History
The Ottery Mine is a derelict underground tin/arsenic mine located 8 km northeast of Emmaville in far northern New South Wales. It was one of the first underground base metal deposits exploited in the Emmaville district and lies about 2.5 km north of the old mining village of Tent Hill.Toyer and Main 1980: 1-3 The mine was discovered by and named after Alexander Ottery in the late 1870s. It was worked continuously for tin between 1882 and 1905 by the Glen Smelting Company who set up a 15 head stamper battery at near by Tent Hill.Toyer and Main 1980: 3 Extensive mine developments occurred with eight shafts being sunk and 2,500 tonnes of tin concentrate being produced. As the lode became deeper the sulphide content became higher and a smelter was erected on site to calcine the ore. After it was fired the ore was transported to Tent Hill for crushing. After a fatal accident in 1906, operations ceased and did not begin again until 1920 when the mine was acquired by theDescription
The total site covers some 20 hectares, although the PCO curtilage is confined to the area immediately surrounding the main buildings and works. The Ottery mine workings lie on the side of a steep hill at the head of a narrow gully. All drainage from the gully flows into a small, unnamed ephemeral creek. Numerous derelict structures, open mine workings, eroding slimes dams, spoil heaps and pieces of machinery are scattered across the site. These include the primary kilns, the secondary kilns, the rotary kiln, refinery, cooperage and two twin banks of condensers leading up the hill to a common flue andModifications and dates
* 1882 - smelter constructed * 1920-22 - arsenic extraction plant constructed * 1927 - tin extraction plant constructed, including a ten-head battery, dam and concentrating tables * 1939 - flotation tanks and freshwater dam constructed * 1940 - much equipment removed and structures dismantled * 1993 - Ottery was rehabilitated in a joint project by the Department of Conservation and Land Management and the Department of Mineral Resources * 2003 - Additional rehabilitation works due to continuing safety hazards and pollution problems on the site (signage, fencing, erosion and drainage control)Heritage listing
The Ottery Mine is the only arsenic refinery plant remaining in any condition in New South Wales. It is the oldest principal ore refinery in Australia. It was one of the first underground mines in the Emmaville area and largely responsible for the economic and social development of the town. The design of the Ottery arsenic plant is unique in Australia. It is the most complete and complex of the arsenic refinery sites. It is an excellent example of a traditional method of industrial processing. The site has a unique potential to provide information about the mining and extraction of arsenic, for students of geology, archaeology and industrial process. No detailed plans of the site or individual structures are known to exist. The site can therefore provide information not available from any other source.Godden 1981: 7-9 Ottery Mine was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. The Ottery Mine is the only arsenic refinery plant remaining in any condition in New South Wales. It is the oldest principal ore refinery in Australia. Ore from the site was smelted at Australia's first tin smelter. It was one of the first underground mines in the Emmaville area and largely responsible for the economic and social development of the town. The tin dressing plant represents the fluctuating fortunes of the tin mining industry. The Ottery also has historical links to the wool industry, as arsenic was the principal ingredient in sheep dip.Godden 1981: 7-8 With production commencing in 1882, the Ottery Mine is one of the oldest underground mines in the Emmaville District. Emmaville, Torrington and neighbouring towns developed from the mining industry. As such, the Ottery mine is an integral part of the history of the area. It represents the fluctuating fortunes of those who mined the Ottery tin lodes in the late nineteenth century and those who produced arsenic in the early twentieth century. Both tin and arsenic were extracted after 1927.Steding 2003: 20 The Ottery arsenic refinery is the oldest principal ore refinery in Australia. Arsenic mining ceased in Australia in 1952 and in New South Wales in 1936, as the Ottery Mine ended production. As Godden suggests, it is unlikely that the mining of this resource will take place again, since the Bolidan copper mine in Sweden produces enough arsenic as a by-product to satisfy world demand. The place has a strong or special association with a person, or group of persons, of importance of cultural or natural history of New South Wales's history. The Ottery Mine is associated with Tent Hill, location of the first tin mine in Australia. The tin ore was concentrated initially and later smelted, at Tent Hill, the site of Australia's first tin smelter. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. The site is an integral part of the Emmaville mining landscape.Godden 1981: 6 Substantial structural remains from the arsenic treatment plant and the intricately constructed brick checker-work condensation chambers, afford this site aesthetic and architectural significance. The Ottery arsenic treatment plant is particularly unique in Australia for its design, thought to be Portuguese.Steding 2003: 20-1 The place has strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. Emmaville owes its existence to the discovery of alluvial and lode tin. Ottery, as one of the first and largest underground mining operations in the area, holds an important place for the local community in the history of their economic and social development. The Ottery Mine is an integral part of Australia's mining history in the northern NSW region. It was once a major place of employment for many people, the descendants of whom still live in neighbouring towns. The Ottery Mine is also important to local organisations as a tourist site. Such groups include the Glen Innes Historical Society, the Gem and Mineral Club and Emmaville Tourism & Progress Association. While its relative isolation may limit the number of visitors, the site is actively promoted through literature, signage and community support.Steding 2003: 21 The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The design of the Ottery arsenic plant is unique in Australia. It is the most complete and complex of the arsenic refinery sites. It is an excellent example of a traditional method of industrial processing. The site has a unique potential to provide information about the mining and extraction of arsenic, for students of geology, archaeology and industrial process. No detailed plans of the site or individual structures are known to exist. The site can therefore provide information not available from any other source. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The Ottery arsenic refinery is the oldest principal ore refinery in Australia. Arsenic mining ceased in Australia in 1952 and in New South Wales in 1936, as the Ottery Mine ended production. As Godden suggests, it is unlikely that the mining of this resource will take place again, since the Bolidan copper mine in Sweden produces enough arsenic as a by-product to satisfy world demand. The Ottery Mine is one of only four arsenic mines in Australia. These are the Ottery and Mole River mines in New South Wales and two mines inSee also
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