Break O'Day Gold Mines, Norseman, Dundas Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Break O'Day Gold Mines	Group of Mines
Norseman	Town
Dundas Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The Break O' Day Gold Mine was developed by the brothers, E.A. and H.H. Matthiessen. They had arrived from Adelaide during the initial gold rush to the area in 1895. They took up a lease 10 kilometres south of Norseman, calling it the Break O' Day. Three other partners were taken in.

An English company took an option over the mine, and spent great sums of money developing it, then abandoned the lease.

The syndicate took the lease back over. They erected a 5 head battery which started operations in October 1898, and a further 5 heads was added in May 1899. By this time they had crushed 2,654 tonnes of ore for 5,292 ounces.

There were 5 shafts on the lease, the main down to at least 270 feet, with levels at the 100 and 200 feet points. Thirty men were employed on the mine in 1899. The mine was active until 1905, but excessive water inflow, and the gold grades being lower at depth, mining was stopped.

In 1908 the mine was successfully floated, but the following year they ran out of funds, and it closed again. E.A. Matthiessen is reported to be overhauling and repairing the battery in 1912, in preparation for another go at opening the mine, but nothing more was found.

The Break O' Day Central Gold Mine was adjacent to the south of the parent mine. 12 acres. A Norseman syndicate worked the property in the late 1890's. A lot of prospecting work had been conducted, with no reef found. Several shafts had been sunk then abandoned.

The Break O' Day South Gold Mine was south of the Central Block mine. It contained 2 leases, of 12 acres each. Several reefs had been opened with costeans, all carrying a little gold. With one exception they were not payable. The middle reef was economic, and here a shaft had been sunk to 60 feet on a reef 2 feet 6 inches wide. A second shaft was to the south down to 103 feet. A third shaft was down to 56 feet. The local syndicate contained four individuals who had purchased the property in August 1898, and several small crushings were obtained in the late 1890's.

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