State Batteries in Western Australia were government owned and run ore-crushing facilities for the

gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold resources by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. However, with the expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface, ...

industry.

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

was the only Australian state to provide batteries to assist gold prospectors and small mines. They existed in almost all of the

mineral fields of Western Australia Mining in Western Australia is administered in terms of the administrative divisions of the:- * Gold or Mineral Field * Goldfield District There have also been various hierarchies of ''State Mining Engineer Inspectorate'' areas, as well as ''Min ...

. State Batteries were gold batteries where ore was crushed to separate gold ore. Stamp mills were gauged by the number of heads they had in operation for the crushing of ore. Many of the government operated batteries had very short operating times, some for a year or two, while a few were 50 years or more in operation. They were part of the Western Australian Department of Mines operations.

Origins

The first private battery in Kalgoorlie was constructed at the Croesus mine in 1894. As early as 1897 there was consideration of ore-crushing facilities being funded by private or government means. The first government battery was constructed at Norseman in 1898. But by 1906 there was a Batteries Inquiry Board.

Decline

In the 1930s, despite the depression, a significant number still operated. There were close to 100 operating Batteries in Western Australia – either private or Government in 1949, and by 1958 there were less than 50. Currently there are no operating batteries. By 1982 a Government review of State Battery operations eventuated in a functional review, and the eventual closure of State Batteries in 1987.

List

The following State Batteries are known to have existed in Western Australia. *Bamboo 1913–1962 *Black Range- see Sandstone *Bulong 1898–1899 *Carlaminda * Coolgardie 1904 * Cue 1919–1968 *Darlot 1901-1980s *Desdemona 1909–1912 *Devon 1908–? * Donnybrook 1900–1904 *Duketon 1905–1907 *Dumpling Gully /–? * Kalgoorlie 1932 *Kalpini 1906–1911 *Laverton 1902 Known to be operating between 1916 and 1941. * Leonora 1898 *Linden 1908 *

Marble Bar Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphosed ...

1910–? *Marvel Loch – Known to be operating between 1912 and 1950 * Meekatharra 1901–? *Messenger's Patch 1909–? *Menzies 1904 – ? *Mt Egerton State Battery 1912–1921 *Mt Ida 1898–1953 *Mt Jackson 1912–1921 *Mt Keith 1913–1928 *Mt Sir Samuel 1910–1921 *

Mulline Mulline is an abandoned town located in the Goldfields-Esperance region in Western Australia. It is found between Kalgoorlie and Leonora in the Shire of Menzies. Gold was discovered in the area in the 1890s and following a gold rush to the ...

1898–1921 *Mulwarrie 1901–1920 *Nannine 1907–1912 * Niagara 1900–1922 *Norseman 1898–? modernised in 1950 *

Ora Banda Ora Banda is a townsite and locality in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia located north-west of Kalgoorlie. The town name is Spanish meaning "band of gold". It includes several operational mines and at the 2016 Australian census ...

1913–? *

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...

1903–? *Paynes Find 1912–? *Paynesville 1900–1902 *Pig well 1904–1912 *Pinjin 1905–1914 *Quinns 1911–1920 *Randalls 1905–1908 *Ravelstone- Peak Hill 1917–1965 *Ravensthorpe ? – *Sandstone 1911 *Southern Cross 1903–1905 *Tuckabianna 1918–? *Tuckanurra 1898–1923 *Warriedar 1940 ? *Widgiemooltha 1900–1911 *Wiluna 1904–1950 *Yalgoo 1898–1941 *

Yarri ''Eucalyptus patens'', commonly known as yarri or blackbutt, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is Endemism, endemic to the Southwest Australia, south-west of Western Australia. It has rough bark on the trunk and branch ...

1905–? *Yerilla 1898–1920 *Youanmi 1909–1940 *Yundamindera 1903–1907

References

{{reflist Gold mining in Western Australia Stamp mills

Origins

Decline

List

See also

References