Stalwart returns for one last gold foray
The West Australian
28 May 2016
Nick Evans
Mining industry stalwart Phil Crabb has made and lost at least a couple of fortunes in gold.
He floated Great Central Mines before yielding control to Joe Gutnick, oversaw the development of the Yilgarn Star deposit with Gascoyne Gold Mines, reckons he held the multi-million ounce Higginsville deposit back in the days before Australis collapsed but couldn’t convince the geos to drill it, and was involved in the float of more than a dozen companies over the years.
There was a time, in the late 1980s and 1990s, when his corporate wheeling and dealing — most notably the 1988 stoush to regain control of Great Central, through the-then recently floated Great Western Mines — played to packed houses of shareholders.
Crabb tried to retire from public company life in 2011 to head back to the farm, but somehow failed to make his plan stick.
So, despite forays into other commodities — most notably iron ore, when he chaired UMC until shortly before its $204 million takeover in 2010 by BHP Billiton — there’s a bit of nostalgic pleasure to see him back in gold.
This time it’s through Thundelarra, better known recently as a Doolgunna copper play, with its Red Bore project only a few kilometres away from Sandfire Resources’ DeGrussa copper-gold project.
This weekend Thundelarra’s drill rigs start turning at its Garden Gully gold project, 20km north of Meekatharra.
The tenements, put together by Crabb, through his long relationships with the prospectors who have worked the area, are surrounded by those of Doray Minerals, which is hunting for further feed for its nearby Andy Well gold mine.
There are number of historic scratchings along the 65sqkm package along with the Kyarra gold mine, which Thundelarra says yielded 20,718 ounces at an average grade of 21.7 grams a tonne gold between 1909 and 1915.
There have, by repute, also been plenty of nuggets to be found at surface across the package.
Thundelarra said yesterday it planned to drill about 3000m in its first campaign at Garden Gully, including 2000m of air core holes down to about 80m, or blade refusal.
It plans another 1000m of deeper follow-up drilling with a reverse circulation rig, after identifying the most promising targets from the air core round.
Assays aren’t likely until midyear and there are, as always, no promises that gold can be found in even the best gold districts.
But you’d like to hope the mining gods will give Crabb at least one last big find in his career before he pretends he’s going to retire again.
Garden Gully
The Garden Gully Goldfield is approximately 20 kilometres north-west of Meekatharra. It can be found 10 kilometres along the Meekatharra-Mount Clere Road from its intersection with the Great Northern Highway. It borders the east bank of the first creek (Garden Gully) both north and south of the road. It is not signposted, and the sights are largely not visible from the road.
50 metres to the north is some building foundations, equipment relics, a new or re-conditioned shaft, several historic shafts and mullock piles. 100 metres south of the road is a shaft with small headframe. Further south of the road is a historic water pump which was Meekatharra's first water source, and a couple of major groupings of shafts near this, with some equipment relics. The writer was not able to confirm with certainty the locations of individual mines on the field, as the one map found disagreed with an inspection of sites on the ground.
The goldfield had two major periods of activity. The first lease, known as the Old Battery Group (and later Garden Gully Group), was pegged in May 1894. Shortly after a 10 head battery was erected, and this crushed for prospectors on the field, and for mines at Meekatharra in its early years until 1901. Crushings initially were insignificant, until interest in Meekatharra grew in 1899. After 1901, Meekatharra got its own battery. The Crown gold mine was the most significant on the field during this period, producing small yields from January 1895 to 1901.
Renewed interest in the goldfield came with the Kyarra discovery in 1909. In the first few years it was a rich mine, and several prospector leases were pegged and worked during this time. Lower grades, and various other issues saw the Kyarra close down in 1917. Little has happened since apart from minor prospector activity. The area was explored in 2012 by Dourado Resources, with some evidence of this remaining in the northern workings.
Crown Gold Mine
The Crown deposit was discovered by Oliver and party in January 1895, and worked fairly continuously for the next ten years. GML 27N. Eventually the funds ran out, the mine manager died of typhoid, and the place was deserted until the Kyarra discovery in 1909.
The Crown main vein is parallel to the schist, and strikes north-east, dipping south-west by 70 degrees, or in another source dips north-east. The southern part of the lode is 2 foot thick, and dips south-west. Conflicting information is typical of what was found for the goldfield in general. On the western side of the lode is 1 foot wide bluish compact quartz, and the eastern side 4 foot wide bluish quartz with specks of hematite.
The mine was the largest producer during the goldfield's initial years, which was really only a prospecting field. It produced in total 260 tonnes of ore for an excellent 525 ounces of gold.
Kyarra Gold Mine
The Kyarra deposit was discovered in 1909 by Wilson, Cameron and Edwards (surnames), or Cameron, Edwards and Hill in another source. GML 928N. 18 acres. The lease was applied for in August 1909. A more northern orebody was uncovered in November 1910. It was worked by the prospectors until 1912, when the mine was acquired by the Kyarra Gold Mining Company. They erected a 10 head stamp battery, cyanide plant and much machinery. One source states the company was called the Bullrush Gold Estates NL.
The country rock is strongly sheared, decomposed, especially near the veins, where abundant sericite is normal. At 200 feet down the shaft, the hanging wall is red (probably iron stained) quartz, and the footwall yellow or white quartz. At Kyarra the ore body takes a very sharp turn through the lease. Actinolite/zoisite rock outcrops in several places. The Kyarra veins are said to be remarkable in their variability in size and direction. Some parts of the quartz worked crumbles to quartz sand, with Fe stained quartz in the upper levels, and white compact quartz lower down. Pyrite, sometimes with well shaped crystals were frequently found when mining. There was one occurrence of azurite with chalcopyrite in a vein. In places the quartz is finely laminated with sericite, and microscopic yellow tourmaline. The northern orebody dips south-west 70 degrees, and trends west north-west. The southern orebody dips west 55 degrees, and trends east north-east. A rich alluvial patch was discovered historically west of the reef. Gold was initially uncovered here at the bottom of a gnamma hole.
The Kyarra gold mine was initially very rich, with for example 6000 pounds of dividends issued in 1914, however after this gold grades decreased. The Kyarra Gold Mining Company was in a constant battle to keep the mine un-watered, which when left unchecked would fill the shafts to 25 feet of the surface. During World War One, costs rose, and there was a labour shortage. The company applied for an exemption which was refused. Little mining took place after 1915, and the company closed the mine in 1917. J. Presnall (52) was appointed caretaker, however he passed away a year later from the effects of dust at the mine, which he also worked at in the assay office. The mine produced 25 194 tonnes of ore for 18 790 ounces of gold.
The mine is likely to have been the attention of prospectors over the years. Holden and Schaudy made a rich find at the mine in 1930.
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