David Copperfield Gold Mine (Copperfield; Mount Ida), Mount Ida Goldfield, Menzies Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
David Copperfield Gold Mine (Copperfield; Mount Ida)	Mine
Mount Ida Goldfield	Ore Field
Menzies Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The David Copperfield Gold Mine is just south-east of the three way junction- Perrinvale Road, Leonora-Mt Ida Road, Riverina-Mt Ida Road. The site of the former town of Copperfield borders the west side of the junction. The David Copperfield mine is a trench, mullock, shafts etc. It is assumed it was named by a fan of Charles Dickens.

In the late 1890's, the mine was developed by the Mount Ida Consols Company. The company was floated in 1898, then reconstructed in 1901 with 75 000 pounds capital. The property was of 160 acres and contained the Copperfield and Timoni leases. Copperfield was worked to 180 feet deep, but little development work was done. When doubts surfaced about the value of ore at depth, and the short nature of the shoots on the goldfield, the company abandoned the mine in 1906. The company achieved 9364 tonnes of ore for 15 786 ounces of gold.

The mine was then taken over by the government as a water supply for the Mount Ida state battery.

Phil Saunders managed the mine for two years around 1898, and supervised the erection of the 10 head battery at the site. Phil had located gold at the Leichardt Range Queensland 1864, when he was sixteen, causing a gold rush. With his mate Adam Johns, they trekked to the Northern Territory, and operated the Union Reef Mine at Pine Creek. They tried their hand at farming wild buffaloes, until the herd several thousand strong, went on a rampage destroying fences and buildings.

After this in 1882, they trekked through the Pilbara, discovered the copper deposit at Whim Creek, subsequently a large and famous mine, and several gold deposits both in the Pilbara and Kimberly.

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