Kyarra Gold Mine, Garden Gully Goldfield, Meekatharra Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Kyarra Gold Mine	Mine (Abandoned)
Garden Gully Goldfield	Ore Field
Meekatharra Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

AN historic gold mine.

The Kyarra deposit was discovered in 1909 by Wilson, Cameron and Edwards (surnames), or Cameron, Edwards and Hill in another source. GML 928N. 18 acres. The lease was applied for in August 1909. A more northern orebody was uncovered in November 1910. It was worked by the prospectors until 1912, when the mine was acquired by the Kyarra Gold Mining Company. They erected a 10 head stamp battery, cyanide plant and much machinery. One source states the company was called the Bullrush Gold Estates NL.

The country rock is strongly sheared, decomposed, especially near the veins, where abundant sericite is normal. At 200 feet down the shaft, the hanging wall is red (probably iron stained) quartz, and the footwall yellow or white quartz. At Kyarra the ore body takes a very sharp turn through the lease. Actinolite/zoisite rock outcrops in several places. The Kyarra veins are said to be remarkable in their variability in size and direction. Some parts of the quartz worked crumbles to quartz sand, with Fe stained quartz in the upper levels, and white compact quartz lower down. Pyrite, sometimes with well shaped crystals were frequently found when mining. There was one occurrence of azurite with chalcopyrite in a vein. In places the quartz is finely laminated with sericite, and microscopic yellow tourmaline. The northern orebody dips south-west 70 degrees, and trends west north-west. The southern orebody dips west 55 degrees, and trends east north-east. A rich alluvial patch was discovered historically west of the reef. Gold was initially uncovered here at the bottom of a gnamma hole.

The Kyarra gold mine was initially very rich, with for example 6000 pounds of dividends issued in 1914, however after this gold grades decreased. The Kyarra Gold Mining Company was in a constant battle to keep the mine un-watered, which when left unchecked would fill the shafts to 25 feet of the surface. During World War One, costs rose, and there was a labour shortage. The company applied for an exemption which was refused. Little mining took place after 1915, and the company closed the mine in 1917. J. Presnall (52) was appointed caretaker, however he passed away a year later from the effects of dust at the mine, which he also worked at in the assay office. The mine produced 25 194 tonnes of ore for 18 790 ounces of gold.

The mine is likely to have been the attention of prospectors over the years. Holden and Schaudy made a rich find at the mine in 1930.

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References