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Londonderry Gold mine, Nepean, Coolgardie Shire, Western Australia, Australiai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Londonderry Gold mine | Mine |
| Nepean | Urban area (Historical) |
| Coolgardie Shire | Shire |
| Western Australia | State |
| Australia | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
31° 4' 2'' South , 121° 6' 27'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Köppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Coolgardie | 802 (2016) | 13.8km |
| Boulder | 5,178 (2017) | 48.4km |
| Kalgoorlie | 31,107 (2014) | 50.0km |
| Williamstown | 161 (2018) | 50.3km |
Other/historical names associated with this locality:
Londonderry Golden Hole; Londonderry GM
John Mills was an Irishman from Londonderry. He was part of a prospecting party of six who had conducted a fruitless search in early 1894 for gold near Widgiemooltha. Virtually broke, they were prospecting as they made their way back to Coolgardie. Mills sat down under a tree to rest, depressed about his lack of fortune, when he idly pushed a rock aside with the heel of his boot. The underside was covered in gold. As the party explored the site, it was found the stone in the outcrop was hanging together with gold. This incredibly rich tiny deposit yielded 8000 ounces from dollying in a few weeks.
One of the party became ill and returned to Coolgardie. Here he got wildly drunk and with a loose tongue, soon most of the town had heard about the find. The next day virtually the entire town arrived at the site, and leases were pegged in all directions.
The prospecting party sold the lease to speculators, who sealed the hole with a metal plate. A company was formed in London and Paris, raising 750 000 pounds. It was a staggering amount, considering the most promising mines in Western Australia at the time could only raise about 50 000 pounds. In the period after, with the hole still sealed, it developed almost mythical status. Promoted as what would become no less than the biggest gold mine in the world.
Eventually after several months, the company was ready to start mining, and the seal was broken with much pomp and ceremony. After a few days, it was revealed only a thin gold shell remained, and all the rock beyond this was barren. Hundreds of leases nearby were immediately abandoned, after thousands of pounds had been spent developing them. Investors of the Golden Hole lost in some cases their life savings, and went bankrupt. Recriminations flew. It was the first of many scandals on the Western Australian goldfields, because when it comes to greed, people have short memories.
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.Mineral List
1 valid mineral.
Detailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Native Gold Formula: Au |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Native Gold | 1.AA.05 | Au |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| Au | Gold | |
|---|---|---|
| Au | ⓘ Native Gold | Au |
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Australia
- Western Australia
- Kambalda Nickel Metallogenic ProvinceGeologic Province
- West Australian ElementCraton
- Yilgarn CratonCraton
Australian PlateTectonic Plate
- West Australian Craton
- Eastern Yilgarn CratonCraton
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