Happy Jack Mine (Lady Bee Mine), Comet Vale, Menzies Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Happy Jack Mine (Lady Bee Mine)	Mine
Comet Vale	- not defined -
Menzies Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

Famous in mainland Australia for its crocoite specimens.
Later known as Lady Bee mine.

Considered the most significant site for crocoite on mainland Australia. However, the crystals cannot compare to the Tasmanian material, which is the best in the world. The mine is 70 kilometres north of Kalgoorlie, and about 500 metres north-east of the Sand Queen Gold Mine, on the Goldfields Highway. It is difficult to locate in the thick scrub.

The mine was historically operated for gold. It is one of a large number of old gold mines in the area, and numerous old shafts can be stumbled upon when walking through the scrub. The area is known as Comet Vale, and it is thought Dan Baker in April 1894 discovered gold in the area, naming it after a comet called Gale, seen in the sky at the time.

The Happy Jack Mine was a small producer of gold from 1904 to 1920, after which it was abandoned. By 1936, when it was next investigated, the underground workings had already collapsed.

The mine is hosted entirely in weathered serpentine and talc altered ultramafics. Most of what we know about crocoite at the mine, was when famous Western Australian geologist E.S. Simpson visited it during its operating period. He noted one shoot just west of the main shaft was extremely rich in crocoite. The species occurred mainly above the 130 foot level, which corresponded with the water table at the time. Simpson observed that crocoite occurred as massive veins up to 4 cm thick in talc schist. Crystals occur most commonly on brown or greenish chalcedonic quartz, which has formed vughs and fractures, in which the crystals have grown. They have also been found on foliated talc-serpentine schist, ropey serpentine-tremolite schist, and rarely on grey-white quartz. Simpson noted gold found with the crocoite when he viewed the workings.

Specimens from the mine are rare, being largely those saved during the historic mining period. Most of the material was destroyed when sent to the stamp mill. The Western Australian and South Australian Museums have a small number of specimens, and a lucky few private collectors. Eighty years of visitors to the mine cleared out any scraps remaining. You will not find any crocoite if visiting the mine. If the specimen is coloured beer-bottle brown or black, it is likely to have been collected in the past from the surface of the dump, as crocoite turns this colour when exposed to sunlight. The reference notes that specimens labelled 'Comet Vale' are probably from Happy Jack, as it was the only mine with crocoite in the Comet Vale area. Specimens labelled 'Menzies Area' may have come from other mines in the district, like the Lady Shenton Mine, which has produced crocoite specimens.

Good quality chrysoprase has been reported in the past directly east of the Happy Jack Mine, from weathering of the ultramafic units of the Walter Williams Formation, and 1.5 kilometres south-east of the mine in the Blue Speck Creek area where gem quality veins are found. Locating these though in the thick scrub would be some undertaking.

Warning: Please do not approach the open shafts and tunnels at this mine, as the ground is very soft at the edges, and is dangerous to life and limb. At one spot the ground is subsiding into the void below.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References