Oakley Gold Mine, Mulwarrie, Davyhurst Goldfield, Menzies Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Oakley Gold Mine	Mine
Mulwarrie	- not defined -
Davyhurst Goldfield	Ore Field
Menzies Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The Oakley Gold Mine is one of the few historic mine sites in the Davyhurst area, which has not been destroyed by a modern open pit. Oakley is about 5 kilometres west of Davyhurst, and can be found by heading down a track westwards, just north of the Waihi pits, on the Mulline-Davyhurst Road. Where the track makes a sharp right turn northwards is the Oakley area. There are some shafts, tunnels/inclined shafts with tramways, and other rubbish from the mining days.

Who discovered the deposit is uncertain but W.F. Connell and Hill are noted first mining the area in 1900. They controlled three leases here called Oakley, Oakley South and Mavis. 24 acres. By 1900 they had crushed 568 tonnes of oxide ore for 1790 ounces of gold, through the Mulwarrie state battery. The reef struck north-south, and dipped 45 degrees east, averaging 2 feet wide, but varies from a few inches to 3 feet wide, and is patchy for gold. The main shaft was down to 160 feet where sulphides had been struck. The ground was soft and weathered to 150 feet, being unusually deep.

At some point Connell must have sold out, for when the mine was sold in 1906, the owners were Penny and Hill, solicitors in Perth. They sold to the Rowe brothers, well known prospectors at the time in the Davyhurst district. The purchase price was only 120 pounds, with Penny and Hill believing the mine had been worked out. At that point 2000 tonnes of ore had been produced for 4051 ounces. The Rowes uncovered a rich leader 4 inches wide, and crushings continued for another couple of years.

By 1918, the mine had produced 2867 tonnes of ore for 4419 ounces of gold.

Some small crushings were found in the late 1930's but by whom is not mentioned. In 1941, William Alexander Kent, Charles John Perks and his brother Alfred Fordham Perks applied for the Oakley lease. One source states there was a third brother. GML 1113U. 7 acres.

The war intervened, and they joined the armed forces. They returned to the mine in 1946, re-equipped it, and regular rich crushings ensued until at least 1952. The Perks were following a rich pipe, 50 feet long by 2 feet 6 inches wide, in the quartz reef.

They were using the old inclined shaft but at some point this became too difficult and they sank a new main shaft. Crushings were sent through H.J. Van Trip's Waihi battery and cyanide plant, that the brothers eventually purchased and took over.

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