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

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

The mine is 39 kilometres north north-east of Tennant Creek, and east of the Stuart Highway, in the northern reaches of the goldfield.

It was operational between 1938 to 1951 producing 12 622 tonnes of ore for 14 266 ounces of gold averaging 35.15 g/t Au.

Gold is associated with crushed shale, impregnated with quartz and quartz-hematite stringers, along the margins of two masses of quartz-hematite ironstones, 100 metres apart, in a shear zone of siltstone and greywacke. The larger of the lenses is 70 metres long, 10 metres wide, and 12-62 metres deep.

The deposit was discovered by loaming in 1938 by Jim English, his son T. English and Jack Milligan. The latter left after six months but could not find a buyer for his half share. Alice Springs butcher, Ken Milnes, borrowed 100 pounds from the Tennant Creek Hotel to purchase the interest.

Gold was initially treated at the government battery, 32 kilometres to the west, then in 1949, a 10 head stamp battery was erected at the mine. The mine had been taken over by Gold Boring and Prospecting NL in 1948. However was soon abandoned in favour of the Whippet Consolidated NL, who purchased the mine for 200 000 pounds, making the English's and Milne instantly rich by the standards of the day. In addition the mine at that stage had produced 75 000 pounds money wise from gold, and a further 25 000 pounds from the tailings.

Initially there were rich crushings, and shareholders should have been satisfied, however it was anything but a happy camp, with several shareholder meetings descending into near riots. It started when founder L. Rubenstein left his estate in 1949 to the company. In ever increasing pettiness, there were fights over what to do with the money, who should replace Rubenstein, rival shareholder meetings were organised, moves to try and replace sitting directors, efforts to wind-up the company. By 1952, the ore had run out, and in 1954 the company was taken off the stock exchange. The mine was handed back to the original vendors.

In February 1949, Jack Buzzard (35) was killed, and Strathmore Forrest Rowe (30) severely injured, due to machinery failure, the bucket they were being lowered in, hurtled 100 feet to the bottom of the shaft. The mine was managed at the time by William (Bill) Fullwood, later to become a well known local artist, and historic Tuxworth Fullwood House in Tennant Creek is named in part after him.

In 1956, the lease was taken over by E.L. Marks, C.I. Bourne and H.G. Knox until the mid 1990's. Explored by Geopeko 1980's, then in the 1990's Yardarino Gold NL, Orion Resources NL, and Roebuck Resources NL, none finding much gold left. Minor tailings, shafts, a small open cut, and two building foundations remain at the site.

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