New rehabilitation works set for three old mines in NSW

Three old mine sites will be rehabilitated in NSW under the Derelict Mines Program, at a cost of nearly $475 000.

The Program, which this year has an allocation of $1.7 million, is administered by the NSW Department of Primary Industries.

$165 000 will be spent on rehabilitation works in the historic gold fields of Hill End, near Bathurst in the State’s Central West.

The famous Holtermann Nugget was discovered at Hill End in 1872 and remains the largest single mass of gold ever discovered in the world, measuring 1.5 metres long and weighing almost 290 kg.

The remediation works at the old Hill End mine will include filling and securing up to 20 old mine shafts.

Rehabilitation work has also begun on the old Ophir gold mine, 22 km from Orange, which is the home of the State’s very first gold discovery in 1851.

Work at this old mine site includes $55 000 to fill about a dozen old shafts, install new grates to improve safety at the site and stabilise erosion in the area.

The Hill End Gold Field was one of the richest gold mining areas in NSW and the discovery of gold in Ophir generated the first true gold rush in Australia.

In addition to the Central West projects, an old silver mine located near Emmaville in Northern NSW will also be remediated at a cost of more than $250 000.

This project involves filling old mine shafts and rebuilding a heritage mining structure.

Work will be carried out by the Department of Land’s Soil Conservation Service starting later this month and is expected to be completed by July.