Coorong Gold Mine, Winnecke Goldfield, Georgina Range, Central Desert Region, Northern Territory, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Coorong Gold Mine	Mine
Winnecke Goldfield	Ore Field
Georgina Range	Mountain Range
Central Desert Region	Region
Northern Territory	Territory
Australia	Country

An abandoned gold mine

The Coorong gold mine is 550 metres east of the Golden Goose mine.

Quartz veined auriferous breccia, up to 2.5 metres wide, trending east north-east, dipping 55 degrees north, and 150 metres long. The lode contains one quartz vein up to 0.6 metres wide, but pinches and swells. The Footwall is brecciated, coarse grained muscovite and pelite schist.

The workings reach a depth of 30 metres from the surface, in soft friable Fe material, associated with veinlets and quartz masses.

Mining was conducted by the New Coorong Crushing Company from 1903. Historical newspaper reports (ie. The Advertiser, Arltunga, 15/05/1903) states the mining syndicate was called Winnecke Coorong Gold Mining Syndicate. An early description of the workings (The Express and Telegraph newspaper, Artlunga, 14/04/1903) states the lode is 5 feet wide, with a solid vein 6 inches thick at the Footwall, and another 2 inches thick on the Hanging Wall. The Footwall vein it states carries 'very good' rough gold, with fine gold in small quantities elsewhere in the lode.

It was a small operation involving three people, and a 10 head battery erected in 1905. The battery was located on the side of the hill, so slurry from the stamp battery would fall by gravity over the amalgamation plates. The concentrate was then sent 50 kilometres south-east to the Government battery and cyanide works at Arltunga for separation.

The mine was operated by this private miners syndicate until 1907, when sold to the Commonwealth Government, then the battery was shut down sometime after 1913 due to financial losses and an unsafe boiler.

The mine produced 703 tonnes of ore from 1903 to 1906 for 968 ounces of gold at 20-25 g/t Au. The mine as with all on the field closed due to the low ore grades, water shortages, limited firewood for the boiler, the difficulties of getting supplies by camel train from the railhead at Oonadatta, and highly saline and mineralised water which would lead to scale build up in the plant.

The mine sprang to life again in the 1930's, operated by the Gagliardi and Ciccone families, with a 5 head stamp battery. Some relics and foundations for the battery remain.

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