Victoria's last goldrush

[user 4386]

Victoria's last gold rush to a new goldfield was in Combienbar in 1931, where Noel Stagg discovered the Baby Endeavour reef that was mostly sulphide, not gold, but extremely high grade. Other minor discoveries followed. Very rich but small. It was the Great Depression, and once news got out there was a line of cars along the Princes Highway and stretching north to Combienbar




Noel went on to develop other older mines, at Bullumwaal, the Queens Birthday at Goldsborough, the Ivanhoe mine in PNG. I explored there in recent years and met Noel's niece, Agnes Stagg, who used to prospect with him, and we corresponded for years by snailmail. I still have her last letter before her death, with a slug of PNG gold magic-taped to it.

 

[Davent]

Look for gold finds just prior to Ww1 1915.
Lots of men didn't come back, and a lot that did never returned to the gold fields.

 

[user 4386]

Look for gold finds just prior to Ww1 1915.
Lots of men didn't come back, and a lot that did never returned to the gold fields.

Problem is that there were negligible new finds at that time (less than fingers on one hand in Victoria, all tiny) - most of Victoria's tiny gold production then came from a few remaining deep quartz mines at places like Bendigo and Ballarat, re-started during the 1890s depression.

 

[Flash Jack]

Problem is that there were negligible new finds at that time (less than fingers on one hand in Victoria, all tiny) - most of Victoria's tiny gold production then came from a few remaining deep quartz mines at places like Bendigo and Ballarat, re-started during the 1890s depression.

View attachment 5319

Interesting graph. The bulges of the 1890 and 1930 depressions are obvious. A 2000 to 2050 graph would be even more interesting!

 

[user 4386]

Interesting graph. The bulges of the 1890 and 1930 depressions are obvious. A 2000 to 2050 graph would be even more interesting!

I'm guessing 15-30 tonnes per year at present e,g, Fosterville mine alone in the June quarter of 2021 produced 379,195 oz and Costerfield would have been the next largest (123,000 oz for 2021).