Goanna Patch Mining area, Leinster, Leonora Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Goanna Patch Mining area	Mining Area (Inactive)
Leinster	- not defined -
Leonora Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

Goanna Patch is 35 kilometres south of Leinster, just east of the Goldfields Highway, in the vicinity of the more modern Waterloo Nickel Mine. Many nuggets have been found in the area over the years, which has amounted to several alluvial patches. The site contains a prospectors shed and accommodation, much bulldozing, and minor trenches and shallow pits. It is an active lease. About 500 metres south-west is an abandoned open pit gold mine (Double A mine) operated by Leader Resources between 1989 and 1991.

In 1958, the 35-year-old aboriginal stockmen Roly Hill and Willie Elliott were chasing a goanna (Bungarra), when it dived into its hole. They proceeded to dig it out, but their attention was diverted by the glitter of gold.

The stone held 10 ounces of gold, and they found a total of 70 ounces over the course of searching the ground. Fellow relatives from their Wongi tribe arrived and more gold was found, with Gilbert Nelson selling 22 ounces in Leonora from the find. Peter Howgarth and George Rex joined them for a more serious mining venture, and the leases were pegged.

In 1962, Roly Hill and Left Hand Willie (different person from Willie Elliott) left to mine a deposit Roly had discovered to the north. The Wongi prospectors had located four quartz vein-hosted gold occurrences within 5 km of the original nugget patch (Mangilla, Tahmu, Butcher Bird and Rowley's Reward). Butcher Bird was named for the black and white appearance of the vein quartz, the black being due to tourmaline alteration.

John Harman brokered a deal between the group and Western Mining Corporation. The company would pay the finders mentioned above a royalty of 100 pounds each per month for ten months. Western Mining would provide equipment, resources, and experienced personnel to help the group mine the quartz vein deposits (not the original nugget patch), which had been haphazard to that point. The aborigines would be trained for mining jobs, and be paid standard wages. The gold obtained would recoup the company its costs, and a certain amount over this would go to the aborigines.

On the part of the company it was part good economics, and part philanthropic. On the other hand, the state government continued on its paternalistic ways appointing a Native Welfare Officer for the project to control the bank accounts and money.

Jim Lalor an exploration manager and Warwick Hughes were appointed to oversee the project. Ore was carted to the Darlot state battery to be treated. Well known prospector, Sam Cash, who was on the field shortly after its discovery stated the nuggets were found over too wide an area to reflect a significant reef underground. Some of the aborigines did not like working underground, and progress was slow. After three years, the project was phased out.

The site of the original nugget find changed hands several times in the 1960's-70's, and with the introduction of metal detectors to the WA Goldfields in the 1970's several well-known prospectors such as Bob Sargent and Mark Creasy were successful at finding additional nuggets.
British-born prospector, David John, obtained the Goanna Patch mining lease by plainting Monarch Petroleum NL in the Warden's Court, and spent the next 30 years actively working the alluvial ground. He made a major find of 2000 ounces of nuggets in the 1985-86 period, documented in his self-published book, Bloody Gold. Approximately 60 ounces of these nuggets were sold at auction at the Perth Mint in September 1987.

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