Kumarina Copper Mine, Bulloo Downs Station, Meekatharra Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Kumarina Copper Mine	Mine
Bulloo Downs Station	- not defined -
Meekatharra Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The mine is 8 kilometres west north-west of the Kumarina Roadhouse along the Great Northern Highway, 250 kilometres north of Meekatharra.

The deposit was discovered by a prospector called Humphries (surname), who pegged the Humphries Reward claim. Several prospectors followed who mined ore here until World War One, after which the copper price fell, and the field was largely abandoned. A.B. Palmer held the Kumarina mine which the field is named after. Those early prospectors also included Bob Rinaldi, W.A. Snell, J. Lamb, D. Murphy, J. Hackett, J. Asplin and F. White. The major factor holding the field back was the cost of transport. This was undertaken by several Afghan led camel teams who would cart the ore to the railhead at Meekatharra. As a result only the richest ore could be taken, and when the price fell, mining became uneconomic. They left behind a series of shafts, pits and shallow open cuts stretching east north-east from the Kumarina underground mine.

A.B. Palmer came from Clare in South Australia, and worked for many years droving cattle through remote parts of Australia. In 1910 he was appointed as station manager at Beringarra, north of Cue, but resigned in 1913 to give the newly discovered Kumarina copper field a go. The lease was pegged July 12 1913. This he retained for eleven years, although in the latter few years the mine was let out to tributors. He then moved to Wiluna to try gold mining. The Kumarina mine reached a depth of 49 feet with 200 feet of drives.

Some early leases were described in one source in 1915. Two Sisters had a shaft 48 feet deep, with 60 tonnes of ore sent at that time to 52% copper, and 150 tonnes at grass. The lode was 4 feet 6 inches wide of grey-black oxides, cuprite and rich copper carbonates. Humphrey's Reward had a lode 10 to 20 feet wide, outcropping across a 48 acre lease. In places the veins were very rich. A number of shafts and potholes had been sunk. Wardle's Find had a 20 foot deep shaft with rich bunches of grey ore and azurite. Munro's Find had a lode 700 feet long, and a shaft down to 20 feet. McLennan's Find had a lode 2 to 6 feet wide with rich bundles of ore. Resurgam had several lodes and a number of shafts to 45 feet down, as well as a 100 foot long open cut. The lode was 6 feet wide at the 58 foot water level mark of the shaft. In 1916 W.A. Snell had a 16 month tribute over the mine.

The copper is found in fissure lodes in the Nullagine Formation, one source stating the ore resembles that found at Whim Creek in the Pilbara. Copper is found in dolerite, and quartz veins, with chalcopyrite found deeper down. The copper is controlled by north-south striking sub-vertical structures, where it cuts a shallow dipping dolerite sill. Copper mineralisation is found to 2 metres of the surface, and extends down at least 120 metres.

Intermittent mining at the locations is said to have occurred up to 1973. The state of the historic workings would indicate this was minor. Andrew Francis White in 1949, and Leslie Thomas Parkinson in 1951 and 1953, were found as prospectors, however there may have been others.

Production from the field up to the late 1960's was 481 tonnes of ore at a 37% grade copper, and 2340 tonnes of ore at 17.51% grade copper.

Despite an extensive mining history, it appears not alot remains at the site.

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References