Forrest Gold Mine (Leonora Main Reefs; Forrest Deeps), Leonora, Leonora Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Forrest Gold Mine (Leonora Main Reefs; Forrest Deeps)	Mine
Leonora	Town
Leonora Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The Forrest Gold Mine was 3 kilometres north of Leonora, and just west of the highway, as a compact cleared area, with little to see to denote its former importance. The tailing heaps from the Harbour Lights Gold Mine is immediately south, and an ephemeral creek borders to the north. At some modern point a small wishbone shaped pit was dug in the creek, largely obliterated from irregular flash flooding.

Smith and party found gold here in 1896, making it one of the first gold discoveries in the Leonora area. The first owners worked the reef to a depth of 60 feet, when an inflow of water caused operations to cease. It then passed into the hands of a Perth syndicate, before the Leonora Main Reef Company took over. They installed a head frame, winder, compressor mill engine, 10 head battery etc, and a new vertical shaft was sunk to 155 feet. It was worked to 1908, when tributers took over.

Early to mid 1899 a near surface alluvial gold wash area was discovered, on the lease's northern boundary, leading to a gold rush to the spot.

From 1896 to 1902, the early prospectors had taken out 800 tonnes of ore for 1200 ounces of gold. By the end of 1914, the mine had produced 14 648 tonnes of ore for 5927 ounces of gold. At that time the mine is in the hands of H. or J. Hanson as tributers, and the plant is removed to the Edna May mine at Westonia.

While initially a rich mine, after this time, prospectors take over, with reduced tonnages and gold grades. W. Reid and party in 1915, Madigan and Tandy in 1916, and possibly others later, but no further major gold finds are noted.

Soward Managan gave himself up to police early November 1900, after getting into a financial dispute with J. Cale who headed the Perth syndicate operating the mine at the time. Incensed by a perceived injustice, Soward took matters into his own hands by blowing up various bits of machinery at the mine.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References