by the Beechworth and District Progress Association. As well as improving swimming facilities, funds were raised to install a caravan park facility near the lake. Funds were also donated by commercial entities, such as £250 received from Zwar Bros. Pty Ltd.The photographs are significant as they show the level of development in Beechworth in the middle of the Twentieth Century. Four sepia and black and white rectangular photographs printed on matte photographic paper. 3469.1: Obverse: nil Reverse: 3469-1 3469.2: Obverse: nil Reverse: 3469-2 3469.3: Obverse: nil Reverse: 3469-3 3469.4: Obverse: nil Reverse: 3469-4beechworth, beechworth lake, lake sambell, lake, beechworth and district progress association, forward beechworth committee, ugly man, mile of pennies, wallace park lake sambell development scheme, wallace park-lake sambell development scheme, zwar bros, zwar, l.h. sambell, j. mcconvill, minister of lands, commercial hotel, len knight, rocky mountain mining company, rocky mountain mining co, gold rush, redevelopment, transformation, community fundraising

This image is a reproduction of an 1899 original depicting the 'Williams Good Luck Mine' on the Mopoke Reef (also called 'Morepork Gully') in the Dingle Ranges, approximately three miles from Beechworth. The foreground of the image is littered with piles of smashed rock and detritus, known as ‘mullock’, beside a reinforced mine shaft, a vertical access passageway allowing miners to enter the mine and haul ore out using lifting technology such as a poppet heads, whims or windlasses. A group of miners and a dog appear close to an open-sided miner’s hut. Following the discovery of gold at Beechworth in 1852, rushes quickly followed at surrounding creeks and gullies in the district. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, small syndicates of miners continued to work old or abandoned quartz reefs, often persisting without the assistance of heavy machinery to remove the large amounts of rock, in order to obtain yields at ever greater depths. The group of miners in this photograph are Mr. Roger Williams and Sons, who revived operations at the ‘Old Good Luck’ mine on the Mopoke Reef in the Dingle Range near Beechworth around 1892, working the site for more than two decades. An emigrant from Cornwall with experience in the tin mining industry, 19 year old Roger Williams senior sailed to New Zealand in 1840, then to Australia where he spent time in the Bendigo Gold Fields before settling in Beechworth in the early 1860s. Mr Williams senior worked on various mining activities in the district, including the Rocky Mountain Tunnel project. Conversant with the character of gold-bearing reefs in the area, the syndicate dug an eight hundred foot tunnel, digging down as far down as two hundred feet with little capital save their labour, to connect and provide better working access to the mass of reefs and veins in the vicinity. Progress was hampered by poor air quality charged with fumes from dynamite and large quantities of rock had to be crushed to obtain payable yields. The Victorian Goldfields are filled with ruins and remnants of the area's rich mining history, ranging from small alluvial diggings to the remains of huge mining companies. Site names often changed several times throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Some sites were abandoned and forgotten, others were worked continuously over many decades. The names of mines were often repeated at different locations throughout the Victorian Goldfields. For example, there is a Mopoke Gully heritage mine near Fryers Creek, Victoria. 'Mopoke' is a common onomatopoeic name for Morepork and Australian Boobook owls. This image has historical, social and research significance for patterns of emigration during of the Victorian Gold Rush, and the historical, social and environmental impacts of mining at Beechworth at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As gold became scarce and government support and large company investment waned, poor hard-working miners laboured intensively to make a living through periods of high unemployment. This image can be compared and studied alongside other historical mining photographs and objects in the Burke Museum Collection. It has potential to improve our understanding of miners working conditions and the shifting character of mining in the Beechworth district. Black and white rectangular reproduction photograph printed on matte photographic paper.Obverse: Williams Good Luck Mine Beechworth / Roger! / Reverse: 6858 / burke museum, beechworth museum, beechworth, gold fields, gold rush, victorian gold rush, gold ming history, colonial australia, australian gold rushes, mining technology, beechworth historic district, indigo gold trail, migration, indigo shire, good luck gold mine, victorian goldfields, mining syndicates, gold fever, quartz-mining, small-scale mining, old good luck mine, mopoke gully, quartz reefs beechworth

The photograph printed on this postcard comes from the collection of the Mitchell Library in Sydney. It is sepia in tone and depicts seven men standing and sitting around a mine shaft in the Beechworth region. The photograph has been dated to approximately 1872. This period in history post-dates the Victorian gold rushes which occurred 1852-1853 in Ballarat, Bendigo and Beechworth. During this period, in the 1870s, the surface alluvial gold had been discovered and removed from location. Therefore, in order to reach the deeper and less accessible alluvial gold, diggers began to dig shafts into the earth. These shafts sunk below the ground level by 20 to 30 feet and required timber structures around the entrance and winches to bring the paydirt to the top. The top of this wooden structure is visible behind the man standing in the upper right of the image. This type of mining was highly dangerous as mines often caved in which injured the minors and often resulted in death. Thus, following this period, in the early 1900s, miners opted instead for hydrolic slucing which cut away the earth without the devastating consequences of a mine cave in. This particular group of miners appear to have been unable to afford a horse (then worth around 50 pounds) which were generally used at mines like this to help pull buckets attached to ropes up and down the mine. Instead, this group brought the buckets up and down by windlass. The windlass was a wooden structure mounted over the mining shaft and fitted with a hand-cranked winch which enabled the bucket attached to the rope to be brought up and down.Gold was first discovered in Beechworth in Spring and Reid's Creek in the summer of 1852-1853. At its popularity, this region had approximately 8000 people on the gold fields searching for gold on the banks of these creeks. These periods did not require the use of heavy machinery or the digging of deep mining shafts like the one depicted in this image. Therefore, this image has important connotations for the technologies associated with mining during the approximated 1870s when gold was harder to access. This is a later period in gold history which does not fit into the "gold rush" period. Instead, it occurred after the surface gold had disappeared and therefore, is essential for researchers who are investigating the mining techniques and structures used to reach the alluvial gold which was located deeper under ground in the 1870s. This period predates the use of big heavy machinery used to mine in the 1900s which include dredges. Images such as this one can also impart essential information as to the wardrobe and fashion of men during this period. It also imparts knowledge about the landscape of Beechworth which is useful for people researching the environment and impact of gold mining in the north-east region of Victoria. In addition, since this image is a postcard reproduction of an early Australian image which may date to approximately 1990 it can impart knowledge as to the interests of people during this time period when there may have been an increase into Australian history.A sepia tone facsimile of an early Australian photograph (circa 1872) printed as a postcard.Obverse: BEECHWORTH / Victoria, Australia / Reverse: GM 2 3275 / CORRESPONDENCE / AUSTRALIAN / YESTERYEAR / CARDS / ADDRESS / Published by George Symons (057) 65 3240 / THE MINEHEAD C. 1872 / The easily gleaned gold of the early fields did / not last very long. In order to reach less / accessible alluvial gold diggers began sinking shafts as much as twenty to thirty feet down / and the mines required timbering and winches / to bring the paydirt to the top. / This syndicate has been unable to afford the / luxury of a horse (about 50 pounds) and so everything / must go up and down by windlass and rawhide / bucket. / Photo: Mitchell Library, Sydney / A sepia tone facsimile of / an early Australian photographmining album, gold mine, beechworth, burke museum, mine shaft, postcard, australian yesteryear cards, george symons, the minehead, gold fields, alluvial gold, early australia, c.1872, 1872, gold diggers, north east victoria

Transverse section of the North Prince Extended Co,north prince extended, mining company, gold

The handbook was intended for those with little experience who wanted to prospect of fossick.Grey soft covered book of 90 pages. Includes fold out map of a portion of Victoria showing auriferous areas and mineral localities. Also show Counties of Victoria and localities of minerals such as tin, antimony, copper, silver lead, Malybdenite, tungsten ores, manganese, platinum, osmiridium and iron. Chapter heading s include: working alluvial deposits, equipment, geology of Victoria, gold deposits, quartz reefs, indicators, economic minerals, assistance to prospectors, Miners' Right, mining bye-law, mining leases, forest regulations and glossary. Descriptions are given of a god dish, puddling tub, cradle, puddling machine, ground sluicing, boring, windlass, whim, hand dollying, sweeping, California pump, and wing dam.mining, baragwanath, gold, prospector, geology, quartz reefs, alluvial deposits, indicators, victorian goldfields, miners rights, mining leases, forest regulations, sluicing, sluice box, puddling machine, miner's cradle, whim, whip, california pump, gold nuggets, saddle reef, ballarat indicators, state batteries

Coloured geological plan showing the Ballarat goldfields. It includes coloured scales and nuggets from the Ballarat Goldfield. It also shows leads and mines.ballarat, geology, geological, gold nuggets, mining, mining companies, gold leads

Thirty six page foolscap booklet with some black and white photographic image. It includs statistics relating to the mining industry. Images include Limestone Quarry at Cave Hill, Lilydale; Golden Retriever nuggett; The Wedderburn Dog nuggett; Moning Star Mine, Wood's Point; shallow drilling; penicillin tanks; Mines Department Laboratory; Charging; Aurora Mine, Daylesford; Hattietville Dredge; North Deborah Mine, Bendigo; Central Victorian Dredge, Strangwaysj.g. gouley, mining, coal, gold, silver, geology, boiler inspection, leasing, gold buyers act, lilydale, fireclay, harrietville dredge, aurora mine daylesford, williams reward mine daylesford, strangways dredge, north deborah mine bendigo, statistics, bendigo mine, department of mines victoria, annual report, statistics relating to mining industry

Life on the Australian Goldfields 221 pages with photos and illustrations.Derrick I Stone, Sue MacKinnongold, goldfields, living conditions, bendigo, goldfields, mining techniques, gold discovery

Black and white photograph, copy, of the Big Deborah Gold Mine, possibly taken in the 1930's. Deborah mine was near the junction of Abel and Adam Street, Golden Square. Image shows the mine site, a square brick chimney on the extreme RH side, engine room and stamper sheds in the middle and steel poppet head on LH side. Colour photo of Big Deborah, minus less the winding wheels at the top of the poppet legs.bendigo, mining, deborah gold mine

Information display card regarding the 'Big' Deborah Gold Mine, located near the junction of Abel and Adam Street, Golden Square. Earliest work recorded 1860. Shaft 2076 feet. Operations suspended in 1952. Gold yield 51,935 ounces. Battery shed still on site containing a 5 head stamper which was originally a 20 head stamper. The battery was manufactured by Horwood's Foundry, Bendigo. Photos of mine site taken in 2012: a.Engine room concrete footings, iron work visible. Pepper corn trees in background. Pampas grass in foreground. Steel mesh fence on RH side, enclosing the poppet head site. b. Concrete footings, peppercorn tree in background. c. Corrugated iron shed constructed over the stampers. Steel mesh front. d. Steel poppet head, no winding wheel at top. Pampas grass in foreground. e.. Stamper shed and steel poppet legs in background enclosing dilapidated wooden poppet head legs. f. Close up image of weights in stamper room g.Winding wheel on stampers h.Looking upwards to top of stampersbendigo, mining, deborah gold mine

One page document, extracts from M.G. Journal Vol 6, No. 3, 1958/59, Page 3 and M.G. Journal 1939. Chewton Mine shaft approx 523 feet, south and 45 feet east of Wattle Gully shaft. .Extract includes detail of the main shaft, headframe, winch, compressed air, concentration plant, water for plant. Ten head stamp battery, 1250 lb stamps 5 in drop, 100 drops a minute, Wilfley tables and corduroy strakes. A new change house, smithy and concentrate shed have recently been erected (9.6.1939)bendigo, mining, chewton gold mine

One page document detailing the formation of the A1 Mining Company in 28.8.1918. Company formed by Melbourne investors. Capital of 50,000 pounds in 100,000 shares at 10/- each. Included the Clarence, New Moon and Suffolk on the Garden Gully line. A1 purchased the winding plant at the New Moon and the winch plant at the Clark and Neanger shafts. Clarence, North Argus, Suffolk and New Moon south and east shafts remain the property of the companies.bendigo, mining, a1 gold mine

Laminated document: 'Kirkland Lake Gold, Fosterville Gold Mine, Congratulations Bendigo Historical Society on your successful application to the Fosterville Gold Mine Community Grants Program. Ion Hann, General manager, - Fosterville Gold Mine' Document un-dated but refers to grant submission received October, 2019.business, mining, fosterville gold mine

Newspaper article, Friday 3, 2017, Bendigo Weekly. titled 'Gold win for mine' by Sharon Kemp. Fosterville Gold Mine has hit the jackpot intercepting some of the richest gold mineralisation in the world. Article describes richness of Fosterville deposit. Fosterville started operating in 2005 and has been mining underground for 10 years. 'At the current Australian dollar gold price, the three month haul is worth $70 million'bendigo, mining, fosterville gold mine

2 page document, coloured, titled 'Kirkland Lake Gold' and 'Welcome to the Fosterville Gold Mine Open Day 2018'. Document describes activities available to visitors on the 2018 Open Day, and a map of the mine site showing location of various displays.bendigo, mining, fosterville gold mine

Black cover book, wire binding, 13 pages of text and maps. On front: Fosterville Gold Project' Map of ore body on cover - Central North, Central Ellesmere, Harringtons Hill. Contents include: open pits, heap leaching, waste dumps, estimated project life, changes from previously approved project, estimated project life, main project components, expanded open pits and underground mines, processing sulphide ore, tailings storages, waste rock dumps. Principles of rehabilitation, site preparation, rehabilitation activities during operation and decommissioning activities. Environmental issues, and summary of proposed new operating conditions.bendigo, mining, fosterville gold mine

Black cover book, wire binding. Pages in reports numbered individually, overall approx 250 page report. On front: "Fosterville Gold Project' Project upgrade, EES Technical Appendix B. Central North, Central Ellesmere, Harringtons Hill." Page 1 'Perseverance Exploration Pty Limited' Book contains technical appendices. Topics: hydro geological assessment; surface drainage study, noise emission to residential properties, flora survey, tailings dam site; flora survey Wellesford Forest; Daley's Hill Plant List; diurnal Avifauna Survey - Wellesford Forest; survey of vertebrate fauna - Wellesford Forest; brief summary of fauna - Daley's Hill, Axedale, Aboriginal Archaeological survey; archaeological investigation Fosterville; traffic survey - Fosterville Sulphide Project; traffic report.bendigo, mining, fosterville gold mine

Two page document for Kirkland Lake Gold Open day 2019. Open Day activities include: bus tours, technical services display, geology, exploration, processing, community and environment display, minerals council of Australia, Swick drilling, Central Deborah Gold Mine, Face painting, Goldfields Re-vegetation, Delecca's hire equipment, MacMahon underground mining services, Sandvik, and ISH24 safety specialists. Map of 'Fosterville Gold Mine Site Map' with activities highlighted. Fosterville is Victoria's larges gold producer and in 2918 a records 356,230 ounces at an average grade of 24.9 g per tonne. The mine has over 600 full time employees in 2019. Entry for '9 levels of darkness' tour at Central Deborah Mine attached.bendigo, mining, fosterville gold mine

Cast Iron gold mould. Mould used in gold pour to shape ingot. Rectangular shape mould with rectangular handle.gold mines, mining equipment, gold mould

Photograph of a montage of nine drawings depicting life during the first gold rush to Peg Leg Gully (Eaglehawk) during 1852. On the reverse in pencil is written ' Gold rush in Peg Leg Gully, The lightning rise and fall of an old gold town. A concise history of Australia, By Clive Turnbull.topic, mining, fist gold rush, gold rush, peg leg gully, eaglehawk

Document. McColl Rankin & Stanistreet Street: Deborah Gold Mines, Statements of Accounts. Cardboard sheets tied with string containing accounts of Deborah Gold Mines NL and share scrip. Markings/Inscriptions: Deborah Accounts hand printed on front cover.organization, mining, deborah gold mines nl

Document: Deborah Gold Mines NL , leasehold transfer 11097 Bendigo. On front : Dated 12th. April 1946. Alice Peel to Deborah Gold Mines NL. Leasehold Transfer 111097 Bendigo. Duplicate written in red ink. Transfer from will of Edward Peel.organization, mining, deborah gold mines nl, mccoll, rankin and stanistreet: deborah gold mines nl, goldmining, lease

Document: McColl, Rankin and Stanistreet: Deborah Gold Mines NL - agreement with James and Ian Mackay.Haden Smith & Fitchettorganization, mining, deborah gold mines nl, mccoll, rankin and stanistreet: deborah gold mines nl, lease agreement, goldmining

Document. McColl Rankin & Stanistreet: Deborah Gold Mine NL. Hard cover folder containing handwritten statements of accounts of Deborah Gold Mines NL with the Bank of Australasia. Markings, inscriptions: Deborah Gold Mines NL on front cover.organization, mining, deborah gold mine nl, statement of accounts, deborah gold mine nl, mccoll rankin & stanistreet, bank of australasia

Document: McColl, Rankin and Stanistreet: Deborah Gold Mine NL agreement with Monument Hill Consolidated ( Bendigo ) NL. Legal document between two parties, prepared by Haden Smith & Fitchett, Solicitors, 405 Collins Street, Melbourne.Haden Smith & Fitchettorganization, mining, deborah gold mine nl, mccoll, rankin and stanistreet: deborah gold mine nl, goldmining, monument hill consolidated ( bendigo ) agreement

McColl, Rankin and Stanistreet: Deborah Gold Mine NL Insurance policies. 3 copies, dated 1939, 1940 and 1942. Sun Insurance Office Ltd, Burglary, 239838. Sun Insurance Office Limited, policy 17316842. State Accident Insurance Office, Mines Policy 46289.Sun insurance, State Accident Insurance.organization, mining, deborah gold mine nl insurance, mccoll, rankin and stanistreet: deborah gold mine nl, goldmining, mining, insurance

Document: McColl, Rankin and Stanistreet: Deborah Gold Mine NL - Licence for magazine for explosives 600 lbs. of gunpowder or nitro compounds and 1000 detonators. Licence appended to front of regulations with pin on top LH corner.Mines Departmentorganization, mining, deborah gold mines nl, mccoll, rankin and stanistreet: deborah gold mine nl, goldmining, explosives, gunpowder, detonators

Document: McColl, Rankin and Stanistreet: Deborah Gold Mine NL 4 copies of tribute agreements Foolscap document, agreements made between Deborah Gold Mines NL and P. Flanagan, 6 Bancroft Street, Bendigo, D. McMahon 109 Olinda Street, Bendigo, L. Balle and L. Castle, Adams Road. A. Randall, Bellevue Road, L. Watt, Allingham Street, Joseph Hocking, Bellevue Road, Golden Square, Allan Randall, Bellevue Road, Golden Square.organization, mining, deborah gold mine nl tribute mining, mccoll, rankin and stanistreet: deborah gold mine nl, goldmining, mining, tribute mining