Wheal Watkins
Location
Wheal Watkins is located in South Australia
Wheal Watkins
Wheal Watkins
Location in Australia
LocationGlen Osmond[1]
StateSouth Australia
CountryAustralia
Coordinates34°57′42″S 138°39′20″E / 34.961722°S 138.655446°E / -34.961722; 138.655446[1]
Production
ProductsLead
Silver
History
Opened1843
Closed1916
Owner
CompanyWheal Gawler Mining Association
Adelaide Silver Lead Company
Tarcoola Development Syndicate

Wheal Watkins mine, formerly Wheal Gawler mine, is an historic lead and silver mine in Glen Osmond, South Australia.[1] The mine first operated from 1844 until 1850, and again briefly in 1888 to 1889, and 1916. From 1986 onwards, the mine was accessible by guided tour, until a rockfall event prompted its closure in 2005.

Development

The Wheal Watkins mine was preceded by the Wheal Gawler mine, which was opened in May 1841.[2] The initial discovery of galena in the field is attributed to James Heneker.[3]

The property containing the Wheal Watkins lead and silver deposit was purchased by Mr Watkins of Worthing, England in December 1841. It was purchased through his South Australian agent, Peter Peachey, who opened a mine there on his behalf in 1843. He first worked the deposit in May 1844.[4][5] The lode was found to contain 70% lead and 30 ounces of silver per ton. The ore was sold in London for £13 13 shillings per ton.[4]

The mine's principal contractor was Thomas Williams, and a team of Cornish miners was employed.[6] The 'wheal' part of the name comes from Cornish, and means 'place of work'.

In its first year, the mine employed twelve to eighteen people. In the mine's first seven months, 150 tons of ore was extracted, 100 tons of which was shipped to England.[5] A nearby hotel called The Miner's Arms provided accommodation and provisions to visitors to the mine and region.[7] Peachey died in 1850, but work on the mine continued. The mine was abandoned due to a combination of "extravagant" management, the "ridiculously high" impost of royalties and miners seeking more lucrative prospects during the Victorian gold rush of 1851.[4]

Later workings

The field, which included the adjacent Wheal Gawler and Glen Osmond mines, enjoyed a short-lived revival in 1888.[4] At this time, the operation was led by Captain Rowe,[8] and the mine's secretary was Mr H. Conigrave.[9] A report on the mine from 1888 referred to the mine by the alternative name of "Peachey's lode".[10]

In 1913, a prospector became feint while down the mine, and was saved from falling to his death by his partner. A bow-line loop of rope was lowered around his body and the prospector was hauled safely to the surface.[11]

The last entity to formally work the mine was the Tarcoola Development Syndicate in 1916.[12][13][14]

Closure

After the closure of the mine, some shafts and adits remained open. Several incidents are known to have occurred whereby people or animals fell down holes or became stuck in adits. These include a dog[15] and a cow,[16] both of which were safely recovered.

Preservation

The mine was listed on the South Australian Heritage Register in 1984[17] and was added to the now-defunct Register of the National Estate in 1996,[18] and re-opened by then South Australian Minister for Mines, Stephen Baker MP.

In 2004, tours departed from the Burnside Council Chambers with a round trip two hours in duration. Tours ran on the third Sunday of every month, and tickets cost $7 for adults and $4 for children.[19]

In 2005, the mine was closed after a rockfall event.

In 2008, a bequest of $30,000 AUD was given to the City of Burnside Council in trust, to facilitate repairs and make it possible to reopen the mine for tours. The late donor, John Clark, had previously facilitated tours of the mine from 1986, and appeared in an episode of the TV series Postcards which was dedicated to the Glen Osmond mines, and presented by Keith Conlon.[20]

In 2008, Ross Both and Greg Drew wrote of the Glen Osmond mines in the Journal of Australasian Mining History: "It is essential that further restoration of the [Wheal Watkins] adits be carried out so that public access will again be possible to one of Australia's most significant mining heritage sites."[21]

In 2013, Mayor David Parkin stated that "ratepayers have outlaid considerable funds on preservation of these mines over the years and it is a matter of judgment when enough is enough."[22]

As of March 2016, the mine remains closed to the public. The Burnside Historical Society plans to work with the council to reopen the mine for tours and develop a display for public viewing which will feature a pick found in the Glen Osmond mine and a piece of galena.[23]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Search results for 'Wheal Watkins Historical Site,' with the following datasets selected – 'Suburbs and Localities', 'Gazetteer' and 'SA Heritage Places'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  2. ↑ Price, A. Grenfell (1924). The foundation and settlement of South Australia, 1829-1845 : a study of the colonization movement, based on the records of the South Australian government and on other authoritative documents. Adelaide: F. W. Preece. p. 231. In 1841 the first large mineral discovery was accidentally made at Glen Osmond, where rich deposits of silver lead were opened up in the Wheal Gawler, which is possibly the oldest mine in Australia. When this mine was started, however, times were bad and little was done. In 1843 the Wheal Watkins was commenced in the same area, and remained steadily productive until 1857.
  3. ↑ "Mr. James Heneker, sen". Observer. Adelaide. 10 March 1917. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via Trove.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Mining Days At Glen Osmond". The Mail. Adelaide. 9 October 1943. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via Trove.
  5. 1 2 "SOUTH AUSTRALIA". The Courier. Hobart, Tasmania. 11 January 1845. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via Trove.
  6. ↑ "LOCAL INTELLIGENCE". Adelaide Observer. 29 June 1844. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via Trove.
  7. ↑ "Advertising". Adelaide Observer. 27 July 1844. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via Trove.
  8. ↑ "Unexpected Fall of Mullock at the Wheal Watkins". The Express and Telegraph. Adelaide. 29 September 1888. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via Trove.
  9. ↑ "THE WHEAL WATKINS MINE". South Australian Weekly Chronicle. Adelaide. 1 September 1888. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via Trove.
  10. ↑ "OLD MINES ROUND ADELAIDE – Gold, Silver, and Copper in Ranges ABANDONED SHAFTS DOT COUNTRYSIDE". News. Adelaide. 17 September 1929. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via Trove.
  11. ↑ "SAVED BY A BOWLINE". The Register. Adelaide. 27 November 1913. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via Trove.
  12. ↑ "TARCOOLA DEVELOPMENT SYNDICATE". Observer. Adelaide. 18 November 1916. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via Trove.
  13. ↑ "MINING IN S.A. – SIX MONTHS' OPERATIONS REVIVAL IN COPPER AND GOLD MINING". Daily Herald. Adelaide. 10 October 1916. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via Trove.
  14. ↑ "TAROOOLA DEVELOPMENT SYNDICATE". Observer. Adelaide. 23 September 1916. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via Trove.
  15. ↑ "Out among the People". Observer. Adelaide. 8 January 1931. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via Trove.
  16. ↑ "Twenty-four Days Without Nourishment". Evening Journal. Adelaide. 7 May 1889. Retrieved 10 March 2016 – via Trove.
  17. ↑ Hopgood, D. (5 April 1984). "SOUTH AUSTRALIAN HERITAGE ACT, 1978 Entry of Items on the Register of State Heritage Items" (PDF). The South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. p. 871. Retrieved 1 August 2019. Wheal Watkins Mine Historic Site .... Glen Osmond 5064. CT. Volume 3030 Folio 96. Allotment 82 of Portion of Section 909; Pt. Council Reserve. Hundred of Adelaide.
  18. ↑ "Wheal Watkins Mine Site, Wheal Gawler St, Glen Osmond, SA, Australia - listing on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate (Place ID 100200)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. 28 May 1996. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  19. ↑ Duckeck, Jochen. "Show Mines of Australia: Glen Osmond Mine Tour". www.showcaves.com. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  20. ↑ "Postcards – Glen Osmond Mines". www.postcards-sa.com.au. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  21. ↑ Both, Ross A.; Drew, Greg J. (1 September 2008). "The Glen Osmond silver-lead mines, South Australia: Australia's first metalliferous mines" (PDF). Journal of Australasian Mining History. 6. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  22. ↑ Altschwager, Emma (18 March 2013). "Burnside Historical Society push to have Glen Osmond's Wheal Watkins Mine opened to the public". Eastern Courier. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  23. ↑ Ide, Meredith (1 March 2016). "President's message" (PDF). Burnside Historical Society Inc. Newsletter. 36 (1). Retrieved 11 March 2016.
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