Turn of the Tide Gold Mine, Reedy's Goldfield, Cue Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Turn of the Tide Gold Mine	Mine
Reedy's Goldfield	Ore Field
Cue Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

Appropriate to the mine's name, too much water was always a problem for this mine. The original prospectors were Bayley and Parkins, who took out ore from a prospecting shaft between 1916 to 1921. They obtained 307 tonnes of ore for 3201 oz averaging 10 oz/t.

Crushings were found for 1922 and 1924, but by whom is not known. At this time one source states there are thirty shafts covering a length of one mile, the deepest shaft to 120 feet.

Things really got going in June 1935 when the Turn of the Tide Gold Mines (Reedy's) Ltd was formed with 100 000 pounds capital. Most of this was spent erecting a gold processing plant, expanding the two head battery, and installing cyanide vats to cope with the fine gold. The leases covered 270 acres. Keeping the water levels down was a constant battle as noted in the mine managers weekly prosaic mine reports. The mine was a large low grade affair with gold leaders, and finely disseminated gold in kaolin. Gold was said to increase with the presence of tourmaline (probably schorl).

By mid 1937, the costs involved in keeping the water under control led the company to let the mine to tributors. The mine flooded as a result. Six months later new tributors called Maifri and Party took over with little more success. By 1939 the plant and machinery was being sold off, and another group of shareholders had their fingers burn't. The present open pit was developed in the 1980's or 90's and swallowed up the old workings.

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