Hunters Venture Mine, Donnybrook, Donnybrook-Balingup Shire, Western Australia, Australiai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Hunters Venture Mine | Ore Field (Backfilled) |
| Donnybrook | Town |
| Donnybrook-Balingup Shire | Shire |
| Western Australia | State |
| Australia | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
33° 36' 52'' South , 115° 49' 32'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Ore Field (Backfilled)
Köppen climate type:
Richard Hunter discovered gold 6 kilometres south-west of Donnybrook in 1897. Fred Camilleri purchased a majority stake in the lease, and a company called Donnybrook Goldfields Ltd was floated in London in 1899 to develop the Hunters Venture mine. A mini gold-rush ensued.
At the mine's peak in 1901 it employed 105 men, with a 5 head stamper, assay office, housing, a 50 foot poppet head, stables and communications office. The mine closed in 1903.
During the 1930's, Laurie and Foster Payne worked the mine, recovering 130 ounces. Westcoast Holdings Ltd explored the area in the 1980's but the gold grades proved uneconomic.
The goldfield is no-where near the greenstone belt gold deposits found elsewhere in Western Australia, and is also unusual for this State in being an epithermal deposit. The epithermal gold hosting quartz veins and altered host rocks was caused by a hydrothermal solution and is 12 kilometres long. Hunters Venture mine is at the centre of this system.
The veining occurs in Archean gneiss/amphibolite and also in the overlying Donnybrook sandstone. Gold occurs as free particles, and also as electrum containing gold, silver and sometimes mercury. The gold distribution is highly irregular.
At the Hunters Venture mine, veins are 1-2 metres wide down to 200 metres below the surface in gneiss and amphibolite. On top of the nearby hill is a 30 metre zone of silicified sandstone, containing numerous narrow quartz veins with gold throughout, but is sub-economic.
In 1997, the original shaft was cleaned out and repaired. A reconstruction of the original poppet head was placed over the shaft, orchard planted, and the area opened up as a tourist venture selling apple cider.
At the mine's peak in 1901 it employed 105 men, with a 5 head stamper, assay office, housing, a 50 foot poppet head, stables and communications office. The mine closed in 1903.
During the 1930's, Laurie and Foster Payne worked the mine, recovering 130 ounces. Westcoast Holdings Ltd explored the area in the 1980's but the gold grades proved uneconomic.
The goldfield is no-where near the greenstone belt gold deposits found elsewhere in Western Australia, and is also unusual for this State in being an epithermal deposit. The epithermal gold hosting quartz veins and altered host rocks was caused by a hydrothermal solution and is 12 kilometres long. Hunters Venture mine is at the centre of this system.
The veining occurs in Archean gneiss/amphibolite and also in the overlying Donnybrook sandstone. Gold occurs as free particles, and also as electrum containing gold, silver and sometimes mercury. The gold distribution is highly irregular.
At the Hunters Venture mine, veins are 1-2 metres wide down to 200 metres below the surface in gneiss and amphibolite. On top of the nearby hill is a 30 metre zone of silicified sandstone, containing numerous narrow quartz veins with gold throughout, but is sub-economic.
In 1997, the original shaft was cleaned out and repaired. A reconstruction of the original poppet head was placed over the shaft, orchard planted, and the area opened up as a tourist venture selling apple cider.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
2 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Native Gold Formula: Au |
| ⓘ Native Gold var. Electrum Formula: (Au,Ag) |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 |
| ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony Formula: SiO2 |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Gold var. Electrum | 1.AA.05 | (Au,Ag) |
| ⓘ | 1.AA.05 | Au | |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Quartz var. Chalcedony | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| ⓘ | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| O | Oxygen | |
|---|---|---|
| O | ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony | SiO2 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz var. Chalcedony | SiO2 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Ag | Silver | |
| Ag | ⓘ Native Gold var. Electrum | (Au,Ag) |
| Au | Gold | |
| Au | ⓘ Native Gold var. Electrum | (Au,Ag) |
| Au | ⓘ Native Gold | Au |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Australia
- Western Australia
- Perth BasinBasin
- Yilgarn CratonCraton
Australian PlateTectonic Plate
- West Australian Craton
- Western Yilgarn CratonCraton
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Hunters Venture Mine, Donnybrook, Donnybrook-Balingup Shire, Western Australia, Australia