The Central Deborah Gold Mine is a non-active gold mine and tourist attraction in

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

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 ...

. It was listed on the

Victorian Heritage Register The Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) lists places deemed to be of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 2017. The Minister for Planning is the responsible Minister. H ...

on 18 November 1999. The mine was opened in 1939 by the Central Deborah Gold Mining Company during a 1930s revival of the gold industry, extending an existing 108 ft shaft from many years earlier with new machinery. It was one of the last mines to open on the Bendigo goldfields and one of the few to stay open during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It was expanded during 1945–46, with extensions and new machinery. It reached its maximum depth (now recorded as 412m) during the 1940s. It closed in November 1954, having produced 29,865 ounces of gold in its lifetime; the closure of the North Deborah Mine two weeks later marked the last mine in Bendigo to close. It was reopened in 1986 as a tourist attraction for underground tours, with its shaft being widened to allow for larger lifts. It was preserved and restored by a local heritage organisation, the Bendigo Trust, which also restored the city's tramways. It still retains its original buildings and much of its fittings and mining machinery. The Violet Street tram stop of the

Bendigo Tramways Trams in Bendigo have operated since 1890. They ceased to operate as a means of public transport in 1972 but part of the main network continues to operate today as a tourist attraction. Limited trials have also been made in 2009 with operating ...

route connects the mine to

Lake Weeroona Lake Weeroona is a man-made lake in the city of Bendigo, Victoria. History Lake Weeroona was commissioned in 1878 under the supervision of William Guilfoyle, the art director of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria a ...

, the Bendigo Joss House Temple and other local tourist attractions, with the route's western end terminating at the mine.

References

{{coord, -36.7650, 144.2702, type:landmark_region:AU-VIC, display=title Buildings and structures in Bendigo Victorian Heritage Register Loddon Mallee (region) Gold mines in Australia Tourist attractions in Victoria (Australia) 1939 establishments in Australia Industrial buildings completed in 1939 1954 disestablishments in Australia Museums established in 1986 1986 establishments in Australia