Orinda Gold Mine (Orinda King; Duchess of Kongwak), Ora Banda Goldfield, Kalgoorlie-Boulder Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Orinda Gold Mine (Orinda King; Duchess of Kongwak)	Mine
Ora Banda Goldfield	Ore Field
Kalgoorlie-Boulder Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The Orinda Gold Mine is about 8 kilometres south of Ora Banda. Several shafts, minor prospecting pits and costeans, and possibly an old shed exist at the northern extent of the workings, and more very minor workings following a low north-west to south-east striking ridge for a couple of kilometres.

Access to the location is difficult, and getting lost a possibility. A couple of kilometres south-east from Ora Banda on the Carbine Road, is a prominent road accessing the southern side of the Gimlet South tailings. Just past this is a faint track heading south south-west. Just before the track turns sharply east, an even fainter track heads south-west. Several tracks branch from this but continue on a south-west heading, and this will reach the northern extent of the workings.

The Mines Inspector in 1922, notes the lease was previously known as the Duchess of Kongwak. He states it is a large ore channel, which can be traced for 1 mile. The lode is a mass of quartz laterite, and sugary type of broken quartz, recemented with iron, forming almost a sandstone. The lode is north-west to south-east, dips 40-50 degrees east, with the pay shoots 3 to 4 feet wide, pitching north. An unusual feature of this mine, is when the sugary quartz is broken by explosives, it disintegrates to sand.

The site was active in the 1920's. Some specimen stone from a shaft 120 feet down was on display at the Ora Banda pub in 1922. B. Kruger and Catchpole are owners of the mine. Shortly after the mine is under option to the Associated Northern Blocks (W.A.) Ltd. They sank a new shaft to the west of the old workings, down to 53 feet, with 120 feet of driving also in the old P.A. shaft.

Larson and Catchpole discovered a new shoot, 500 metres west of the main shaft in 1927. The had sunk a shaft to 20 feet in soft lode material with quartz veins. By this year the mine had produced 2254 tonnes of ore at 2169.5 ounces of gold at 19.25 dwt.

To the north of the Orinda lease, and adjacent to it, is the Orinda King owned by Tinker and Twigg in the 1920's, who had sunk a 90 foot shaft on the Footwall of the lode and cross cut to the Hanging Wall. The lease was active from at least 1922. In 1934, two new shoots were found at the surface, and costeans were put in.

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