old mine is now mapped and recorded :)
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gedanate
David Harvey
Carrying a candle could be interesting if you hit a pocket of methane.... 
gedanate said:Carrying a candle could be interesting if you hit a pocket of methane....
Funny that you should say that gedanate,
It's a .amazing how many candle stubs and cigarettes butts you find in some of the more well known mines.
It could turn out to be a real blast.
Cheers Steve
Good one stoyve lol
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Hi Stoyve I'm new to the forum and not real sure how to reply and like stuff.We found your ladder on a recent trip with dean65 to the Devils kitchen I also went to the end of the upper level and notice a lot of recent rockfalls from the backs that were not their last time I was their about 6 months ago. Their is a lot of slabbing occurring in the main big chamber and also in the second level. I have come to the opinion that it has become to dangerous to explore especially the second level near where their is a short drive and another directly above it. The more open a cavity is the more chance of failure and that mine has some massive cavities. Just thought I would let you know it's only my opinion stay safe.
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Hi Steve, thanks for your comments. Makes me eager to get back out exploring again. Still have to fully explore the second level. Did not realise how easy it was to climb up there.stoyve said:dean65 said:stoyve said:Gday Dean,
I bet the boys enjoyed the two level mine there in Beringa,
Did you show them where the rock face above the back filled drive has "Robert Dodds died here" carved in the rock?
Cheers Steve
Yes the boys enjoyed seeing that mine. Even managed to climb into the upper level myself. Turned out to be much easier than it looked. Not explored the top part fully and hope to get back at some stage. We saw the carving about Robert Dodds. Cheers Dean.
Gday Dean,
I'm glad you went into the upper level of that mine.
At the very end of that upper level there is a stope that goes goes up about another 4 or 5 metres, it's been back filled from above and I believe that's another level that's Ben closed off.
And yes I have climbed up as high as you can go.
Also I'm pretty sure there is a false floor on that second level as well.
On another subject, I was at "The Kitchen" last week and was pleased to see my ladder was still there , I did some further exploration in the upper level and found 3 more square cut tunnels and 5 shafts dropping into a tunnel below.
The last shaft had 3 tunnels running off it but I couldn't explore further due to the fact that I was buy myself in that section.
When I can go back with a couple of others I will then see where they lead to.
keep safe and cheers
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Last Monday I took an experienced deep lead gang out to Nerrina for some exploring. In a short space a time we found a deep shaft over a stope with another shaft heading down further. We then found an old adit with an entrance that looked like a part of a creek bed.
Fearfull Damo said:Hi Stoyve I'm new to the forum and not real sure how to reply and like stuff.We found your ladder on a recent trip with dean65 to the Devils kitchen I also went to the end of the upper level and notice a lot of recent rockfalls from the backs that were not their last time I was their about 6 months ago. Their is a lot of slabbing occurring in the main big chamber and also in the second level. I have come to the opinion that it has become to dangerous to explore especially the second level near where their is a short drive and another directly above it. The more open a cavity is the more chance of failure and that mine has some massive cavities. Just thought I would let you know it's only my opinion stay safe.
Gday Damo,
The main chamber is getting more unstable for sure and I agree about the double drives on the 2nd level.
I've been in there 7 times in the lst 8 months including this week.
I've fully explored the upper level and all the drives including those that run at the bottom of the shafts.
There's no more drives left to explore in there at all.
As much as I'm tempted the drives that run off from right as you enter the main chamber are to unstable so it seems that I've exhausted all the area's to explore.
Thanks again as I know your experience should be respected.
stay safe as well.
Cheers Steve
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Hunting the yellow is that a working mine in the first lot of photos, also how have they hung the different stages given that the shaft is only lined for the first 10 meters around the collar at a guess
Hey there dean interesting pics as always. I have a question. In the third frame down is that a wacking great quartz reef running up from right to left at a shallow angle? Was this a hard rock quartz mine or a deep lead under basalt mine?
My bad,that was 2 questions wasn't it
My bad,that was 2 questions wasn't it
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Hi jethro yes that is a shallow angle qautz reef in hard rock running north South dipping maybe 30 degrees around 15m from the surface their is a tiny stope where the Intire vein has been removed. It can't of been that good because it's still there. As you see the picture the right is South.
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jethro said:
It was a hard rock Quartz mine. A shaft led down from the surface and then inside the stope another shaft went down another 3 metres.
On a sader not it looks like the DPI will be filling in some mines in Berrina. You will see blue crosses at various locations. In my view unsafe mines should be fenced off not destroyed.
Run for your lives, it's a possum!
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It has been said that Ballarat's forests went underground to shore up the shafts and tunnels, sometimes miles long. Timber was carted from the remaining forests to feed the boilers of the steam engines to pump water from the mines and to power the stamping batteries to crush the gold-bearing quartz.
Hey Dean, Good pics as always. Regarding DEPI filling in old mines I hear what you're saying. They always go for the cheapest option that doesn't need ongoing maintenance. not the departments fault really as they operate on very limited funds especially for mining related relics.
So years ago, after the mamoth fires we had up in N,east vic. I was told about some old mining relics that had been uncovered. Myself & another member of our prospecting club went up for a look and were a amazed at how complete the recovery plant was. We organised a field trip for the while group toI have a look but in the fortnight that elapsed the site was well and truely pilfered. I got in contact with DEPI or what ever they were called back then and asked them if the whole site could be preserved but they said they would have there archiologist survey it and leave it for the bush to reclaim. Anyway I managed to convince them that the battery atleast should be recovered and set up in the Mitta Mitta mining heritage park. And so it was. The battery was lifted onto a trailer and then transferred onto another trailer and it was restored at my place and eventually erected in the park beside the river at Mitta Mitta.
So years ago, after the mamoth fires we had up in N,east vic. I was told about some old mining relics that had been uncovered. Myself & another member of our prospecting club went up for a look and were a amazed at how complete the recovery plant was. We organised a field trip for the while group toI have a look but in the fortnight that elapsed the site was well and truely pilfered. I got in contact with DEPI or what ever they were called back then and asked them if the whole site could be preserved but they said they would have there archiologist survey it and leave it for the bush to reclaim. Anyway I managed to convince them that the battery atleast should be recovered and set up in the Mitta Mitta mining heritage park. And so it was. The battery was lifted onto a trailer and then transferred onto another trailer and it was restored at my place and eventually erected in the park beside the river at Mitta Mitta.
Goldpick
Chris Johnson
jethro said:
Good to see someone is being proactive about saving some of our mining heritage before it completely disappears, nice one. Any pics of the restored battery?
Top stuff Jethro, not many people can say they have achieved that
Hey goldpick I couldn''t find any of the completed battery restoration but I did find a couple of the parts that needed repairing.
Hey DWT, the best part of the whole exercise was the research I did into the old fella that owned the battery. He was a true prospecting & mining legend of the early 20th century. I actually got to talk to the last man who shovelled quartz into that battery just before he passed on. When I spoke to him on the Ph he was 92 .He said he was about 17 yrs old and went up to the mine to put the last load through after his grandfather who owned the mine & battery got sick & was taken down to hospital in albury. HE put the load thru & one of his uncles cleaned up the plates & retorted the gold. This was around 1939. He said he used to play football down in Mitta but was excused from attending training as the coach reckoned he was fit enough doing 3 loads of qurtz a day down to the battery from the mine ( a vertical height) of 700 ft.) they used a slay as the track was too steep for a dray or cart. Quartz was shovelled on & off. Really interesting old bloke to talk to.
Hey DWT, the best part of the whole exercise was the research I did into the old fella that owned the battery. He was a true prospecting & mining legend of the early 20th century. I actually got to talk to the last man who shovelled quartz into that battery just before he passed on. When I spoke to him on the Ph he was 92 .He said he was about 17 yrs old and went up to the mine to put the last load through after his grandfather who owned the mine & battery got sick & was taken down to hospital in albury. HE put the load thru & one of his uncles cleaned up the plates & retorted the gold. This was around 1939. He said he used to play football down in Mitta but was excused from attending training as the coach reckoned he was fit enough doing 3 loads of qurtz a day down to the battery from the mine ( a vertical height) of 700 ft.) they used a slay as the track was too steep for a dray or cart. Quartz was shovelled on & off. Really interesting old bloke to talk to.
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