Desirable Gold Mine, Norseman, Dundas Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Desirable Gold Mine	Mine
Norseman	Town
Dundas Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The Desirable Gold Mine is a set of historic workings about 5 kilometres north-west of Norseman. After crossing Lake Cowan on the causeway heading north, the road turns from north-west to north, and the site is less than 1 kilometre further along the road, and a short distance west of the Norseman-Coolgardie Highway. The Three Colonies mine is also within this group, as the western most workings.

There are two reefs, trending north-east, about 1000 feet in length, curving to the north-west and dipping east.

The deposit was developed by the Desirable Gold Mining Company in the late 1890's, floated in London with 125 000 pounds capital. It controlled 7 leases over an area of 74 acres. The leases were Desirable, Desirable No.1, Desirable Extended, Desirable South, Desirable East, Lady Nellie and Lady Nellie West. While reefs were found on all the leases, only on two were they found to go to any extent. As a consequence the workings were confined to 6 acres.

All the workings only reached the oxidised zone in epidiorite country rock. Kaolin has intruded the reef, and in places the quartz is vuggy, the voids filled with halloysite. On the western boundary is a ridge of hornblende, then to the east a succession of diorite ridges. At the border of these two rock types is the workings.

The clayey kaolin reaches to 80 feet below the surface, then diorite intrusions at this level have displaced the reef, which then gives out at the lower levels due to the hard country. The quartz is amber coloured, and in the upper levels the reef is 3 feet wide.

On the Desirables leases was two shafts named Mofflin's and Giles to the north. Mofflin's was sunk to 210 feet, the reef at 3 feet wide followed to 170 feet, then it tapers off and dis-appears. Five levels were opened.

Giles shaft is 70 feet to the north, sunk to 230 feet. Diorite was met at the 200 foot level. Two levels were opened. South of Mofflin's was costeaning for 350 feet.

Prospecting and costeaning only occurred on the other leases where parallel reefs were found. Crushings were started in September 1896 at a 10 head battery erected at the site. A cyanide plant of 5 x 50 tonne vats was also installed.

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