Bulong alluvial gold areas, Bulong Goldfield, Kalgoorlie-Boulder Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Bulong alluvial gold areas	- not defined -
Bulong Goldfield	Ore Field
Kalgoorlie-Boulder Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

When gold was discovered at Bulong in 1893, it led to a huge gold rush. Smaller rushes continued for the next decade as new patches were discovered. An estimated 26 000 ounces of alluvial gold has been won from the district, however as is usual with alluvial fields the amount won is probably under reported. There has been a further 15 384 ounces of specimen stone, and 122 980 ounces of gold from 156 158 reefing ore. Most of the reefing mines were patchy (although those patches were exceedingly rich), and mining ceased by 1910. The Newslead lease had a g/t of 858.99, one of the highest the writer has seen on Western Australian goldfields, although the amount of ore was only 20 tonnes.

There were three principal alluvial leads. The western most was the Margaret Lead, west of the Queen Margaret mine. This turned south-east, to unite with the Great Oversight Lead, south of the now lost Rifle Range Reserve. The lead produced over 15 000 ounces of gold, and was most active across 1902 to 1903.

The Middle branch was called the Slug Hill Lead, parallel to the Margaret Lead. The ground at the junction of the Great Oversight and Slug Hill leads where alluvial gold was found was 100 feet deep. The junction of the Margaret and Great Oversight leads was 140 feet deep.

All three leads contain innumerable old shafts and shallow workings. The gutters were narrow at 15 feet wide. However, in the old Queen Margaret Consols lease, alluvial gold in a band 18 inches thick was found at 110 feet deep in a gutter 300 feet long.

North of Bulong Road were several gullies where alluvial gold was found near the Melbourne United mine. One was called Kennedy Gully. A rich 18 acre patch called Woodline was discovered six kilometres north of Bulong on salt bush flats,and yielded nuggets up to 100 ounces each. In recent years nuggets have been uncovered near the western shoreline of the Yindarlgooda salt pan.

The Mindat co-ordinates mark the present intersection, with the old town-site immediately east, although almost nothing remains, and is used to show the location of the gold-field in general.

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References