This miner’s pick was of the type used to extract limestone at the Warrnambool limestone quarries, mainly for buildings and walls. This pick cut the sides and the top of the block and then it was levered off with a crowbar at an angle of about 30° to 40°. These blocks were then reduced to the required size using cross cut saws. There were about 12 limestone quarries operating in Warrnambool in the 19th century and limestone was extensively quarried for about 85 years to the 1930s when quarrying ceased. Today there has been a small revival in the Warrnambool area in the use of limestone blocks for building. Warrnambool also once had several bluestone quarries on the outskirts of the town. This miner’s pick has a wooden handle with rounded sides tapering to a wider end. The wood is weather-worn and split in places, especially at the top end. The pick is metal with a curved shape that tapers to a point at one end. The metal near the other end has a cavity into which is inserted the wider end of the wooden handle. limestone quarries in warrnambool, quarrying in warrnambool, warrnambool history

This miner’s pick was of the type used to extract limestone at the Warrnambool limestone quarries, mainly for buildings and walls. This pick cut the sides and across the top of the block and then the block was levered off the strata using a crowbar at an angle of 30° or 40°. These blocks were then reduced to the required size using cross-cut saws. There were about 12 limestone quarries operating in Warrnambool in the 19th century and limestone was extensively quarried for about 85 years to the 1930s when the quarrying ceased. Today there has been a small revival in the use of limestone blocks for building. Warrnambool also once had several bluestone quarries on the outskirts of the town. This miner’s pick is of considerable interest as an example of the type used in quarrying limestone in Warrnambool . Quarrying was once an important industry in Warrnambool. This miner’s pick has a short wooden handle with a metal stud inserted at the bottom end. The handle is rounded on the sides and tapers slightly from the top to the bottom. The metal pick has a curved shape with one blunt end and one sharp end. It has a cavity in the end nearest the blunt end and the wooden handle slots into this. The pick is painted black, green and orange, perhaps for display purposes. A handwritten information tag is attached to the handle. quarrying in warrnambool, limestone quarries in warrnambool