Historical information

The Williams United Shaft (New Chum Reef) is a significant historical gold mining site in Eaglehawk, a suburb of Bendigo, Victoria. Located at the end of Junction Street, this heritage-listed site contains remnants of mining infrastructure, including a poppet head, compressor beds, and a winder bed, amidst old open-cut workings and mullock heaps. The mine was part of the rich Bendigo goldfield and is recognized on the Victorian Heritage Inventory.
In the 1980s, a company, Bendigo Mining NL, proposed a re- development of the mine with an opencut and underground workings, leading to environmental assessments and the collection of photographs of the decaying underground infrastructure.

Physical description

Black and white photograph: two miners timbering a drive at Williams United Gold Mine, Eaglehawk. Miner in background hammering a nail in, with hand extended to miner squatting on floor of drive, who is handing up a nail. Miner, holding the hammer, is smoking a cigarette.