Yerilla King Gold Mine, Yerilla Goldfield, Menzies Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Yerilla King Gold Mine	Mine
Yerilla Goldfield	Ore Field
Menzies Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The Yerilla King Gold Mine is on the eastern edge of the main gold field, on its name-sake north-south lode.

Along with the Lady Gertrude mine, the Yerilla King was initially developed by the Yerilla Development Company, which had run out of capital, and was under exemption by 1897. It is said they had done little with the mine.

A picture of the main shaft in 1909, shows a rather unimpressive sight on the surface with little machinery. Around mid 1907 to the beginning of 1912, H. Gunna and party are working the mine, and a new shaft is sunk to 130 feet. This group worked the mine down to 100 feet from the surface, and drove north and south along a reef 2 feet wide for 200 feet. During this period 1728 tonnes of ore was extracted for 2100 ounces of gold. Gunna then decided to return to his native Russia, and sold the lease to a syndicate of Kookynie residents.

They formed the Yerilla Queen syndicate with ten shares, headed by Robert Crawford. Its noted mid 1912, the syndicate was crushing at 33 dwt, and another crushing of 376 tonnes at 28 dwt, after driving to the south where the reef increased in size. Across 1914, they accessed the Yerilla King reef by a cross-cut at a depth of 110 feet. The syndicate employed about ten men.

Another syndicate was formed in 1937 to investigate the mine. This again was another local Kookynie syndicate consisting of K. Corry, F. Severn, L. Robinson, G.W. Leopold, and lastly G. Dorigo who was from Cue. They were accessing stone at the bottom level of 400 feet, on a reef 2 feet wide. A trial crushing was produced.

The Yerilla King was one of the last mines in the area to show activity. In 1947, H. Masters and D. Moreschetti took out 370 tonnes at 17 dwt. This came from a depth of 230 feet, and 95 feet north of the main shaft. The Yerilla King reef here was 2 feet 6 inches wide. The prospectors had great difficulty with the large volume of inflowing water into the mine.

The workings are in the eastern section of the main gold field area covering a length of 200 metres. Gold is hosted in shears and quartz veining in basalt, east of the granite margin. The lode strikes north-west and dips west.

The mine has produced 5896 tonnes of ore for 4419 ounces of gold.

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