A1 Mine Settlement is a town in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, located north of

Woods Point Woods Point is a small town in Victoria, Australia, Victoria, Australia and is located on the banks of the Goulburn River. At the , Woods Point and the surrounding area had a population of 37, down from 94 in 2006. History The town began as a g ...

on the

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...

- Woods Point Road, in the

Shire of Mansfield The Mansfield Shire is a local government area in the Hume region of Victoria, Australia, located in the north-east part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018, had a population of 8,979. It includes the towns of Mansfield, Mai ...

. The town has also been known as Castle Reef, Castle Point, and Raspberry Creek. The town began after gold was discovered at Raspberry Creek in 1862. The name "A1" indicated that the quality of the gold mined here was 'First Class'.Baker, Derek, ''Non-official post offices'', article in ''The Stamp Magazine'' (London), April 1985, p. 84 During the late 1860s the town known as Castle Reef had a population of around 300, a Post Office under that name opening on 11 January 1868 (closing 1875). It included two hotels, a general store, a school, a church, and possibly a restaurant. The town's industry was centred on a crushing machine which worked the three gold reefs in the area. These sites and others were amalgamated into the A1 Mine, which continued operation until 1992. A receiving office opened here on 1 July 1910; it was later upgraded to a non-official

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

and closed on 9 March 1967. The A1 Mine has historically produced in excess of 450,000 ounces of gold and was one of Australia's longest operating mines having been worked from 1861 through to 1992.

Reworking the A1 Mine

* August 2009 Heron Resources purchased an Option to acquire and reopen the A1 Gold Mine. During the Option period (two years) a feasibility study will be completed using the results from the evaluation program. * November 2009 Department of Primary Industry Victoria and Mansfield Shire approvals have been received to commence site works required as part of the evaluation program for the A1 Gold Mine. Initial works will involve the setting up of a site office, workshops and ancillary buildings to support mining activities. Community consultation meetings were commenced in 9 September, these are an ongoing part of the evaluation and will continue through the life of the operation. Establishment of the decline portal is expected during November, while dewatering and underground drilling are expected to commence in the New Year when final approvals are received. * February 2011Heron Resources sold the A1 Cold Mine to A1 Consolidated Gold who have more than 20 years experience at the A1 Gold Mine. Heron then became a foundation shareholder in A1 Consolidated Gold, by obtaining 19% interest in the company. * June 2012A1 Consolidated Gold listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX Code AYC). Some of development ore has already been mined. The IPO price has dropped below 10 cents per share.

Fire problems

In 2006, A1 Mine Settlement was threatened by bushfires.Bushfires could stretch 100km
News.com.au 4 September 2009 Not much of the town remains anymore except a couple of houses which survived. The whole area was burnt including Gaffneys Creek and Ten Mile.

References

External links

{{authority control Towns in Victoria (state) Shire of Mansfield Mining towns in Victoria (state) Populated places established in 1862 1862 establishments in Australia