Anaconda Copper Mine, Eulaminna (Murrin Murrin mining centre), Leonora Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Anaconda Copper Mine	Mine
Eulaminna (Murrin Murrin mining centre)	- not defined -
Leonora Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

An abandoned copper mine located 43 km east of Leonora, on the old Leonora to Laverton Road. In the early 20th Century this was considered the most important copper mine in Western Australia having produced over half the copper for the State to that point. It was to end in tears, a fate consigned to many early copper mines in Australia.

The mine was located south of the Nangaroo, Princess Alix and Hill's Proprietary mines, about 8 kilometres south of the Minara station homestead, and directly east of the Old Laverton Road. Part or all of the site appears at present to be occupied by recent shallow nickel mining open pits, as a satellite operation for the huge Murrin Murrin nickel mine. Nickel was not a metal recognised by the early miners.

The mine started under the Anaconda name, but its name changed to Murrin Murrin Mine, to prevent confusion on overseas markets between it, and a larger more established mine in the United States. Murrin Murrin, is an indigenous name for an acacia tree common in the district, has also been given to a major nickel mine in the area (http://www.mindat.org/loc-245262.html), and a nearby ghost town. It was also locally known as the Eulaminna mine.

The mine spawned a nearby town also called Anaconda, then name changed to Eulaminna. All that remains are some shafts and small mullock piles but is signposted from the road. Eulaminna now largely refers to the giant slag heaps, 5 kilometres along the road west of Murrin Murrin. Modern mining appears to have added to the spoil at the back of the heaps. It is a good place to fossick.

Confusingly, there is a modern nickel-cobalt mine 12 kilometres north-east of the historic Murrin Murrin townsite, which started its life in 1999 as the Anaconda Mine after the company which founded it, then changed its name to Murrin Murrin. It is the third largest nickel-cobalt mine in the world. It is added as a separate entry under Murrin Murrin.

The Anaconda started life as a gold prospect by David Lambie in 1897. Rather than gold, it was copper mainly being uncovered, and Lambie let the mine under option to the Great Boulder Hampton company for 2500 pounds. Their prospecting failed to find anything worthwhile. Then the lease was jumped by Charles Taylor for non fulfilment of labour conditions. Taylor uncovered high grade ore. His first 225 tonnes was dispatched to Wallaroo in South Australia, and realised 4400 pounds. The ore contained 30% copper. Taylor sold the prospect for several thousand pounds. The Murrin Murrin Consolidated Copper Mining Company was floated. Soon 150 men were employed at the mine. The mulga scrub for miles was denuded for charcoal to feed the furnaces.

By 1901, the mine had produced 10 000 tonnes of ore for 700 tonnes of copper worth 50 000 pounds. The mine in 1901 covered 223 acres, with two leases called Butte City and Mount Malcolm, 4 miles apart. The furnace and main workings were on the latter lease, with a main shaft to 180 feet deep on a lode averaging 10 feet wide, of copper sulphide at 9% Cu. At Butte City was three parallel lines of lode stretching for 1200 feet. The mine at this time employed 200 men.

The mine closed in 1904. The money raised to develop the mine was by debentures with the debenture holders taking a mortgage over the mine. Some of the directors of the mine were also debenture holders, and clearly represented a conflict of interest. Management at the mine was inexperienced, and machinery had been erected wrongly. There was also lax supervision of employees, who could come to work when they felt like it. As one example, the smelter workers would re-smelt the product of prior shifts as it was easier than dealing with raw ore. Employees were left with several weeks wages owing, which were never paid.

William Blakemore entered the scene. Here was a man with 50 years copper processing experience across Australia and the world. For a time he worked with his own funds to try and re-open the mine. Lacking capital he approached A.E. Morgan who financed the erection of plant and equipment for a half share in the mine. Blakemore had a quarter share, Frank Stevens one eighth,and Perth speculator J.H. Nicholson also one eighth. The new company was called the Murrin Copper Mines Ltd.

Copper prices soared. Large dividends were paid to the above owners, said to be 25 000 pounds in two years. However there were also problems. Little development work had been done. The owners were unwilling to invest extra capital into the mine, despite receiving generous dividends previously. Over half the deposit was zinc, which did not fetch a high price at the time, and the furnaces installed did not cope well with it. The ore body decreased in size and value. Meanwhile management continued to promote the mine if nothing was wrong.

In a case of history repeating itself, the mine closed for good in 1908. Again six weeks wages were owed to employees which were never paid. They made approaches to the Minister for Mines declaring they were destitute and starving. Money was despatched to a government representative in the area, who pocketed half of it. While some miners may have been struggling, money was also given out to former employees who had found jobs elsewhere, mine management, and people who were spending big in town, and clearly were not destitute. When the matter reached court over the lost wages, the company didn't bother turning up.

The near surface ore was oxidised red and black, containing azurite and malachite. This gave way at the water level to purple and grey sulphides, bornite, and chalcocite. The lodes occurred in huge lenses enclosed by kaolin, with shoots dipping south, the lodes trending north-east and dipping 55 degrees east.The ore bodies could be up to 25 feet wide and extended for 1200 feet. Very rich bunches of ore would be frequently met showing native copper and silver in abundance. There was also significant gold values in the ore, and much iron pyrites.

In 1907 towards the end of the Mine's life, the workings were in three groupings. The southern most had a shaft to 400 feet deep with levels at 85, 202, and 298 feet. Ore had been stoped from the 192 foot level to the surface, south of the shaft for 300 feet. There were two lenses, 5 to 17 feet wide, the southern one smaller and more siliceous. The north lense was 13 feet at the surface but at depth increased to 27 feet wide. At the No. 3 level was a lower grade large body of ore 1-10% Cu, mostly iron pyrites, often semi decomposed, with some powdery black sulphide of copper. Rich ore remained above as a solid mass of blue and green carbonates with iron oxides in a siliceous matrix.

The middle group was 460 feet north of the southern group, opened by a magazine shaft to 100 feet and crosscut at 79 feet, 30 feet to the west and 120 feet to the east.

The Northern workings were 330 feet north of the middle workings. This contained a very rich pipe of sulphide ore at 70% Cu, with three shafts to 130 feet deep.

There were probably many other species, and interesting specimens, but we will never know, as it was processed for copper, with the mine not active since 1908.

This once grand mine was sold to prospectors Cumming, Smith and party in 1910.

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