Skipper Gold Mine, Tennant Creek, Barkly Region, Northern Territory, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Skipper Gold Mine	Mine
Tennant Creek	Creek
Barkly Region	Region
Northern Territory	Territory
Australia	Country

The Skipper gold mine represents the far western end of the Mount Samuel-Eldorado line of workings. It is sited on a low hill about 2 kilometres west of Mount Samuel. No access tracks, or evidence of workings could be seen, and the Mindat map is approximate. Maps indicate Skipper and Skipper Extended adjoin each other, with Westward Ho adjoining to the north-east, and then Arcadia adjoining Westward Ho to the east.

Jimmie Smith, and Stan Price did a lot of development work at the mine immediately after World War Two, before discovering a rich shoot. One crushing amounted to 508 tonnes for 2111 ounces, earning the pair 25 000 pounds in late 1940's figures. The mine was then taken over by the Melbourne Boring and Prospecting Company, who stoped between the 80 foot to 50 foot levels.

Said to be relatively barren from the surface to 50 feet, and again below 100 feet, the lode 12 foot wide. The geology is similar to the Mount Samuel area a little to the east, except the folding is tighter. The area contains two major anticlines, each with a reverse pitch, giving rise to partly closed dome like structures. The ironstone lodes and hematite shale horizons are closely associated, with at Skipper the ironstone forming at the intersections of shear zones.

North Flinders Mines/Posgold Tennant Creek explored the area 1992-1995, then Orion/Yardarino Mining NL 1996, all finding very little. Exploration was subsequently banned as the area was deemed a sacred site.

The Skipper and Skipper Extended mines produced together 4250 ounces of gold.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References