Showing 250 items
matching local mining history
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Clunes Museum
Document - NEWSPAPER ARTICLES, CLUNES RIOT
... LOCAL MINING HISTORY... HISTORY, CLUNES RIOT CLUNES RIOT NEWSPAPER ARTICLES LOCAL MINING ...LOCAL HISTORY, CLUNES RIOTNEWSPAPER ARTICLES ABOUT CLUNES RIOT (PHOTOCOPIES) .1 BALLARAT COURIER '100 YEARS AGO TOMORROW THEY RIOTED IN CLUNES' 8/12/1973 .2 THE EVENING POST BALLARAT 10/12/1873 'THE TOWN IS QUIET' .3 10/12/1873 'MINERS, WIVES AND CHILDREN RESISTING THE INTRODUCTION OF CHINESE LABOR .4 VIC. PARLIAMENT NOTICE TAKEN FROM BALLARAT POST 11/12/1873clunes riot newspaper articles, local mining history -
Clunes Museum
Tool - GOLD CRADLE & PANNING DISH, JAMES ESMOND, CIRCA 1850
... LOCAL HISTORY MINING EQUIPMENT MINING .1 WOODEN CONSTRUCTION ...USED TO OBTAIN ALLUVIAL GOLD THE DESIGN OF THIS EQUIPMENT IS MOSTLY BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF THE WAY HEAVY MINERALS ARE CONCENTRATED IN ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS. THE PROSPECTING DISH IS USED WHEN WORKING WITH SMALL AMOUNTS OF STONES & CLAY WHILE BIGGER JOBS THE CRADLE OR BANJO IS MORE EFFICIENT. THE GAUZE OF MESH IN THE SIEVE IS VARIABLE. THE CRADLE OR BANJO IS USUALLY SET UP AT RIGHT ANGLES TO A SHALLOW CREEK OR WATERHOLE WITH THE OPEN ENDS TOWARDS THE WATER.1 WOODEN CONSTRUCTION MADE BY HAND WITH GAUZE FILTER IN UPPER SECTION TO SEPARATE QUARTZ ROCKS, SAND AND SOIL. A HANDLE ON BOX LIKE CONSTRUCTION IS USED TO ROCK THE CRADLE WHICH IS MOUNTED WITH ITS ROCKERS RESTING ON WOODEN BEARERS. .2 PANlocal history, mining equipment, mining -
Clunes Museum
Tool - NAPPING HAMMER, CIRCA 1851
... history mining equipment NAPPING HAMMER- CAST IRON EQUIPMENT USED ...NAPPING HAMMER- CAST IRON EQUIPMENT USED IN MINING.local history, mining, equipment -
Clunes Museum
Certificate - MINER'S RIGHT
... history mining miner's right Ellen Andrews PHOTOCOPY OF MINER'S ...PHOTOCOPY OF MINER'S RIGHT ISSUED TO ELLEN ANDREWS OF CLUNES 14th FEBRUARY 1906 AND 30th JANUARY 1923local history, mining, miner's right, ellen andrews -
Clunes Museum
Tool - MINER'S PICK
... history mining equipment it is the HEAD OF MINER'S PICK Tool ...it is the HEAD OF MINER'S PICKlocal history, mining equipment -
Clunes Museum
document
... OF GOLD MINING COMPANIES local history mining company exploration ...INFORMATION ABOUT A STAMP SHOE FROM A CORNISH STYLE SQUARE-HEAD STAMP BATTERY POSSIBLY USED BY PORT PHILLIP MINE, CLUNES, FROM MATTHEW CHURCHWARD, SENIOR CURATOR, ENGINEERING & TRANSPORT, MUSEUM OF VICTORIA LETTER DATED 15 OCTOBER, 1997. THE GOLDFIELDS AND MINERAL DISTRICTS OF VICTORIA. GOLD ITS OCCURRENCE AND EXTRACTION, PLAN OF GOLD MINING COMPANIESINFORMATION RECEIVED REGARDING THE PORT PHILLIP MINE; Including .1 COPY OF ARTICLE 12TH MAY, 1858 FROM "THE ARGUS." MELBOURNE. .2 LETTER FROM "SCIENCEWORKS" TO MR. ALAN KEEBLE DATED 15/10/1997 (3 Pages) .3 SECTION OF MERCURY, TROUGHS, STAKES & STAMPS (Extract taken from publication, The Gold Fields, Mineral Districts of Victoria, by R. Brough Smyth F.G.S, published by Queensberry Hill Press 1979) .4 GOLD. ITS OCCURRENCE AND EXTRACTION (Extract taken from publication, Gold: Its Occurrence and Extraction by Alfred G. Lock F.R.G.S published by E. & F. N. Spon 16 Charing Cross London 1882) .5 PLAN OF GOLD MINING CO'S. CLUNES (Extract taken from Dicker's Mining Record 26/3/1867, page 173. https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/32734386?q&versionId=39944948) local history, mining, company exploration -
Clunes Museum
Functional object - MINER'S BILLY
... BY A MINER TO CARRY A DRINK TO WORK. local history` mining personal ...USED BY A MINER TO CARRY A DRINK TO WORK..1 GREY ENAMEL WITH WIRE HANDLE, .2 GREY ENAMEL LID WITH HANDLElocal history`, mining, personal gear -
Clunes Museum
Book, ROBERT S. BRAIN, BULLETINS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF VICTORIA, 1903
... OF MINES, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF VICTORIA local history mining ...BULLETINS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA.BOOK - "BULLETINS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF VICTORIA.. NO. 6 THE CLUNES GOLDFIELD BY W M. BRADFORD.non-fictionBULLETINS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA.local history, mining, geological survey -
Clunes Museum
Map - MAPS/ DOCUMENTS, CIRCA 1857
... HISTORY MINING COLLECTION OF DOCUMENTS (COPIES OF10 MAPS ...COLLECTION OF DOCUMENTS (COPIES OF10 MAPS AND DIAGRAMS OF TOURAAL PURCHASED UNDER PREEMPTIVE RIGHT BY DONALD CAMEROM 17TH FEBRUARY, 1857. COUNTY OF TALBOT - GOLDFIELD'S SURVEY PLAN NO.1 CLUNES COUNTY OF TALBOT. GLENDONALD - CRESWICK/CLUNES.local history, mining -
Clunes Museum
Booklet - BOOK, MINES DEPARTMENT, BENDIGO GOLDFIELD, 1936
... LOCAL HISTORY MINING... OF BENDIGO GOLDFIELDS LOCAL HISTORY BOOK LOCAL HISTORY MINING MINING ...BOOK OF BENDIGO GOLDFIELDSYELLOW COVERED PAPER BACKED BOOKBENDIGO GOLDFIELDS MINES DEPARTMENTlocal history, book, local history mining, mining -
Clunes Museum
Functional object - GOLD ASSAY WEIGHTS, L.OERTLING, LONDON
... HISTORY MINING ASSAYING MINING GOLD SET OF GOLD ASSAY WEIGHTS ...SET OF GOLD ASSAY WEIGHTS - (1000 = 1/2 GRAMME) IN ROUND BAKELITE CONTAINER WITH LID. (14 PIECES)local history, mining, assaying, mining, gold -
Clunes Museum
Book, WHOLLY DESIGNED AND SET UP IN AUSTRALIA BY RIGBY LTD. et al, OLD GOLD TOWNS OF VICTORIA, 1974
... . local history history mining CONTENT IS OLD GOLD TOWNS ...CONTENT IS OLD GOLD TOWNS OF VICTORIAOLD TOWNS OF VICTORIAnon-fictionCONTENT IS OLD GOLD TOWNS OF VICTORIAlocal history, history, mining -
Clunes Museum
functional object - MINER'S SPIDER LAMP
... history mining personal gear MINER'S SPIDER LAMP, METAL CANDLE ...MINER'S SPIDER LAMP, METAL CANDLE HOLDER WITH LOOPED HANDLE, HOOK AND SPIKElocal history, mining, personal gear -
Clunes Museum
Document
... LOCAL HISTORY 1, PHOTO COPY OF PHOTOGRAPH OF JAMES ESMOND 1822 ...JAMES ESMOND BORN AT ENNISCORTHY IRELAND1822., HE ARRIVED IN AUSTRALIA FEBRUARY 13TH 1840. HE WORKED FOR DONALDCAMERON ON (CLUNES RUN) AS A SHEPHERD FROM 1842 - 1846. LURED BY GOLD DISCOVERY IN CALIFORNIA, USA. ESMOND LEFT CLUNES 1849 RETURNING TO AUSTRALIA ABOARD THE 'EMMA" IN 1851 ON JUNE 29TH 1851, HE DISCOVERED GOLD IN QUARTZ AND ALLUVIUM. THE GEELONG ADVERTISER REPORTED THE DISCOVERY AND THE GREAT GOLD RUSH STARTED. JAMES ESMOND TOOK PART IN EUREKA UPRISING WITH PETER LALOR.1, PHOTO COPY OF PHOTOGRAPH OF JAMES ESMOND 1822-1890 2, SUMMARY OF THE LIFE OF JAMES ESMONDjames esmond, donald cameron, gold mining, local history -
Clunes Museum
Map - MAPS/DOCUMENTS
... INFORMATION local history mining PORT PHILLIP MINE DOCUMENTATION ...INFORMATIONDOCUMENTATION AND MAPS DESCRIBING THE WORKINGS OF THE PORT PHILLIP MINE, SHOWING 54 FEET DEEP OF THE UNDERGROUND WORKINGS.local history, mining, port phillip mine -
Clunes Museum
Photograph, R. W. NIVEN & C0, 1863
... history mining PORT PHILLIP REDUCTION WORKS REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPH ...REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPH PORT PHILLIP REDUCTION WORKS 1863. TWO SMOKING CHIMNEYS. TWO POPPET HEADS AND BUILDINGS.local history, mining, port phillip reduction works -
Clunes Museum
Document - MINER'S RIGHT
... RIGHT ISSUED ON 20TH NOVEMBER, 1901 local history mining miner's ...MINER'S RIGHT ISSUED ON 20TH NOVEMBER, 1901PHOTOCOPY OF A VICTORIAN MINER'S RIGHT FOR CHARLES BARWELL OF AMHURST ISSUED AT MARYBOROUGH - TALBOT 21ST NOV EMBER1900 ISSUED AT A COST OF 2s. 6d.local history, mining, miner's right -
Clunes Museum
Document - SCRAP BOOK, F.C. WEICKHARDT, 1973
... HISTORY MINING DARK GREEN CARDBOARD COVERED FOLDER HOLDING ...THE STORY OF CLUNES DISPUTE COMPILED FROM NEWSPAPER REPORTS BY F.C. WEICKHARDT 1973. CLUNES CHINESE RIOT PRESENTED TO TALBOT AND CLUNES SHIRE COUNCIL. CHINESE RIOT 9-12-1873 REINACTMENT 7-12-1973 REPORTS FROM BALLARAT COURIER, CLUNES GUARDIAN, AUSTRALASIAN SKETCHER, CRESWICK ADVERTISER.DARK GREEN CARDBOARD COVERED FOLDER HOLDING CUTTINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS AND REPORTS OF CLUNES RIOT REINACTMENT IN CLUNES DECEMBER 7TH, 1973.clunes riot, 1873, local history, mining -
Clunes Museum
Photograph, RICHARDS .CO. - BALLARAT
... history mining CHARLES HARVEY C.J. HARVEY MR. C.J. HARVEY. SHIRE ...MR C.J. HARVEY WAS THE FIRST MANAGER OF THE "CLUNES MINE" P.GLU CO.IT COMMENCED OPERATIONS ON HILL ABOVE VICTORIA PARK IN 1913. MR. HARVEY MADE A DONATION OF A BEAUTIFUL MARBLE STATUETTE ENTITLED"TRAGEDY" TO CLUNES TOWN HALL. FEB. 1913PHOTOGRAPH OF MR. CHARLES HARVEY, THE FIRST MINE MANAGER AT CLUNES BLACK SUITED, WHITE BEARDED, WHITE HAIRED GENTLEMAN STANDING - OCCASIONAL TABLES, FRAMED MIRROR AND COLUMNS IN BACK GROUND. 2 COPIES OF THE SAME PHOTOGRAPH: .1 IS MOUNTED ON A BOARD - ON THE BOTTOM: MR. J. HARVEY - FIRST MANAGER OF PORT PHILLIP MINES .2 A SMALLER PHOTOGRAPH MOUNTED ON GREY CARDBOARDMR. C.J. HARVEY. SHIRE OF TALBOT AND CLUNES.local history, mining, charles harvey, c.j. harvey -
Clunes Museum
Photograph, C. NETTLETON, MELBOURNE, NORTH CLUNES QUARTZ MINE, CIRCA 1865
... local history mining NORTH CLUNES QUARTZ MINE NORTH CLUNES ....1 SEPIA PHOTOGRAPH, OF NORTH CLUNES QUARTZ MINING COMPANY, POPPET HEAD CENTRE RIGHT. .2 BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO PRINT .3 BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO PRINT, CLOSE UP OF POPPET HEAD .4 BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO PRINTNORTH CLUNES QUARTZ MINNG COMPANY, REGISTERED, CLUNES.local history, mining, north clunes quartz mine -
Clunes Museum
Photograph, BEAUCHAMP, PHOTO. 104 STURT STREET, BALLARAT, CIRCA 1884 - 1885
... LOCAL HISTORY MINING PORT PHILLIP MINE THE PORT PHILIP ...SEPIA PHOTOGRAPH OF PORT PHILLIP COMPANY'S WORKS.THE PORT PHILIP COMPANY'S WORK'S. HANDWRITTEN NOTES: PERIOD 1884 OR 5. TAKEN FROM CAMP PARADE: NOERTH WEST END NOTE SAND ALLOWED TO RUN INTO CREEK NORTH SHAFT, 2ND BATTERY HOUSE, SOUTH SHAFT. BEAUCHAMP PHOTO, 104 STURT STREET, BALLARATlocal history, mining, port phillip mine -
Clunes Museum
Document - REPORT, 13/11/1973
... LOCAL HISTORY DOCUMENT LOCAL HISTORY MINING CHINESE RIOT ...CARBON COPY OF AN ACCOUNT OF "THE CLUNES RIOT"local history, document, local history, mining, chinese riot. -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph, Circa 1858
Taken around 1858, depicting a row of five business buildings on a rocky, sloping hillside at New Town, with a view across to residences and open land. Businesses included, Joseph E. Bishop, Coach Builders; Straughair Duncan, Engineers, Blacksmiths & Farriers; Straughair Duncan, Beechworth Foundry; Wholesale & Retail Est. 1855, Mackenzie Family Store ; and T. Pratten, Grocer. Eleven men may be seen outside the Foundry building. The Mental Hospital can be seen in the background. Mark Straughair and John Duncan, established the Beechworth Foundry, Newtown in 1858 and went on to build an important industry, employing around sixteen men, after acquiring Alexander Roger's New Ford Street Foundry in the late 1860s. Making and repairing mostly mining and agricultural machinery for the Ovens District and a Beechworth brewery, the business continued to function after Straughair's death in 1882, up until the death of Duncan in 1896, when the business folded. This photograph is historically significant because it shows the development of the businesses in Beechworth from the early establishment of the town.Black and white rectangular photograph printed on photographic paperReverse: [Agfa wordmarks: diamond-shaped watermarks for Agfa photographic paper] 1997.2642/ refer to/ 1997 2650/ 3056joseph e. bishop, mark straughair, john duncan, mackenzie family store, beechworth foundry, coach, coach builder, engineer, blacksmith, farrier, t. pratten, beechworth grocers, grocer, new town, newtown beechworth, newtown, foundry, 1858, local business, new ford street foundry, alexander rogers, victorian agricultural history, mining machinery, beechworth brewery, ovens district, mayday hills mental asylum, beechworth mental hospital, beechworth mental asylum, mental hospital, mental -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph, 1990s -- estimated
Taken in the 1990s, this photograph depicts a line of historically restored shopfronts on Ford Street, Beechworth, with Beechworth Bazaar in the foreground and George Gammon's Chemist and Druggist adjacent to it.This photograph is of social significance to the Beechworth community in depicting the Street of Shops, the creation of curator, Roy Harvey, which opened in 1979 at Burke Museum. According to the Indigo Shire Council webpage for Burke Museum, this addition 'began a new period of collecting with Roy Harvey calling to the community for donations. The response resulted in an influx of material adding to the town history/ development and local identities collections. The Shops and their contents reflect another period in museology.' This photograph evokes the historic shopfronts of Beechworth Bazaar and George Gammon's Chemist and Druggist from the Street of Shops, which were established during the mid-1850s on the back of gold mining wealth. The expansion of banks within Beechworth also stimulated the local economy.Colour rectangular photograph printed on gloss photographic paper.Obverse: BEECHWORTH BAZAAR est. 1855/ CHINA GLASSWARE SILVERPLATE EARTHENWARE/ ?ESTER HO?E/ R.?ALL. ? LT.LITTLEWOO?/ SINGLEMAN & RIEDLE GEORGE GAMMON/ MEDICAL GALVANISM/ CUPPING/ TEETH EXTRACTED/ CHEMIST & DRUGGIST Reverse: 3. 3055 burke museum, beechworth, beechworth bazaar, 19th-century victorian history, beechworth historic shops, burke museum, promoting settlement, marketing and retailing, living in country towns, making regional centres, preserving traditions and commemorating, victorian gold rush towns, beechworth pioneers, 1850s beechworth -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph, Estimate 1999
This photograph was taken in 1999 at 'The Harvest' exhibition at the Burke Museum for members of Baking Industry Victoria. The grain mill, manufactured by B.M. Purshouse in Wolverhampton, England, was of special interest.This photograph is of primary social significance to the Beechworth community because it depicts a 19th-century grain mill, manufactured by B.M. Purshouse in Wolverhampton, England, which was probably used at flour mills in the Ovens District, such as that at Tarrawingee, which opened in 1866. The purchase of agricultural machinery such as the grain mill accompanied the expansion of agriculture, including grain growing, in the Ovens District following the gold mining prosperity of the 1850s. This photograph may be of interest to researchers who wish to observe an image of the Purshouse grain mill.Colour rectangular photograph printed on matte AGFA photographic paper.Obverse: THE HARVEST / THE HARVEST Reverse: 2854beechworth, burke museum, promoting settlement, living in country towns, making regional centres, preserving traditions and commemorating, farming and agriculture, exhibitions, burke museum exhibitions, building local economies, transforming land, victorian agricultural history, marketing and promoting agricultural products, the harvest exhibition, harvests, victorian gold rush towns, grain mill, bm purshouse, crops and grain, baking industry victoria -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph, 14/05/1979
Taken on 14 May 1979, this photo depicts Mr Alan J. Dunlop and his wife presenting a 2.86-gram solid gold nugget found in the Beechworth area more than 100 years ago, to the Shire President, Councillor Mrs Valerie Mason. The gold is reported as attached to a small amount of milk quartz mounted onto a tie pin, and was donated to the Burke Museum by the Dunlop family. Alan Dunlop, pictured, was Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop's older brother. The tie pin artefact being donated in this photograph is entered into the Victorian Collections, and records that the nugget was found in the Beechworth Goldfields by Mr Fred McIntosh, in the last 1800s. Fred McIntosh, the husband of Elizabeth (Bessie) Dunlop (the sister of Alan & Edward's father, John) had the nugget made into tie pin and presented it to the Dunlop Family. Furthermore, Valerie 'Val' Mason was the first female president of the former Beechworth Shire for two terms and a councillor for nine years. This photograph is of historic significance as it depicts known individuals who have connections to key Australian figures. Alan Dunlop is the brother of famous war doctor Edward 'Weary' Dunlop, and both men are Beechworth locals. The object Alan holds is a tie pin made from gold found by the Dunlops' uncle, and the provenance of the item β from goldfield to family collection to museum collection β provides a recent context with which to interpret the significance of gold-mining on present and future generations, as well as strong research potential on minerals known to be sourced in the area. In conjunction with other photographs in the collection, this photograph visually documents the donation and acquisition of the tie pin artefact into the Burke Museum Collection. In addition, it depicts Valerie βValβ Mason, in her role as the president of the former Beechworth Shire. Val was the first female in this role, which she held for two terms, and was a councillor in the Shire for nine years. This photograph is of social significance as it depicts two well-known and respected Beechworth locals handling a key artefact of significance to the Beechworth Goldfields. It also shows the Burke Museum in 1979, providing research potential for those interested in the history of the development of the museum's collection. Colour rectangular photograph printed on matte photographic paper.Reverse: Polacolor (Registered Trademark symbol) Type 108 / LR / Mrs Valerie Mason / Mr Dunlop (Weary's brother) / Mrs Vivian Payne (erased) / 14-5-1979 A.J. Dunlop & wife with Cr. Mason /L85052P gold, nugget, tie pin, pin, beechworth, burke museum, goldrush, goldfield, dunlop, edward dunlop, weary dunlop, alan dunlop, valerie mason, fred mcintosh, gold mining, donation, museum, collection, president, councillor, shire, female -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Geological specimen - Brown coal
This particular specimen was recovered from the Lal Lal Coal and Iron Mine in Victoria, 19km from Ballarat. Brown Coal was discovered here in 1857, just alongside the Geelong to Ballarat Railway line. This discovery of lignite (brown coal) was the first in Victoria, which would bring important benefits to the region and state, both of which had previously been reliant on coal imports. In the 1860s, iron ore was found just 5km from Lal Lal, and the area was converted into an Iron Ore Mine. The Lal Lal Iron Mining Company took over operations in 1874, who then peaked iron production in 1884. This mine continued operations until June 1884, when the blast furnace was extinguished and never recommenced. The blast furnace at Lal Lal is considered one of the most important and highly significant sites ion early industrial history in Australia, as it is the only remaining best furnace from the nineteenth century in the Southern Hemisphere. The furnace ruins are 17 metres high, and are clearly visible today on Iron Mine Road, Lal Lal, near the Bungal Dam. This specimen of Lignite (brown coal) is significant, as it was mined from the area where brown coal was first discovered in Victoria, leading to an important and controversial future of the mining and use of brown coal in this State. The Victorian Heritage Database has listed the Lal Lal Coal Mine with local significance, with their Statement of Significance stating: "The Lal Lal coal mine is historically significant as the site of the first discovery of lignite (brown coal) in Victoria, and one that promised important benefits to regional and state industries that were reliant on coal imports at the time. The significance of the stie is reduced by the poor state of preservation of the coal mining and processing fabric". This specimen is part of a larger collection of geological and mineral specimens collected from around Australia (and some parts of the world) and donated to the Burke Museum between 1868-1880. A large percentage of these specimens were collected in Victoria as part of the Geological Survey of Victoria that begun in 1852 (in response to the Gold Rush) to study and map the geology of Victoria. Collecting geological specimens was an important part of mapping and understanding the scientific makeup of the earth. Many of these specimens were sent to research and collecting organisations across Australia, including the Burke Museum, to educate and encourage further study.A hand-sized light-weight, soft and combustable sedimentary rock specimen, that is dark brown in colour. The specimen has jagged edges, as though parts of the rock have crumbled away. Brown coal, or Lignite, is formed naturally from compressed peat, and is typically found in natural basins. The stages to the formation of coal ('coalification') begin with plant material and wood, which will decay if it is not subjected to deep burial or heating, and turn into Peat. Peat, when sufficiently compressed naturally, will turn into Brown Coal (Lignite), and finally into Black Coal (sub-bituminous, bituminous and anthracite). Each successive stage has a higher energy content and lower water content. It is brownish-black in colour. Brown Coal has a high moisture content, between 50 and 75 percent, and a low carbon content. Some Brown Coals may be stratified, with layers of plant matter, which means little coalification has occurred beyond the peat natural processing stage. When Brown Coal is submerged in dilute nitric acid or boiling potassium hydroxide solution, it reacts to produce a reddish solution, of which higher-ranked coals do not. When brown coal is pulverised and burned in boilers, the steam is used to drive turbines, which generates electricity. It is the lowest rank of coal, as when burned, it creates a relatively low heat content, which in turn does not create a great output of steam. burke museum, beechworth, indigo shire, beechworth museum, geological, geological specimen, mineralogy, brown coal, brown coal specimen, lignite, lal lal, lal lal coal mine, lal lal iron mine, ballarat, blast furnace -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Geological specimen - Chalcopyrite
This specimen originated from Mount Lyell on the west coast of Tasmania, where a large group of open cut and underground copper-silver-gold mines began operating in 1883. Between 1893-1994, the Mt Lyell Mining and Railway Company were responsible for operations. The Mt Lyell copper-gold mines produce some excellent crystallised specimens of chalcopyrite and other minerals. The deposits are generally considered to be of Cambrian volcanic origin, but there are indications of Devonian granitic influence on the ores, plus local remobilisation during Devonian deformation. Over 120 million tonnes of ore was produced from several workings, including the main Prince Lyell mine and the North Lyell mine, which was also of great importance. The Mount Lyell mines have a long history of human and environmental disasters, including the 1912 North Lyell fire that killed 42 miners, and two separate incidents in 2013 in which three people lost their lives. The environmental impacts from this complex of mines are extensive, with waste tailings and heavy metal contamination flowing directly into the King and Queen River catchments. In 1954, the eminent Australian historian, Geoffrey Blainey, published 'The Peaks of Lyell' which delves into the history of the 1912 North Mount Lyell Disaster.Chalcopyrite does not contain the most copper in its structure relative to other minerals, but it is the most important copper ore since it can be found in many localities and occurs in a variety of ore types. The brassy-yellow colours in Chalcopyrite mean it is often confused with pyrites and gold, leading to use of the term, "fool's gold." Chalcopyrite has been the primary ore of copper since smelting began five thousand years ago. This specimen is part of a larger collection of geological and mineral specimens collected from around Australia (and some parts of the world) and donated to the Burke Museum between 1868-1880. A large percentage of these specimens were collected in Victoria as part of the Geological Survey of Victoria that begun in 1852 (in response to the Gold Rush) to study and map the geology of Victoria. Collecting geological specimens was an important part of mapping and understanding the scientific makeup of the earth. Many of these specimens were sent to research and collecting organisations across Australia, including the Burke Museum, to educate and encourage further study.This hand sized solid mineral specimen has shades of brass-yellow with spots of iridescent green-black tarnish. Chalcopyrite is a copper iron sulphide mineral and a major ore of copper common in sulphide veins and disseminated in igneous rocks. Chalcopyrite has a hardness of 3.5-4 on the Mohs Scale. It is a member of the tetragonal crystal system and has metallic lustre and opaque transparency.burke museum, beechworth, indigo shire, beechworth museum, geology, geological specimen, chalcopyrite, copper pyrites, copper mining, tasmanian geology, mount lyell, mount lyell mines, fools gold, mohs scale, crystals, minerals, historical geological collection, victorian geological survey, a.r.c selwyn, gold rush, van diemans land -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Audio - Oral History, Mrs Frances Gladstone, 31st March 2000
Frances Gertrude Gladstone was born on the 18th of September 1919 to Arthur George Ladson and Gertrude Hunrick Irving. France's grandfather, Alfred Ladson, came Beechworth from Norfolk, England, during the gold rush. Alfred had a grocery business, and was well known for writing letters for the miners to send to their families. Alfred also travelled to Beechworth with his sister, who was a trained nurse and helped establish a hospital for the goldfields. Frances remembers her father saying the Chinese miners were not allowed to bring their families to the goldfields, hence there were no Chinese children in schools around Beechworth. Frances was an avid botanist, and wrote a book called 'The Little Huntsman', which she wrote while watching her husband gold mining. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke.Frances Gladstone's story is significant, as she remembered important information about Chinese miners in the gold rush, explained the role of women in the 20th century in Beechworth, and the history of the hospitals in the region. This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.listen to what they say, beechworth, oral history, burke museum, botanist, chinese miners, goldmining, gladstone -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Audio - Oral History, Jennifer Williams, Mrs Grace Irvine, 20th April 2000
Mrs Grace Irvine was born in 1907 as one of eight children to the Shennan family in Silver Creek, a town three kilometres east of Beechworth that was considered a part of the town. Her father was a 'wood-carter', contracted to deliver wood to the mining dredges at Silver Creek and the Mayday Hills asylum. Wife to Dick, and mother to four children, Mrs Irvine spent her life in Beechworth, recalling many transformations in its history and living through wars and the Depression. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke.The oral history record of Mrs Grace Irvine is a rare and representative insight into life in Beechworth from the turn of the 20th century to the 21st century, specifically in the descriptions of the everyday, commerce, business, family, and leisure activities for residents of the town throughout war-time and the Depression. Mrs Irvine's recollections have a social value to the Irvine family who have a long enduring history with Beechworth, and so also provide significance to the social and cultural history of the town. This oral history account is socially and historically significant as it is a part of a broader collection of interviews conducted by Jennifer Williams which were published in the book 'Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth-century Beechworth.' While the township of Beechworth is known for its history as a gold rush town, these accounts provide a unique insight into the day-to-day life of the town's residents during the 20th century, many of which will have now been lost if they had not been preserved.This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.Mrs Grace Irvine /listen to what they say, beechworth, oral history, burke museum, irvine, grace irvine