Discovery timeline
Every row is a documented discovery, rush or field in Tasmania with its sources. Rows marked verified or corrected were checked against a primary source (Mineral Resources Tasmania publications, Trove newspapers, Libraries Tasmania, Geoscience Australia or company reports). Unverifiable rows are shown so you can judge them, never silently dropped.
139timeline rows
113verified
20corrected
6unverifiable
1872oldest lease in the MRT register (7)
| When | Discovery | Commodity | Where | Status | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-colonial | Rebecca Creek spongolite quarry Palawa TMAG: spongolite occurs at only one place in Tasmania, Rebecca Creek; tools found in middens in all corners of the island. the draft timeline's '350 km to Pontville' distance not verified. |
spongolite (toolstone) Aboriginal stone quarry |
Rebecca Creek, far north-west, Circular Head map (district) |
verified | shapingtasmania.tmag.tas.gov.au |
| Pre-colonial | Toolumbunner ochre pits Pallittorre people Existence and location (Gog Range, Pallittorre) confirmed; Sagona 1994 'Bruising the Red Earth' is the monograph. the draft timeline's 5 ha size, 'Moina Sandstone' host and adit detail were not verified here. |
ochre (hematite) Aboriginal ochre quarry |
Gog Range, north of Mole Creek, Mole Creek / Kentish map (district) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org |
| about 800,000 years ago | Darwin Crater impact glass (Darwin glass) source Palawa quarrying of natural glass (toolstone) Glass Ar-Ar dated 816,000 +/- 7,000 years. Used by Palawa for tools and trade. the draft timeline claims of specific cave sites (Maneena, Nunamira, Bone Cave) and 30,000 BP were NOT verified in sources fetched. |
impactite (Darwin glass) impact glass strewn field |
Darwin Crater, 26 km S of Queenstown, West Coast map (exact) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org |
| 1642-11-22 | Tasman compass anomaly ('magnetic mines') Abel Janszoon Tasman expedition Journal entry for 22 Nov 1642 (not 24 Nov): 'the compass kept traversing eight points, so that they imagined themselves near some magnetic mines'. Land sighted 24 Nov. Not a mineral discovery; include only as a curiosity... |
iron (inferred) observation only |
At sea, west of Van Diemen's Land, before landfall, Offshore West Coast map (district) |
corrected | gutenberg.net.au |
| 1793-02 | South Cape Bay coal outcrop Labillardiere (D'Entrecasteaux expedition) Bacon & Banks 1989: Feb 1793, thin horizontal seam described as 'horizontal vein of coal'. |
coal coal seam outcrop |
Cliffs near South Cape Bay, Far South map (locality) |
verified | eprints.utas.edu.au www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1803-11-08 | Coal River (Richmond) coal James Meehan (surveyor) Meehan marked 'coal here' on his map on 8 Nov 1803; Knopwood's household used Coal River coal from 1805. |
coal coal seam |
Coal River just downstream of Richmond, Coal River Valley map (locality) |
verified | eprints.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1804 | Ironstone Hills (Mt Vulcan / Scotts Hill) iron ore Settlers of York Town; Col. William Paterson credited Both sources date the find to 'soon after' the 1804 York Town settlement; the draft timeline's 1805 and the '1812 Simeon Lord licence' were not confirmed by any fetched source. First smelting attempts 1873 (Ilfracombe) a... |
iron residual limonite/hematite over Cambrian ultramafics |
West of Tamar estuary near York Town / Beaconsfield, West Tamar map (locality) |
corrected | en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org |
| 1815 | Macquarie Harbour brown coal (Coal Head) Capt. James Kelly Kelly found it 1815; Denis McCarty reported it 1816; worked briefly and unsuccessfully from 1822 (Coal Head). |
brown coal Tertiary lignite |
Northern shore of Macquarie Harbour, West Coast map (locality) |
corrected | eprints.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1823 | Jerusalem (Colebrook) coal known; rediscovered 1841 James Clare (1841 rediscovery, government trial shaft Dec 1841) Bacon 1989: presence known 1823; government mine Mar-Aug 1844; colliery resumed 1879-1890; Colebrook mines 1892-1921. Added entry. |
coal Triassic coal |
Coalmine Bend, Colebrook, Coal River Valley map (locality) |
verified | eprints.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1827-05 | New Town coal not named (Hobart Town Gazette May 1827) Winch reported New Town coal 1823; dug from a well May 1827; Triumph Coal Mine (Williams and Collins) 1851. Added entry. |
coal Triassic coal |
Emmett's farm, New Town, Hobart, Hobart map (locality) |
verified | eprints.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1833 | Saltwater River / Plunkett Point coal Surveyors George Woodward and James Hughes Found early 1833; shaft to ~10 m by Dec 1833; first shipment reached Hobart 3 June 1834; convict mine closed 1877. |
coal Triassic coal measures |
Plunkett Point, Norfolk Bay, Tasman Peninsula, Tasman Peninsula map (exact) |
verified | eprints.utas.edu.au www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1840 | Southport coal (Swanston syndicate) Swanston syndicate Shaft sunk 1842; ~1,300 tons reached Hobart. Recherche Bay convict shaft also 1840. Added entry. |
coal coal |
Southport, Far South map (locality) |
verified | eprints.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1843 | Douglas River coal Jesse and Isaac Garland Douglas River Coal Co. set up May 1849; about 800 tons raised. Added entry (missing from the draft timeline). |
coal coal seams |
South of the Douglas River, east coast, East Coast map (locality) |
verified | eprints.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1843-09-16 | Schouten Island coal lease (Garlands) Jesse and Isaac Garland (lease 16 Sept 1843) Schouten Island Coal Company formed 1848. Added entry. |
coal coal |
Schouten Island, East Coast map (locality) |
verified | eprints.utas.edu.au www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1847 | Blythe Creek gold-bearing quartz John Gardner Companion: 'In 1847 John Gardner found gold-bearing quartz' at Blythe Creek. Earliest recorded Tasmanian gold. |
gold quartz vein |
Blythe Creek near Beaconsfield (Brandy Creek), West Tamar map (locality) |
verified | utas.edu.au www.utas.edu.au |
| 1850 | Mersey / Don coalfield not named Companion dates the coalfield to 1850; Bacon 1989 records Don River and Mersey coal reported early 1851 and the Mersey Coal Company 1853. the draft timeline credits 'Charles Gould Reports' which is anachronistic (Gould a... |
coal Permian coal measures |
Tarleton-Latrobe, Mersey valley, Latrobe map (district) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au eprints.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1851-04 | Mersey tasmanite (oil shale) L.A. Wheeler of Port Sorell (exhibited) Bacon 1989: tasmanite sent by L.A. Wheeler to Royal Society of VDL, exhibited 9 April 1851. the draft timeline's 'Milligan Survey' attribution unverified. |
oil shale (tasmanite) Permian spore-rich shale |
Mersey River near Latrobe/Railton, Latrobe map (locality) |
corrected | eprints.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1852-02 | Mangana / The Nook, first payable gold James Grant GSB 43: James Grant, Feb 1852 near Fingal. Nye 1941: first payable gold 1852 'about the Nook, near Fingal', also along Tower Hill Creek. Nye notes a possible 1851 find by 'Old Major'. |
gold alluvial placer |
Tower Hill Creek / The Nook near Fingal, Fingal Valley map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1859 | Calder River gold Peter Lette Nye 1941 memorandum. Added entry. |
gold alluvial |
Calder River, tributary of Inglis, North-West map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1859 | Forth River gold James 'Philosopher' Smith ADB and Nye 1941 both give 1859 (the draft timeline said 1858). Nye also records Peter Lette's 1859 find at the Calder River (Inglis tributary). |
gold alluvial |
Upper Forth River, Central North map (district) |
corrected | adb.anu.edu.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au |
| 1859 | Mangana reef (Sovereign line) quartz mining begins not named Nye 1941 lists a Fingal quartz mine starting 1859; Companion says reef mining replaced alluvial c.1858. 'Sovereign' is a real Mangana lode per MRT alias list, but the claim that it was 'the island's first underground har... |
gold orogenic quartz reef |
Napkin Hill, Mangana, Fingal Valley map (locality) |
unverifiable | www.mrt.tas.gov.au utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1862 | King River gold traces Charles Gould (Government Geologist) Companion: Gould found small quantities of gold in 1862. Added entry. |
gold alluvial traces |
King River, West Coast map (district) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au |
| 1869 | Back Creek goldfield not named Companion: deposits found 1869 at Lefroy, Back Creek and Waterhouse. |
gold alluvial and reef |
Back Creek, south of Turquoise Bluff, East Tamar map (locality) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1869 | Lefroy (Nine Mile Springs) reef gold, Specimen Hill S. Richards and party Nye 1941 and Groves (TR9): 'Gold was first discovered at Specimen Hill by S. Richards and party in 1869.' the draft timeline said 1868. |
gold orogenic quartz reef |
Specimen Hill, Lefroy, East Tamar map (exact) |
corrected | www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1869 | Waterhouse / Lyndhurst goldfield not named Nye 1941: 'LYNDHURST - 1869'. |
gold alluvial and reef |
Lyndhurst-Waterhouse, North-East coast map (district) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1870 | Blue Bell reef not named A Blue Bell gold mine north of Gladstone exists in the MRT database, but no fetched source dates it to 1870. |
gold quartz reef |
North of Gladstone (Rushy Lagoon area), Far North-East map (locality) |
unverifiable | data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1871-12-04 | Mount Bischoff tin James 'Philosopher' Smith GSB 34 and ADB: first tin ore found 4 Dec 1871 in Tinstone Creek. Company 1873; first dividend Feb 1878; ~56,000 t tin from 5.5 Mt ore (Companion). the draft timeline cites 'MRT UR 2001/08' which is a 2001 mineralogical ... |
tin carbonate-replacement / porphyry-hosted cassiterite |
Tinstone Creek, SW slope of Mt Bischoff, Waratah, Waratah map (exact) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au adb.anu.edu.au www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1872 | Denison goldfield (alluvial) not named Bottrill 1994: 'the Denison and Golconda alluvial deposits were not discovered until 1872'; reefs opened 1876 (Denison) and 1877 (Golconda). |
gold alluvial |
North of Golconda, Lisle-Golconda map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1872 | Gipps Creek alluvial tin (Ben Lomond) not named EL27/2004 report: alluvial cassiterite found at Gipps Creek 1872, soon after reported at Storeys Creek. Added entry. |
tin alluvial |
Gipps Creek, Ben Lomond, Ben Lomond map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1872 | Golconda goldfield (alluvial) not named Reefs opened 1877. |
gold alluvial then reef |
Golconda, Lisle-Golconda map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1873 | Ilfracombe iron smelting (first Tasmanian blast furnace) Ilfracombe Iron Company (registered 28 Jan 1873) Furnace tapped late Nov 1873; last attempt 23 Dec 1873; failed. British and Tasmanian Charcoal Iron Co furnace lit 20 May 1876, produced pig iron to Aug 1877. Added entry. |
iron residual iron ore smelting |
Ilfracombe, West Tamar, West Tamar map (locality) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org |
| 1874 | Boobyalla / Mount Cameron alluvial tin (start of NE tin province) George Renison Bell ADB: payable alluvial tin at Boobyalla 1874. Companion: 'George Bell's discovery of tin near Mount Cameron in 1874'. the draft timeline's 'Little Mt Horror' locality not confirmed (Mt Horror is an arsenic-gold prospect i... |
tin alluvial placer |
Boobyalla River near Mt Cameron, Ringarooma / Gladstone map (locality) |
verified | adb.anu.edu.au www.utas.edu.au utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1874 | Derby tin, first find in a creek bed near Bell's camp George Renison Bell Wikipedia Derby and Companion (North-east): tin discovered at Derby in 1874 by George Renison Bell in a creek bed near his camp. |
tin alluvial and sub-basaltic deep lead |
Cascade River, Derby, Ringarooma Valley map (locality) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org utas.edu.au |
| 1875 | Coles Bay tinfield not named Companion tin page: Coles Bay tinfield 1875. Added entry. |
tin alluvial |
Saltwater Creek / Middleton Creek, Coles Bay, East Coast map (locality) |
verified | utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1875 | Gladstone tinfield not named Companion tin page: Gladstone tinfield 1875. Added entry. |
tin alluvial |
Gladstone, Far North-East map (locality) |
verified | utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1875 | Lottah (Blue Tier) tin, later Anchor lode not named Tin found at Lottah c.1875; Anchor mine operational 1880 (Wikipedia) and produced 1881-1950 (Companion); revival 1989-96. the draft timeline's 1882 date is wrong. |
tin greisen / sheeted vein lode |
Lottah, Blue Tier, Blue Tier map (exact) |
corrected | en.wikipedia.org utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1875-06 | Cascade River tin / Brothers' Home (later Briseis), Derby Christopher Krushka (with brothers Frederick, Charles and William) and George Renison Bell Krushka brothers article: Christopher Krushka with G.R. Bell identified the Cascade River deposits in June 1875; Companion (Mining) says Brothers' Home 'established 1876'. Sold to London company 1893 as Briseis; dam burs... |
tin alluvial and sub-basaltic deep lead |
Cascade River, Derby, Ringarooma Valley map (locality) |
corrected | en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1876 | Mount Heemskirk tinfield not named (Sprent expedition 1876 opened area) Companion: 'The first western deposit of tin found was the Heemskirk Tinfield in 1876.' Boom 1881-84 (Haygarth 2017). the draft timeline's 1877 and 'C. Donnelly & T.B. Moore' were not confirmed. |
tin greisen/quartz-tourmaline veins in Heemskirk Granite |
Mt Heemskirk, West Coast, Heemskirk map (district) |
corrected | www.utas.edu.au utas.edu.au utas.edu.au www.mininghistory.asn.au |
| 1876 | Wilson River osmiridium (first recognised PGE) Charles Sprent (surveyor) Sprent recorded 'palladium' in 1876; later identified as osmiridium (Bacon 1992). Alloy authoritatively identified in Savage River gravels 1881. |
osmiridium, platinum group alluvial over ultramafics |
Wilson River valley, Pieman map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1877 | Browns Plains gold Donelly, Long and party; John Brown found payable gold same year Nye 1941. Added entry. |
gold alluvial |
Browns Plains, Pieman district, Pieman map (district) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au |
| 1877 | Pioneer tin mine (Bradshaws Creek) William Bradshaw (founder of mine) Companion: Pioneer Mine 1877, longest-producing tin mine, to 1982. Added entry. |
tin alluvial / deep lead |
Bradshaws Creek, Pioneer, Far North-East map (exact) |
verified | utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1877 | Savage River magnetite Charles Sprent Deposits known 1877; Dept of Mines drilling 1958; Roy Hudson / Industrial Mining Investigations then Pickands Mather JV; first pellet shipment 1968 via 85 km slurry pipeline to Port Latta. the draft timeline's 'MRT UR 20... |
iron, magnetite Proterozoic metamorphosed magnetite lenses (Bowry Fm) |
Savage River, Arthur Lineament / Waratah map (exact) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org www.utas.edu.au www.mindat.org data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1877 | Tasmania Reef, Beaconsfield William and David Dally Sold Oct 1877 to Grubb and Hart; ~800,000 oz to closure 1914 (flooding); reopened 1999, final closure June 2012. |
gold fault-hosted quartz reef |
East side of Cabbage Tree Hill, Beaconsfield, West Tamar map (exact) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.utas.edu.au |
| 1877 | Tobacco Creek goldfield Charles Bessell and partners Bottrill 1994. Added entry. |
gold alluvial |
Tobacco Creek, Lisle-Golconda, Lisle-Golconda map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1878 | Lisle goldfield (Mt Arthur goldfield) Charles Bessell and partners (Bessell Bros) Nye: 'Bessell Bros. End of 1878'. ~10 t gold (Companion). |
gold deep regolith / alluvial placer |
Lisle, Lisle map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1879 | Magnet gossan first seen (re-found c.1890-91) William Robert Bell Preston 2015: Bell camped by the gossan during 1879 trail-blazing. GSB 33: 'Bell actually found the gossan outcrop' c.1877-78 but could not relocate it for ~12 years; discovered/re-discovered c.1890-91. Companion dates d... |
silver, lead, zinc fissure/breccia lode in Magnet dyke |
Magnet Creek, SW of Waratah, Waratah map (exact) |
verified | www.mininghistory.asn.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au en.wikipedia.org www.utas.edu.au |
| 1879-04 | Middleton Creek gold (Corinna / Pieman goldfield) Harry Middleton (party) Macfie: April 1879, first gold rush west of the Pieman. Companion: mining at Corinna commenced 1879; district produced Tasmania's largest nuggets (to 7.6 kg). Added entry (the draft timeline omitted). |
gold alluvial |
Middleton Creek, Corinna, Pieman map (locality) |
verified | petermacfiehistorian.net.au www.utas.edu.au www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1880 | Gladstone goldfield not named Companion gold page: 1880. |
gold quartz reef and alluvial |
Gladstone, Far North-East map (locality) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1881 | Ben Lomond tinfield (lode) not named Companion tin page: Ben Lomond 1881. Added entry. |
tin, tungsten veins in granite |
Gipps Creek area, Ben Lomond, Ben Lomond map (locality) |
verified | utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1881 | Lynch Creek / Lynchford alluvial gold Cornelius Lynch (with Currie) Nye: 'C. Lynch and Currie, 1881 or 1882'. Companion Queenstown: 1881. |
gold alluvial |
Lynch Creek, King River valley, Queenstown map (locality) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1881 | Savage River osmiridium identified not named Bacon 1992: alloy 'authoritatively identified' 1881. GSB 17: gold diggers treated it as a nuisance c.1884; working for osmiridium began c.1899. Added entry. |
osmiridium alluvial |
Savage River gravels, Pieman map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1881 | Specimen Creek / Specimen Reef gold (first West Coast reef) not named Companion: 'followed by a reef of gold at nearby Specimen Creek in 1881'. the draft timeline said 1883. Note MRT has several 'Specimen' localities; the Pipeline Road reef near Long Plains is the Pieman-district one. |
gold quartz reef |
Specimen Reef, Pipeline Road, Savage River area, Pieman / Long Plains map (locality) |
corrected | www.utas.edu.au www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1882 | Cape Barren Island tin (Rooks River) J. Simmers and E. T. Miles Blake 1947. Clarke Island lode disclosed 1886 (Maclaine and Donovan). |
tin alluvial |
Rooks River, northern Cape Barren Island, Furneaux Group map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1882 | Flinders Island tin (Tanners Bay / Killiecrankie) A. Smith (Killiecrankie); P. Brewer and F.T. Miles (Tanners Bay) Blake 1947: first tin on Flinders Island 1882 (stream tin noted by Gould 1871). |
tin alluvial |
Tanners Bay and Killiecrankie Bay, Flinders Island, Furneaux Group map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1882 | Mount Victoria / Alberton goldfield R. J. Wilson Nye: 'R. J. Wilson in late 1882 or early 1883'. |
gold quartz reefs |
Alberton - Mt Victoria, North-East map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1882 | Zeehan silver-lead field Frank Long Companion and Wikipedia: 1882. Note Harcourt-Smith 1897 states 'discovered in 1885' and Thureau examined lodes 'over three years' before 1888; boom from 1890 railway; 159 companies at peak; last mines (Oceana, Montana) c... |
silver, lead, zinc siderite-galena fissure veins |
Mt Zeehan / Zeehan, Zeehan map (district) |
verified | utas.edu.au utas.edu.au en.wikipedia.org www.mrt.tas.gov.au |
| 1883 | Iron Blow, Mount Lyell McDonough brothers (William and Michael) and Steve Karlson Nye 1941: 'McDonough Bros. and Karlson, 1883'. Companion Mt Lyell says alluvial gold pegged in Linda valley 1882; 1896 prospector account says pegged as rich 15 June 1886. Mount Lyell Mining Co 1892; Mount Lyell Mining a... |
gold, copper, silver, pyrite gossan over Cu-Au sulphide (Mount Read Volcanics) |
Gormanston / Linda valley, Mt Lyell, Queenstown map (exact) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au appleisleprospector.com www.utas.edu.au en.wikipedia.org |
| 1884 | Mount Balfour tin not named Companion: 'Tin was discovered in about 1884 and productively worked until 1899.' Added entry. |
tin alluvial / lodes |
Balfour, Far North-West map (district) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1885 | Bendigo mine leader, Lefroy W. H. Stubs and Keys GSB 42. Added entry. |
gold quartz leader |
Lefroy, East Tamar map (district) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1885 | Heazlewood silver-lead (Bell's Reward, 13-Mile) William Robert Bell (reward leases with James 'Philosopher' Smith, June 1887) GSB 33: 'W. R. Bell made the first silver-lead discovery' 1885 near the later Heazlewood Mine. Godkin mine found c.1888 by Norman Godkin; John Hay's Whyte River lode c.1889-91. the draft timeline's 'nickel' commodity at ... |
silver, lead, zinc fissure lodes in Cambrian ultramafics |
Heazlewood River / Jasper Hill, SW of Waratah, Heazlewood map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.mininghistory.asn.au nichaygarth.com www.parliament.tas.gov.au |
| 1886 | Clarke Island tin lode Maclaine and Donovan Blake 1947. Added entry. |
tin lode |
Clarke Island, Furneaux Group, Furneaux Group map (district) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au |
| 1886 | Cornwall Colliery, Fingal Valley Cornwall Coal Company Opened 1886; Mount Nicholas 1888; Jubilee 1897. |
coal Triassic coal measures |
Nicholas Range near St Marys, Fingal Valley map (locality) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1887 | New Golden Gate reef, Mathinna A. Loane GSB 43: Loane found gold-bearing quartz picking in the adit floor c.1887; mine worked 1887/88-1912 and intermittently to 1926; ~254,000 oz (UR 1992/10). Mathinna alluvial gold known before 1870; City of Hobart mine pre-1... |
gold orogenic quartz reef (Loane's Reef) |
Mathinna, Mathinna map (exact) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1887 | Silver Queen lode, Zeehan George Renison Bell Companion Mining: 'George Bell discovered the Silver Queen Mine in 1887'. ADB entry for Bell does not mention it. Examiner 17 Sept 1891 'Discovery on the Silver Queen'. |
silver, lead, zinc fissure lode |
Zeehan (Queen Hill / Montana Hill), Zeehan map (locality) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au en.wikipedia.org data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1888 | Godkin silver-lead lode Norman Godkin Undated precisely; placed during 1888 Broken Hill boom by Haygarth. Added entry. |
silver, lead, zinc gossan over lode |
Tributary of Whyte River, Heazlewood district, Heazlewood map (locality) |
verified | www.mininghistory.asn.au nichaygarth.com data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1888 | Mount Nicholas colliery not named Companion: Mount Nicholas 1888, Jubilee 1897. Added entry. |
coal Triassic coal |
Nicholas Range, Fingal Valley, Fingal Valley map (locality) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1890 | Dundas silver-lead field (Adelaide, Comet, Maestries) prospectors from Zeehan (unnamed) Wikipedia (Colac Herald 23 Sept 1890): silver discovered 1890. GSB 36: ore mined since 1890, production from 1896; Razorback tin reward to P.P. Quinn 26 April 1909. Adelaide mine (crocoite) still operating. Added entry. |
silver, lead, zinc, crocoite fissure veins |
Dundas, Dundas map (district) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1890 | Mount Read gold-bearing gossan (Mt Hamilton) Alfred Conliffe Companion: Conliffe 1890; Mount Read Mining Co formed; sulphides beneath gossan reported by Montgomery 11 April 1893 (GSB 19). the draft timeline's '1877 Mount Read copper pyrites by T.B. Moore' was not confirmed by any ... |
gold, zinc, lead gossan over VHMS |
Mt Hamilton, western spur of Mt Read, Mount Read / Williamsford map (locality) |
corrected | www.utas.edu.au www.utas.edu.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1890 | Renison Bell tin George Renison Bell (gossan); Ringrose Nicholson first recorded cassiterite ADB and DED brochure: 1890. Porter Geoscience notes Dept of Mines records credit Ringrose Nicholson with first reported cassiterite, Bell having pegged a month earlier. the draft timeline cites 'MRT GSB 70'; GSB 70 is th... |
tin, copper carbonate-replacement cassiterite-pyrrhotite |
Argent River / Dalcoath Creek, North Dundas, Renison Bell map (exact) |
verified | adb.anu.edu.au en.wikipedia.org portergeo.com.au www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1890 | Whyte River silver lode (John Hay) John Hay (tramway builder) Haygarth: John Hay struck his own silver lode near the Whyte River while building the Godkin tramway (built 1889-92, completed early 1891; Mercury 30 January 1891). Year 1890 is inferred from the construction period; no ... |
silver, lead lode |
Whyte River, Heazlewood district, Heazlewood map (locality) |
corrected | www.mininghistory.asn.au nichaygarth.com data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1891 | Cox Bight tin Lark Macquarie (1891); Glover and Foley reward sections Sept 1892 Stefanski 1957: discovered 1891 by Mr Lark Macquarie of Hobart; Robert Glover and W.H. Foley granted Reward Sections Sept 1892. Worked intermittently to 1930. |
tin alluvial / littoral |
Point Eric, Cox Bight, Far South-West map (locality) |
corrected | www.mrt.tas.gov.au utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1891 | Pieman Heads wolfram not named No fetched source confirms an 1891 wolfram discovery at Pieman Heads; no matching MRT record found by name. |
tungsten quartz veins |
Pieman Heads, West Coast map (district) |
unverifiable | |
| 1891 | Pinafore lode, Lefroy J. T. Stubs and party Started the major Lefroy revival. Added entry. |
gold quartz lode |
North of Lefroy, East Tamar map (exact) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1891 | Storeys Creek tin-tungsten (mining begins) not named Mining 1891/92 to 1982; ~1.1 Mt at 1.09% WO3. Added entry. |
tungsten, tin sheeted quartz-wolframite veins |
Storeys Creek, Ben Lomond, Rossarden map (exact) |
verified | www.qvmag.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1892 | Bell Mount (Mount Bell) gold, Moina Malcolm Campbell Wikipedia (citing Sheffield Explanatory Report 1979): Campbell discovered Mount Bell gold mine 1892; soon 100 men at work. |
gold alluvial / lode |
Bell Creek, Moina, Moina map (locality) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1892 | Ida Bay coal not named Bacon 1983: small-scale mining from 1892. Added entry. |
coal coal |
Ida Bay, Far South map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1893 | Rosebery zinc-lead-silver-gold-copper Tom (Cecil Thomas) McDonald Wikipedia and DED5039: in 1893 Tom McDonald found gold in alluvial wash with boulders of zinc-lead sulphide on the slopes of Mt Black; Tasmanian Copper Co 1896; Mount Lyell Co took over 1916; EZ mill completed 1936; larg... |
zinc, lead, silver, gold, copper VHMS (Mount Read Volcanics) |
Slopes of Mt Black, Rosebery, Rosebery map (exact) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org www.utas.edu.au www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au www.miningweekly.com |
| 1893 | Shepherd and Murphy tin-tungsten-bismuth, Moina T. Shepherd and T. Murphy (per Gemini; not independently confirmed) Wikipedia: first tin and tungsten discoveries on Dolcoath Hill in the 1890s; S&M produced intermittently 1893-1957 (~525 t Sn, 255 t WO3, 71 t Bi). Discoverer names unverified. |
tin, tungsten, bismuth sheeted veins / skarn |
Bismuth Creek, Moina, Moina map (exact) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1893 | Stanley River tin not named Companion tin page: Stanley River 1893. Added entry. |
tin alluvial |
Stanley River, Meredith Range, Waratah / Mt Lindsay map (district) |
verified | utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1893-03-29 | Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company formed Successor to the Mount Lyell Mining Company (Bowes Kelly and William Orr, 1892) Wikipedia: Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company formed 29 March 1893; Companion (Mt Lyell): Kelly and Orr bought the mine and formed the Mount Lyell Mining Company in 1892 and dates the 'Mining and Railway' name to the... |
copper, gold, silver Cu-Au |
Mt Lyell / Queenstown, Queenstown map (exact) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org www.utas.edu.au www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1894 | Hercules zinc-lead-silver, Williamsford Joseph Will Companion: Will located a silver seam below the Mount Read Mine 1894; full production by 1900; closed 1913 with Zeehan smelter; EZ reopened 1920; ran to 1986 (>2.5 Mt ore); Mancala 1996-99. |
zinc, lead, silver, gold, copper VHMS |
Mt Hamilton / Williamsford, Mount Read map (exact) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au www.utas.edu.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1894 | Jane River gold (first find, Burrows Creek) W. Burrows Bacon 1989: Burrows won 13 oz; John Stannard won 5 oz in 1901 (drowned 29 April 1901). Main field found 1935. |
gold alluvial |
Burrows Creek, Jane River, South-West map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1896 | Chester pyrite deposit (Kershaws Iron Blow) Kershaw (per MRT alias) Deposit exists (MRT alias 'Kershaws Iron Blow') but no fetched source confirms 1896 or 'Sanderson'. |
pyrite, copper massive pyrite in Mount Read Volcanics |
Mt Kershaw, north of Boco, North Pieman map (locality) |
unverifiable | data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1896 | Golden Gate East Reef found at depth New Golden Gate Company (crosscut from Loane's Reef) East Reef first found at 900 ft level 1896; New West Make 1901-02. Added entry. |
gold quartz reef |
New Golden Gate mine, Mathinna, Mathinna map (exact) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1896 | Mount Farrell silver-lead (Tullah) Edward George Innes (surveyor) observed mineralisation 1896-97 Companion: 'next important mineral discovery occurred at Mount Farrell in 1896-97'. Henderson 1945: first North Mt Farrell ore sale 16 Oct 1899; Mount Farrell PO opened 1 April 1900; Farrell lode found March 1933 by reli... |
silver, lead, zinc shear-hosted galena veins |
Mt Farrell, Tullah, Tullah map (exact) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au en.wikipedia.org data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1896 | Pats River tin, Flinders Island J. L. Virieux and C. M. Officer (reward sections) Blake 1947: 'Tin was first discovered in Officer Creek ... in the year 1896'; sluicing on South Pats River from 1900. |
tin alluvial |
Officer Creek, North Pats River, NE of Whitemark, Furneaux Group map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1897 | Jubilee colliery, Fingal Valley not named Added entry. |
coal Triassic coal |
South Sister, Fingal Valley map (locality) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1898 | Mount Cleveland tin (Luina) gold prospectors (unnamed) EL7/2005 report: 'The Cleveland deposit was discovered in 1898'; surface ore 1908-14; Aberfoyle mined 1968-early 1986 (~7 Mt at 0.82% Sn); Foley Zone tungsten resource at depth (Rockwell/Elementos). |
tin, copper, tungsten stratabound sulphide-cassiterite replacement |
Luina, Whyte River, Waratah map (exact) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1898 | Upper Scamander wolfram not named (reward leases 1898) Nye 1941: two wolfram reward leases granted 1898. Scamander River Ag-Pb mine inaccessible since 1893 (GSB 53). Added entry. |
tungsten quartz-wolframite veins |
Upper Scamander River, Scamander map (district) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1899 | Ben Lomond Tungsten Mining Co, Gipps Creek Ben Lomond Tungsten Mining Co (lease held since at least 1887; Thomas Briggs 1903-08) Nye 1941: wolfram probably known early; company 1899-1902. Added entry. |
tungsten wolframite veins |
Gipps Creek, Ben Lomond, Ben Lomond map (exact) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1899 | Nineteen Mile Creek / Savage River osmiridium working begins McGinty 'supposed to have been the pioneer at the Nineteen Mile' GSB 17 (1914): price rise c.15 years before 1913 led miners to work Savage River sands for osmiridium. |
osmiridium, platinum group alluvial over serpentinite |
Nineteen Mile Creek, Bald Hill area, Waratah / Pieman map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1900 | Catamaran coal not named Bacon 1983: 'Coal was found near Catamaran in 1900'. |
coal Triassic coal |
Catamaran, Far South map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1900 | Dundas (Cuni) copper-nickel reward claims to unnamed discoverers c.1900; William Davie 1912 GSB 36. Added entry. |
nickel, copper, PGE ultramafic-hosted Cu-Ni |
Melba Flats, North Dundas, Dundas map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1900 | Lord Brassey nickel (heazlewoodite type locality) not named Petterd named heazlewoodite 1896; Twelvetrees described Lord Brassey and Jupps prospects 1900. Exact discovery year not stated in fetched sources; 1896-1900 bracket. Added entry. |
nickel nickel sulphide in serpentinite |
Brassey Hill, 17 km W of Waratah, Heazlewood map (exact) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1901 | Balfour copper (Murrays Reward) Murray brothers (per MRT name; not independently confirmed) Companion: 'Copper replaced tin in 1901' at Balfour; 'second Mount Lyell' boom 1910-12 (Haygarth). |
copper quartz-chalcopyrite lodes |
Balfour, Far North-West map (exact) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1901 | Preolenna coal not named Coal occurrences exist in MRT database; the 1901 date was not confirmed by any fetched source. |
coal Permian coal |
Preolenna, Wynyard hinterland, North-West map (locality) |
unverifiable | data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1903 | North Lyell amalgamated with Mount Lyell North Lyell Copper Co (James Crotty) Rich North Lyell ore found after the 1893-94 bonanza (undated); amalgamation 1903. Added entry. |
copper Cu |
North Lyell, Mt Lyell, Queenstown map (exact) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1904 | King Island scheelite (Grassy / Dolphin) Thomas (Tom) Farrell Companion: found by Farrell 1904; plant 1917; closed 1920, 1947, 1958, final 1990; Bold Head underground 1972, Dolphin underground 1973; Group 6 Metals declared commercial production at Dolphin 4 July 2023. |
tungsten, molybdenum calc-silicate skarn |
Mouth of Grassy River, King Island, King Island map (exact) |
verified | utas.edu.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.kitco.com data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1908 | Hastings-Strathblane coal not named Bacon 1983: first mined 1908. |
coal Triassic coal |
Strathblane, Far South map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1909 | Fourteen Mile Creek iridosmine (Pine Hill) Clark brothers Bacon 1992 citing Twelvetrees; Reid later called it uneconomic. Added entry. |
osmiridium alluvial |
Fourteen Mile Creek near Pine Hill, Renison district, Renison / Dundas map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1909-04-26 | Razorback tin, Dundas P. P. Quinn and Peter Hodge Reward claim 26 April 1909. Added entry. |
tin lode |
Mt Razorback, Dundas, Dundas map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1911 | Royal George tin not named (mineralisation found 1880s) Mineralisation discovered 1880s (St Pauls River tinfield); mine operated 1911-1922, 170,000 t at 0.65% Sn. Added entry. |
tin, zinc, silver greisen / lode |
Royal George, St Pauls River, Fingal / Avoca map (exact) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1912 | Dundas copper-nickel (Davie) William Davie Leases later sold to Melbourne Copper-Nickel Co. Added entry. |
copper, nickel ultramafic-hosted |
Melba Flats, North Dundas, Dundas map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1913 | Bald Hill osmiridium in solid serpentinite H. Caudry (40-acre Reward Lease) Bacon 1992: 1913 'Osmiridium was found in solid rock (serpentinite) at Bald Hill' by Caudry; GSB 17 field report dated 24 Nov 1913, published 1914. Companion gives 1914 for 'payable deposit'. |
osmiridium, platinum group primary in serpentinite plus eluvial |
NW fall of Bald Hill, Heazlewood, Heazlewood / Waratah map (locality) |
corrected | www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1916 | Aberfoyle tin-tungsten, Rossarden not named EL27 report: low-grade veins discovered 1916; Aberfoyle Tin NL registered 1926, production 1931, closed 1982; 2.1 Mt at 0.91% Sn and 0.28% WO3. |
tin, tungsten sheeted quartz veins over blind granite |
Rossarden, Ben Lomond, Rossarden map (exact) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.utas.edu.au www.qvmag.tas.gov.au en.wikipedia.org |
| 1920 | Hercules reopened by Electrolytic Zinc Co Electrolytic Zinc Company of Australasia Aerial ropeway to Rosebery 1931; closed 1986. Added entry. |
zinc, lead, silver VHMS |
Williamsford, Mount Read map (exact) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1924-12 | Adamsfield osmiridium E. Boden, A. Wright, A. J. Stacey and C. B. Stacey Found Dec 1924; reward claims May 1925; rush with >1000 Miners Right claims second half 1925; McAteer lode Oct 1929; last production 1968. State osmiridium production ended 1954 (>881 kg total). |
osmiridium, chromium, platinum alluvial and shear-hosted in serpentinite |
Adams River valley, above Adams Falls / Sawback Range, South-West map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.utas.edu.au en.wikipedia.org |
| 1929-04-04 | Briseis dam disaster, Derby Briseis Tin Mines Ltd 4 April 1929, 14 killed; reopened 1934; closed 1948 (Companion says operated to 1956 for the field). Added entry. |
tin alluvial deep lead mine |
Cascade River dam above Derby, Ringarooma Valley map (exact) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1929-10 | Adamsfield lode osmiridium (McAteer) Samuel McAteer (Reward Lease 10550M) Oct 1929; open cut early 1960s; last production 12 oz 1968. Added entry. |
osmiridium shear-hosted in serpentinite |
Head of Main Creek, Adamsfield, South-West map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1931 | Aberfoyle mine production begins, Rossarden Aberfoyle Tin NL Company registered 1926; closed 1982. Added entry. |
tin, tungsten sheeted veins |
Rossarden, Rossarden map (exact) |
verified | www.qvmag.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1933-03 | Farrell lode, Tullah unemployment-relief prospecting party (unnamed) Henderson 1945: six inches of clean galena found outcropping early March 1933. Added entry. |
silver, lead, zinc galena lode |
Mackintosh lease, Tullah, Tullah map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1934 | Melaleuca / Moth Creek tin B. Adams and A. Evendon (1934-35); Deny King worked from 1936/1940 Stefanski 1957: Moth Creek field discovered 1934-35; Companion: 'Tasmania's last major tin discovery' 1934; Deny King to 1985/1991. Added entry. |
tin alluvial |
Moth Creek near Melaleuca Lagoon, Port Davey, Far South-West map (locality) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au utas.edu.au en.wikipedia.org data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1935-08 | Jane River goldfield (Warne's Reward Creek) Robert (Bob) Warne Blake 1935: payable gold found 7 Aug 1935 (Bacon 1989 gives 31 July 1935 for Reward Creek). Nye 1941 calls 1935 'a re-discovery'. the draft timeline dated the field 1901. |
gold alluvial |
Reward Creek, tributary of Jane River, west of Algonkian Mtn, South-West map (locality) |
corrected | www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.utas.edu.au |
| 1936 | Rosebery mill completed; large-scale production Electrolytic Zinc Co Added entry. |
zinc, lead, silver, gold, copper VHMS |
Rosebery, Rosebery map (exact) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org www.miningweekly.com data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1942 | Mount Bischoff reopened for war effort Commonwealth Government Underground closed 1914, surface 1929; reopened 1942; final closure 1947; modern open cut 2008-10 (Metals X). Added entry. |
tin replacement |
Waratah, Waratah map (exact) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1958 | Savage River iron re-evaluation (Dept of Mines drilling) Tasmanian Department of Mines; then Roy Hudson (Industrial and Mining Investigations) Companion: 1958 drilling; Hudson's licence; Pickands Mather JV with 45 Mt pellet contract to Japan; township built 1965-67; first pellet shipment 1968. the draft timeline's '1963 ... MRT Open-File 93-3435' is wrong: TasX... |
iron, magnetite magnetite lenses |
Savage River, Arthur Lineament map (exact) |
corrected | www.utas.edu.au en.wikipedia.org data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1968 | Cleveland mine reopened by Aberfoyle Aberfoyle Ltd Mining 1968 to early 1986. Added entry. |
tin, copper replacement |
Luina, Waratah map (exact) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1968 | Savage River first pellet shipment, Port Latta Savage River Mines JV (Pickands Mather et al.) 85 km slurry pipeline; output cut 1990; Australian Bulk Minerals 1999; now Grange Resources. Added entry. |
iron, magnetite magnetite |
Savage River mine and Port Latta, Arthur Lineament / NW coast map (exact) |
verified | www.utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1972 | Bold Head underground tungsten mine, King Island Peko-Wallsend (King Island Scheelite) Opened 1972, shut 1984; Dolphin underground 1973; all closed 1990. Added entry. |
tungsten skarn |
Bold Head, King Island, King Island map (exact) |
verified | utas.edu.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1973 | Que River zinc-lead-silver-gold Aberfoyle Exploration AusIMM paper: discovered 1973 after data review, stream geochemistry and helicopter EM; Aberfoyle began exploring the belt 1970. the draft timeline said 1974. |
zinc, lead, silver, gold, copper VHMS (Que-Hellyer Volcanics) |
Mt Charter, south of Hellyer, Que-Hellyer map (exact) |
corrected | onemine.org linkeddata.pid.geoscience.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1977 | Kara scheelite-magnetite skarn (modern development) Tasminex N.L. era work; now Tasmania Mines MRT 1992/12: scheelite regarded as principal resource 'for the past two decades' (i.e. since c.1972); Kara No. 1 pit designed for WO3, now magnetite with scheelite by-product. Exact discovery year not found in fetched so... |
tungsten, iron, magnetite skarn at Housetop Granite contact |
Kara, Hampshire, Emu River, Hampshire map (exact) |
unverifiable | www.mrt.tas.gov.au miningdataonline.com data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1983 | Hellyer zinc-lead-silver-gold Aberfoyle Exploration (TEM anomaly drilling) Discovered 1983; trial production 1987, full mine 1989-2000 (>15 Mt ore); tailings now reprocessed by Hellyer Metals. Que River + Hellyer pre-production resource ~23 Mt at >18% Zn+Pb. |
zinc, lead, copper, silver, gold VHMS mound beneath Que River Shale |
West of Mt Cripps, Murrays Track, Que-Hellyer map (exact) |
verified | onemine.org onemine.org www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au minedocs.com |
| 1984 | Henty gold (Sill Zone; Zone 96 in 1989) Gold Fields (per Methorst timeline); company not named in AusIMM source Methorst timeline: first gold assays 1983, Sill Zone discovered 1984; main orebody Zone 96 discovered 1989; mine officially opened July 1996; ~333 koz at 7.5 g/t historic; Catalyst Metals from Jan 2021. Companion says 'a... |
gold, silver structurally controlled Au in altered volcanics |
Henty River, Henty Fault, Mount Read map (exact) |
corrected | www.ausimm.com onemine.org en.wikipedia.org www.utas.edu.au |
| 1989 | Hellyer mine full production DED5039 and the Hellyer fact sheet: the Hellyer mine operated 1989-2000, more than 15 Mt of ore; trial production from 1987. The operator is not named in the cited sources. |
zinc, lead, silver, gold, copper VHMS |
Hellyer, Que-Hellyer map (exact) |
verified | www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au minedocs.com data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1989 | Henty Zone 96 main orebody discovered Henty JV (Goldfields era) Mine officially opened July 1996; initial production from Sill Zone. Added entry. |
gold structurally controlled Au |
Henty, Mount Read map (exact) |
verified | onemine.org www.ausimm.com data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1997 | Avebury nickel Allegiance Metals / CRA (Rio Tinto) JV EL28/1988 annual report: 1997 diamond drilling of a magnetic anomaly discovered the deposit (air-core 1995). Mine developed mid-2000s (opened 2008), closed 2008/09 GFC, Dundas Mining 2017, later Mallee Resources. the dra... |
nickel hydrothermal Ni sulphide in serpentinised ultramafic |
Trial Harbour Road, SW of Zeehan, Zeehan map (exact) |
corrected | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 1999 | Beaconsfield gold mine reopened Beaconsfield Gold / Allstate Reopened 1999; 2006 rockfall; final closure June 2012. Added entry. |
gold quartz reef |
Beaconsfield, West Tamar map (exact) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 2001 | Thylacine gas field (offshore Otway Basin) Woodside-operated JV (operator not named in CSIRO abstract) APPEA Journal 2003 abstract: Thylacine and Geographe 'discovered in mid-2001' by Thylacine-1 and Geographe-1. the draft timeline said 2000. |
natural gas, condensate Cretaceous Waarre Sandstone reservoir |
Permit T/30P, offshore NW of King Island / Tasmanian waters, Offshore Otway Basin map (district) |
corrected | publish.csiro.au |
| 2008 | Avebury nickel mine opens Allegiance Mining Developed mid-2000s; closed with 2008/09 nickel price collapse. Added entry. |
nickel hydrothermal Ni |
SW of Zeehan, Zeehan map (exact) |
verified | www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 2008 | Mount Bischoff open cut (Metals X) Metals X Reserve 845,000 t at 1.20% Sn at 2008 development; 2009/10 198,000 t ore mined. Added entry. |
tin replacement |
Waratah, Waratah map (exact) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 2008-08 | Renison recommissioned (Metals X - Yunnan Tin) Metals X / Yunnan Tin (Bluestone Mines Tasmania JV) Production halted July 2003, care and maintenance Sept 2005, first tin again Aug 2008; still operating. Added entry. |
tin, copper carbonate replacement |
Renison Bell, Renison Bell map (exact) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org portergeo.com.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 2009 | Mount Lindsay tin-tungsten-magnetite resource (Venture Minerals) Venture Minerals (resource); deposit known since at least 1927 (Reid report) Reid 1927 'Preliminary report on Mt Lindsay Tin Mine' listed in MRT tin bibliography; Venture iron resource up 50% announced 6 Jan 2009; 2012 study. Not a 2009 discovery. |
tin, tungsten, iron, fluorite skarn at Meredith Granite contact |
Mt Lindsay, Meredith Range, Waratah / Stanley River map (exact) |
verified | en.wikipedia.org www.mrt.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 2014 | Mount Lyell placed on care and maintenance Copper Mines of Tasmania (Vedanta) After three deaths 2013-14. Sibanye-Stillwater exercised option (via New Century Resources, 2021 option) and approved restart in 2026; execution 2027, first production targeted early 2029. Added entry. |
copper, gold Cu-Au |
Queenstown, Queenstown map (exact) |
verified | pulsetasmania.com.au resourcesreview.com.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 2014-12 | Bald Hill bauxite mine, Campbell Town (first Tasmanian bauxite mine) Australian Bauxite Ltd (ABx) Council approval announced 9 Dec 2014; operations commenced late 2014. the draft timeline's 'Scottsdale bauxite' was not separately verified (MRT has Scottsdale-area REE/monazite occurrences). Added entry. |
bauxite Cenozoic residual bauxite |
NW of Campbell Town, Northern Midlands map (exact) |
verified | abxgroup.com.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 2020 | Deep Leads / Rubble Mound ionic adsorption clay REE ABx Group SMEDG 2026 presentation: 'Discovered 2020 (Covid)'; ANSTO IAC confirmation 31 May 2022; maiden JORC resource late 2022 (3.94 Mt at 918 ppm TREO); resource 89 Mt at 844 ppm TREO (ASX 4 May 2024). the draft timeline's 'Tas... |
rare earths (Dy, Tb, Nd, Pr) regolith-hosted ionic adsorption clay |
North of Meander River, near Deloraine, Meander Valley map (exact) |
verified | smedg.org.au www.australiaminerals.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 2022 | Wind Break REE prospect ABx Group ABx fact sheet describes Wind Break as an emerging discovery; MRT has a record. 'Temple Bar' (the draft timeline) has no MRT record and was not found in fetched ABx material. |
rare earths ionic adsorption clay |
Roseburn Road, ~13 km NE of Deep Leads, Meander Valley map (exact) |
verified | www.australiaminerals.gov.au data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 2023-07-04 | Dolphin tungsten mine restart, King Island Group 6 Metals First concentrate June 2023; commercial production declared 4 July 2023. |
tungsten skarn |
Grassy, King Island, King Island map (exact) |
verified | www.kitco.com data.stategrowth.tas.gov.au |
| 2026-02 | Leech Scrub REE discovery (ABx 'third discovery') ABx Group Presented at OZRE 2026, Canberra, 18 Feb 2026 (discovery hole RM336: 8 m at 6,400 ppm TREO per 27 Sept 2023 ASX release). |
rare earths ionic adsorption clay |
Meander Valley REE corridor, Meander Valley map (district) |
verified | smedg.org.au |
| 2026-09 | Mount Lyell restart approved Sibanye-Stillwater Pulse Tasmania 2 Sept 2026: board approved restart; execution H1 2027; first production early 2029. |
copper, gold Cu-Au |
Queenstown, Queenstown map (exact) |
verified | pulsetasmania.com.au |