Historical information

The first company to make a success of hard-rock (quartz) gold mining at Black Hill was the Black Hill Company, formed in 1859. Mining from the open-cut mine probably commenced in 1860 and by 1861 the company had erected the largest stamping mill in Victoria. The mill ran 24 hours a day until the end of 1864 and 12 hours a day in 1865. Open cut mining then ceased. Underground ore extraction continued at Black Hill until the early twentieth century.

Physical description

Photographic image of the abandoned open-cut mine at Black Hill, Ballarat, c1904