Wheal Watkins mine

Last updated

Wheal Watkins
Location
Australia South Australia location map.svg
Schlaegel und Eisen nach DIN 21800.svg
Wheal Watkins
Location in Australia
Location Glen Osmond [1]
State South Australia
CountryAustralia
Coordinates 34°57′42″S138°39′20″E / 34.961722°S 138.655446°E / -34.961722; 138.655446 [1]
Production
ProductsLead
Silver
History
Opened1843
Closed1916
Owner
CompanyWheal Gawler Mining Association
Adelaide Silver Lead Company
Tarcoola Development Syndicate

Wheal Watkins mine, formerly Wheal Gawler mine, is an historic lead and silver mine in Glen Osmond, South Australia. [1] The mine first operated from 1844 until 1850, and again briefly in 1888 to 1889, and 1916. From 1986 onwards, the mine was accessible by guided tour, until a rockfall event prompted its closure in 2005.

Contents

Development

The Wheal Watkins mine was preceded by the Wheal Gawler mine, which was opened in May 1841. [2] The initial discovery of galena in the field is attributed to James Heneker. [3]

The property containing the Wheal Watkins lead and silver deposit was purchased by Mr Watkins of Worthing, England in December 1841. It was purchased through his South Australian agent, Peter Peachey, who opened a mine there on his behalf in 1843. He first worked the deposit in May 1844. [4] [5] The lode was found to contain 70% lead and 30 ounces of silver per ton. The ore was sold in London for £13 13 shillings per ton. [4]

The mine's principal contractor was Thomas Williams, and a team of Cornish miners was employed. [6] The 'wheal' part of the name comes from Cornish, and means 'place of work'.

In its first year, the mine employed twelve to eighteen people. In the mine's first seven months, 150 tons of ore was extracted, 100 tons of which was shipped to England. [5] A nearby hotel called The Miner's Arms provided accommodation and provisions to visitors to the mine and region. [7] Peachey died in 1850, but work on the mine continued. The mine was abandoned due to a combination of "extravagant" management, the "ridiculously high" impost of royalties and miners seeking more lucrative prospects during the Victorian gold rush of 1851. [4]

Later workings

The field, which included the adjacent Wheal Gawler and Glen Osmond mines, enjoyed a short-lived revival in 1888. [4] At this time, the operation was led by Captain Rowe, [8] and the mine's secretary was Mr H. Conigrave. [9] A report on the mine from 1888 referred to the mine by the alternative name of "Peachey's lode". [10]

In 1913, a prospector became faint while down the mine, and was saved from falling to his death by his partner. A bow-line loop of rope was lowered around his body and the prospector was hauled safely to the surface. [11]

The last entity to formally work the mine was the Tarcoola Development Syndicate in 1916. [12] [13] [14]

Closure

After the closure of the mine, some shafts and adits remained open. Several incidents are known to have occurred whereby people or animals fell down holes or became stuck in adits. These include a dog [15] and a cow, [16] both of which were safely recovered.

Preservation

The mine was listed on the South Australian Heritage Register in 1984 [17] and was added to the now-defunct Register of the National Estate in 1996, [18] and re-opened by then South Australian Minister for Mines, Stephen Baker MP.[ citation needed ]

In 2004, tours departed from the Burnside Council Chambers with a round trip two hours in duration. Tours ran on the third Sunday of every month, and tickets cost $7 for adults and $4 for children. [19]

In 2005, the mine was closed after a rockfall event.

In 2008, a bequest of $30,000 AUD was given to the City of Burnside Council in trust, to facilitate repairs and make it possible to reopen the mine for tours. The late donor, John Clark, had previously facilitated tours of the mine from 1986, and appeared in an episode of the TV series Postcards which was dedicated to the Glen Osmond mines, and presented by Keith Conlon. [20]

In 2008, Ross Both and Greg Drew wrote of the Glen Osmond mines in the Journal of Australasian Mining History: "It is essential that further restoration of the [Wheal Watkins] adits be carried out so that public access will again be possible to one of Australia's most significant mining heritage sites." [21]

In 2013, Mayor David Parkin stated that "ratepayers have outlaid considerable funds on preservation of these mines over the years and it is a matter of judgment when enough is enough." [22]

As of March 2016, the mine remains closed to the public. The Burnside Historical Society plans to work with the council to reopen the mine for tours and develop a display for public viewing which will feature a pick found in the Glen Osmond mine and a piece of galena. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Lofty Ranges</span> Mountain range in Australia

The Mount Lofty Ranges are a range of mountains in the Australian state of South Australia which for a small part of its length borders the east of Adelaide. The part of the range in the vicinity of Adelaide is called the Adelaide Hills and defines the eastern border of the Adelaide Plains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Burnside</span> Local government area in South Australia

The City of Burnside is a local government area in the South Australian city of Adelaide stretching from the Adelaide Parklands into the Adelaide foothills with an area of 2,753 hectares. It was founded in August 1856 as the District Council of Burnside, the name of a property of an early settler, and was classed as a city in 1943. The LGA is bounded by Adelaide, Adelaide Hills Council, Campbelltown, Mitcham, Norwood Payneham and St Peters and Unley.

Mount Osmond is a small suburb of 2,497 people in the South Australian capital city of Adelaide. It is part of the City of Burnside local government area and located in the foothills of the Adelaide Hills, five kilometres south east of the city centre. The suburb is high on the hill of the same name, which is the last hill on the right when approaching Adelaide down the South Eastern Freeway before the road levels out onto the Adelaide Plains. It is bounded to the north by the suburb of Beaumont, to the north-east by Burnside, to the east by Waterfall Gully, to the south by Leawood Gardens/Eagle On The Hill, to the south-west by Urrbrae, to the west by Glen Osmond and to the north-west by St Georges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Osmond, South Australia</span> Suburb of Adelaide, South Australia

Glen Osmond is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Burnside which is in the foothills of the Adelaide Hills. It is well known for the road intersection on the western side of the suburb, where the South Eastern Freeway from the Adelaide Hills and the main route from Melbourne splits into National Route A17 Portrush Road, Glen Osmond Road, Adelaide and state route A3 Cross Road west towards the coast and southern suburbs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moonta, South Australia</span> Town in South Australia

Moonta is a town on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia, 165 km (103 mi) north-northwest of the state capital of Adelaide. It is one of three towns known as the Copper Coast or "Little Cornwall" for their shared copper mining history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the City of Burnside</span> History of area in Adelaide, Australia

The history of the City of Burnside, a local government area in the metropolitan area of Adelaide, spans three centuries. Prior to European settlement Burnside was inhabited by the Kaurna people, who lived around the creeks of the River Torrens during the winter and in the Adelaide Hills during the summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glen Osmond Road</span>

Glen Osmond Road is a major section of the Princes Highway in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. Connecting the Adelaide city centre with the Adelaide Hills via the South Eastern Freeway; Glen Osmond Road carries half of Adelaide's freight traffic and is the major commuter route from the southern Adelaide Hills. It is designated part of route A1.

Peacock & Son was a tanning and wool-brokering business in the early days of South Australia. Three members of the family were notable public figures: William Peacock was a successful businessman and one of the colony's first parliamentarians. His eldest son Joseph Peacock carried on the family business and was a member of parliament. His youngest son Caleb Peacock was a member of parliament and Mayor of Adelaide from 1875 to 1877, the first such born in the Colony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Fowler (politician)</span> Australian politician

George Swan Fowler was a South Australian politician and a Treasurer of South Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osmond Gilles</span> Australian politician

Osmond Gilles was a settler, pastoralist, mine owner and the Colony of South Australia’s first colonial treasurer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Neales</span> Australian politician

John Bentham Neales, frequently referred to as "J. Bentham Neales" or "Bentham Neales", was a businessman and politician in the early days of South Australia, by some regarded as the "Father of Mining in South Australia".

Eric Roger Goldsworthy AO is a former Australian politician and 3rd Deputy Premier of South Australia from 1979 to 1982. Goldsworthy represented the House of Assembly seat of Kavel for the Liberal and Country League and Liberal Party from 1970 to 1992. Before entering Parliament he was a farmer and teacher. He was also a member of University of Adelaide Council 1970–1973. He became deputy leader of the SA Liberals, and hence Deputy Leader of the Opposition, in 1975 when David Tonkin successfully challenged Bruce Eastick's leadership. As such, he became Deputy Premier when the Liberals won the 1979 state election, also serving as Minister of Mines and Energy, Services and Supply. He remained deputy leader when the Liberals went back into opposition in 1982 under John Olsen, and held the deputy's post until returning to the backbench in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Martin (South Australian politician)</span> Australian politician

James Martin was an industrialist and politician in the early days of the Colony of South Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1888 SAFA season</span>

The 1888 South Australian Football Association season was the 12th season of the top-level Australian rules football competition in South Australia. The Norwood Football Club won their 8th premiership by winning 1 premiership point, or a half a win, more than Port Adelaide.

David Packham was an Australian politician. He was a member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1894 to 1896, representing the electorate of East Torrens. He had earlier been a Town of Kensington and Norwood councillor for 22 years, and was mayor from 1878 to 1880.

South Australian Mining Association was a no-liability company which established several mines in South Australia, notably the "Grey Wheal", or north mine at Burra, which made a fortune for its promoters, the "Snobs", while the adjacent southern claim, by the Princess Royal Company ("Nobs") proved worthless.

Thomas Williams of Rushden Hall & Wanfield Lodge was a politician in the colony of South Australia, serving as a non-official acting member of the Legislative Council of South Australia from June 1843 to September 1843.

John Grainger was an English real estate investor and member of the South Australian Legislative Council from February 1851 to December 1854.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Warren (mining)</span>

John Warren, frequently styled "Captain Warren" or "Captain Jack" after the traditional mining practice, was a mining engineer and mine manager in Australia.

Early Experiences of Colonial Life in South Australia is a book by John Wrathall Bull originally published as "Early Experiences of Colonial Life by An arrival of 1838" as weekly instalments in The Advertiser, repeated in its associated Chronicle and Weekly Mail.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Search results for 'Wheal Watkins Historical Site,' with the following datasets selected – 'Suburbs and Localities', 'Gazetteer' and 'SA Heritage Places'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  2. ↑ Price, A. Grenfell (1924). The foundation and settlement of South Australia, 1829-1845 : a study of the colonization movement, based on the records of the South Australian government and on other authoritative documents. Adelaide: F. W. Preece. p. 231. In 1841 the first large mineral discovery was accidentally made at Glen Osmond, where rich deposits of silver lead were opened up in the Wheal Gawler, which is possibly the oldest mine in Australia. When this mine was started, however, times were bad and little was done. In 1843 the Wheal Watkins was commenced in the same area, and remained steadily productive until 1857.
  3. ↑ "Mr. James Heneker, sen". Observer. Adelaide. 10 March 1917. Retrieved 10 March 2016– via Trove.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Mining Days At Glen Osmond". The Mail. Adelaide. 9 October 1943. Retrieved 10 March 2016– via Trove.
  5. 1 2 "SOUTH AUSTRALIA". The Courier. Hobart, Tasmania. 11 January 1845. Retrieved 10 March 2016– via Trove.
  6. ↑ "LOCAL INTELLIGENCE". Adelaide Observer. 29 June 1844. Retrieved 10 March 2016– via Trove.
  7. ↑ "Advertising". Adelaide Observer. 27 July 1844. Retrieved 10 March 2016– via Trove.
  8. ↑ "Unexpected Fall of Mullock at the Wheal Watkins". The Express and Telegraph. Adelaide. 29 September 1888. Retrieved 10 March 2016– via Trove.
  9. ↑ "THE WHEAL WATKINS MINE". South Australian Weekly Chronicle. Adelaide. 1 September 1888. Retrieved 10 March 2016– via Trove.
  10. ↑ "OLD MINES ROUND ADELAIDE – Gold, Silver, and Copper in Ranges ABANDONED SHAFTS DOT COUNTRYSIDE". News. Adelaide. 17 September 1929. Retrieved 10 March 2016– via Trove.
  11. ↑ "SAVED BY A BOWLINE". The Register. Adelaide. 27 November 1913. Retrieved 10 March 2016– via Trove.
  12. ↑ "TARCOOLA DEVELOPMENT SYNDICATE". Observer. Adelaide. 18 November 1916. Retrieved 10 March 2016– via Trove.
  13. ↑ "MINING IN S.A. – SIX MONTHS' OPERATIONS REVIVAL IN COPPER AND GOLD MINING". Daily Herald. Adelaide. 10 October 1916. Retrieved 10 March 2016– via Trove.
  14. ↑ "TAROOOLA DEVELOPMENT SYNDICATE". Observer. Adelaide. 23 September 1916. Retrieved 10 March 2016– via Trove.
  15. ↑ "Out among the People". Observer. Adelaide. 8 January 1931. Retrieved 10 March 2016– via Trove.
  16. ↑ "Twenty-four Days Without Nourishment". Evening Journal. Adelaide. 7 May 1889. Retrieved 10 March 2016– via Trove.
  17. ↑ Hopgood, D. (5 April 1984). "SOUTH AUSTRALIAN HERITAGE ACT, 1978 Entry of Items on the Register of State Heritage Items" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. p. 871. Retrieved 1 August 2019. Wheal Watkins Mine Historic Site .... Glen Osmond 5064. CT. Volume 3030 Folio 96. Allotment 82 of Portion of Section 909; Pt. Council Reserve. Hundred of Adelaide.
  18. ↑ "Wheal Watkins Mine Site, Wheal Gawler St, Glen Osmond, SA, Australia - listing on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate (Place ID 100200)". Australian Heritage Database . Australian Government. 28 May 1996. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  19. ↑ Duckeck, Jochen. "Show Mines of Australia: Glen Osmond Mine Tour". www.showcaves.com. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  20. ↑ "Postcards – Glen Osmond Mines". www.postcards-sa.com.au. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  21. ↑ Both, Ross A.; Drew, Greg J. (1 September 2008). "The Glen Osmond silver-lead mines, South Australia: Australia's first metalliferous mines" (PDF). Journal of Australasian Mining History. 6. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  22. ↑ Altschwager, Emma (18 March 2013). "Burnside Historical Society push to have Glen Osmond's Wheal Watkins Mine opened to the public". Eastern Courier. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  23. ↑ Ide, Meredith (1 March 2016). "President's message" (PDF). Burnside Historical Society Inc. Newsletter. 36 (1). Retrieved 11 March 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.