Paynes Find Goldfield (Goodingnow), Paynes Find, Yalgoo Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Paynes Find Goldfield (Goodingnow)	Ore Field
Paynes Find	- not defined -
Yalgoo Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

Early 1911, Thomas Payne found gold at what would become the Pansy lease, and shortly after more gold on what would become the Carnation lease on the main Paynes Find goldfield. In June that year he announced to the papers the find, noting only one other individual was on the field. If Thomas wanted company, announcing to the world he had discovered a major new goldfield would do it. Shortly after speculators were accessing leases for options, and about 300 men scoured the countryside for alluvial gold and outlying deposits.

Government geologist Harry Woodward arrived in August. He stated the Paynes Find goldfield is a small greenstone and gneissic belt surrounded by granite. It is traversed by many pegmatites and porphyritic dykes. There is also a patch of gravel in the centre of the field carrying a limited quantity of alluvial gold.

He described three groups of initial diggings at this early stage for the goldfield. Carnation owned by Thomas Payne; Orchid by Black (surname) and Percy Friend; and Sweet William owned by Casey and Clark (surnames). This geology information will be included under each mine heading. Each was to become a major gold producer on the field. He also notes W. Casts PA, Dowd's Lease, the Aster owned by Howe and Marantelli (surnames), Coronation owned by Blakeley and Sherritt (surnames), Hogans, to the south-east Pansy North and Pansy owned by Thomas Payne, and the Rose Group to the south-west.

Geologist E de C Clark revisited for the Mines Department in 1920, largely at the insistence of the stake holders on the field, who needed a more detailed geological report of the deposits. He largely reaffirmed Woodward's account but in more detail. The goldfield he states is on the eastern slopes of a rise made up of relatively small lenses of basic rocks surrounded by granite. The goldfield contains epidiorite, hornblende schist, serpentine, and foliated quartz porphyries, in addition to hornblende-biotite gneiss forming the matrix of the ore body.

The gold quartz veins are found mainly in the epidiorites and hornblende schists, and only rarely in the serpentine. The gold bearing gneiss is east of the greenstone belt, and are of two lithological types 1) biotite dominant with quartz parallel to the foliation planes 2) mica subordinate to the hornblende. He compares the geology as similar to Westonia (Edna May Mine) elsewhere in the State.

The field is traversed by a large number of narrow pegmatites trending north-west. These also occur in the greenstone belt but not as plentiful. Some of the pegmatites are large and long, and cut the gold bearing quartz veins, showing the pegmatites were formed later.

Some of the gold bearing quartz veins go a considerable length, the Carnation Bluebell vein 1200 feet. Most range from mere threads to 9 feet wide. The gold is deposited in lenticular or elliptical masses of quartz down to the extent of the workings, a depth of 300 feet, dipping west south-west and pitching south. The gold shoots are very narrow, greatly elongated vertical pipes. Quartz is the dominant gangue, with gold, iron pyrites, some galena and sphalerite, in addition to siderite and chalcopyrite.

The field was operated virtually continuously from 1911 to 1941, although during the First World War period and the 1920's it was quieter. Leases were gradually consolidated till around six major mines produced the most output. After World War Two it was the haunt of lone prospectors, and later the local Taylor family who have conducted small scale gold mining in recent decades. In recent years it has been the target for open pit development. The writer hopes this does not take place as it would destroy an easily viewed historic site.

From 1911 to 1918 the field produced 23 193 oz from 20 510 tonnes of ore, with a further 575.72 oz from dollied gold, and specimens. In 1939 it was reported since 1911 to that time the field had produced 56 946 oz of gold from 59 898 tonnes of ore. More information can be found under the 'Paynes Find' Mindat heading.

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