Great Bingin Gold Mine (Marie's Find; Sterling), Bullfinch, Yilgarn Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Great Bingin Gold Mine (Marie's Find; Sterling)	Mine
Bullfinch	- not defined -
Yilgarn Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The Great Bingin Gold Mine was intermittently active from 1911 to 1942. It is located 30 kilometres north of Bullfinch off the Mt Jackson Road. Instead of turning west to Golden Valley a few kilometres north of the Radio Mine, continue along the road north. It later rejoins the former road.

The workings are situated on a small flat on the shores of Lake Deborah West salt-pan, in the south-west portion of a peninsula which juts into the lake in a north-east direction. The mine is 200 metres east of the Mount Jackson Road, reach by an unmarked track.

The northern extent of the workings contain a small squarish open pit, then directly south-west some tailings, then again directly south-west extending for 100 metres many closely spaced trenches. These are historic and appear to follow the line of lode striking north-east to south-west. The trenches cross the lode in the opposite direction, and are short in distance matching the historic description of the lode's width. Close to the lake shore are several shallow bulldozer trenches made during modern times.

The proximity of the lake caused much problems with water at the mine, and the workings are now flooded to within 20 metres of the surface. Information about the mine nearly always carried 'Marie's Find' in brackets after the mine's name. One source stated Marie (surname) discovered the deposit and worked it in the early years. Limited information was found.

M. Lynch is found working the mine intermittently from 1927 to 1929. The workings eventually reached a depth of 78 metres.

In October 1934, the Adelaide Mines Development NL took out a 12 month option over the mine from the North Enterprise Development Syndicate NL. After 12 months development work they abandoned the option due to a lack of shareholder support. Its noted the prior company had produced 765 tonnes for 736 ounces. J. Driffield was mine manager during the 12 month option period.

The last crushing found was 1942. A 1945 source indicates the mine belonged to the Commonwealth Government. Its called Sterling at this point. The source lists at the mine a 5 head battery, winding engine, winches, pumps, bins, mine stores, blacksmith shop, change rooms, store rooms, the manager's house and one other house, as well as part-time caretaker John Brown. None remain at the mine.

The workings are found in highly metamorphosed, interbedded, basic schists, basic lavas, and jaspilites, striking north-east to south-west, dipping 35 to 80 degrees west and north-west. The rocks are intruded by a later post gold network of flat lying granite pegmatite dykes. The lode is a narrow quartz reef, 2 to 4 feet wide.

There is an Inferred Resource at the location of 54 700 tonnes at 7.4 g/t yielding 12 960 ounces of gold. Historically the mine has produced 16 771 tonnes of ore for 10 249 ounces of gold.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References