Neta Gold Mine (Edjudina), Edjudina Goldfield, Menzies Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Neta Gold Mine (Edjudina)	Mine
Edjudina Goldfield	Ore Field
Menzies Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The Neta Gold Mine is the northern most major mine on the Edjudina line of lode. Traveling 18 kilometres west of Yarri, the road heading east crosses the Carousue Dam haulage road, and 500 metres further on a road heads south. The first workings are the Neta. The road continues south for 20 kilometres with workings bordering the road to the east its entire length.

Historically there were a number of active leases close to the Neta, that have been impossible to confirm exact locations. The site contains battery sand remnants, the remains of a quarry from over one hundred years ago, many shafts, and disturbed ground. The Neta is sometimes known as the Edjudina Gold Mine. This was the original gold discovery, in 1893, and more information is found under the main Edjudina sub-heading.

Like much of the line of lode the Neta showed 'kidney' reef types, associated with a sheared porphyry dyke. The reefs bulge and pinch from a few inches to 6 feet wide. The reefs are in a schistose ore channel, in greenstone country rock. GML 401R.

When companies were formed, they tended to take over several leases at the northern end of the field, while in prospector mode, activity would be confined to individual leases per prospecting party.

In 1895, the Great Fingall Company was floated in London to acquire the Neta, Neta Extended and Gawler mines. Flush with shareholder money, the company embarked on a reckless spending spree. 200 men were employed.
A 30 head battery was erected before any development work underground had taken place. 3000 tonnes of stone was raised. Then the company abandoned the mine, without a single stone being crushed at the battery. The battery was subsequently removed to the Cosmopolitan Mine at Kookynie.

In November 1897, part of the same party who discovered the Yarri Goldfield (Wallaby Mine)in 1902, obtained the lease from forfeiture. This was Dr. R. Alderson, J. Kneighly, W. Newland and T.H. Potts. Newland had established the Edjudina pastoral station in 1892, one of the first in the Eastern Goldfields. They erected a new battery, and processed the ore left on the surface by the prior company obtaining 80 000 pounds worth of gold- a fortune for the time. The group purchased several pastoral stations in the region financed by their gold mines at Edjudina and Yarri.

It took until 1900 for the group to process the ore. They then erected 6 x 20 ton cyanide vats to treat the sands. There was also some mining in the three shafts on the lease which reached depths of 100 feet, and were driven on for 1500 feet, exposing three reefs. The easterly or main reef averaged 3 feet wide at 25 dwt, No 2 reef 2 feet wide and third was a lode formation at 12 to 15 feet wide.

As a side note, Paddy Hannan, famous for discovering the Golden Mile at Kalgoorlie, was prospecting on the Neta mine in 1903, with little success. 1907 Walsh and party are at the mine.

On the 18 April 1900, the battery manager at Yerilla, William Edward Gardi Tree, was invited by mine owner Kneighly to inspect the mine. As he was being hauled to the surface, Tree suffered a heart attack, and fell out of the bucket, 100 feet down the shaft and was killed. He was only 29.

Of note also is A.S. (or Sam) Mandelstamm who lived at the Neta mine from 1909 to 1930. At times he managed the mine for companies and prospecting parties, at other times he worked the Neta and nearby leases himself. The Mandelstamm family was very active with gold mining in the region. Sam suddenly died at his camp at the mine in June 1931.

The Neta Geneve Gold Mines Ltd was formed in London in 1909 to acquire both these leases from Anderson, Glover and Potts. An old ten head battery was purchased from elsewhere on the field and erected on the lease. They had also taken over the Senate mine adjacent to the Geneve to the south, owned by Spittka, Ritchie and Waack.

In 1924, well known mining identity, D.L. Doolette, formed a company floated in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, to acquire the Neta, Geneve, Senate, Representative, Gawler and Big Ben mines at the northern end of the field. However no major active mining is subsequently found.

Maxwell and sons were at the mine in 1931. In June 1935, The Edjudina Consolidated Ltd was floated in London with varying reports of capital raised from 125 000 to 600 000 pounds depending on the source. Regardless it was a lot of money. They took over the Neta, Neta Extended, Senate, Gawler and 24 other leases. Buildings went up, a battery erected, 65 men were employed, much underground development on all the leases. This ceased in 1937, however the company retained ownership of the leases. After the war until 1949, it attempted to re-establish itself at the location but a material and labour shortage thwarted its efforts. In 1954 the company was in liquidation, with the only asset of value a zinc prospect in Peru.

The last company to show activity on this section of the field was the Paget Gold Mining Company Ltd from 1979 to 1983. The Neta, Senate and Gawler shafts were un-watered and re-timbered. The company estimated from the area 195 500 tonnes of ore at 12.4 g/t, however was before the JORC resource system was established, so the estimate is non-compliant.

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