Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):	28° 27' 47'' South , 116° 45' 15'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):	-28.46318,116.75427
GeoHash:	G#: qdgn0f3vg
Locality type:	Area
Köppen climate type:	BWh : Hot deserts climate

The story goes four prospectors were on a hill called Bilbertha, when one stated ' I vote we start with this joker'. He then swung his pick into a quartz boulder, and the large chunk that broke away revealed rich gold. 6000 oz were dollied from this one boulder it claims (I would take this with a pinch of salt). This was sometime between 1890 and 1895. How true this story is, and whether it explains the mine's name we will never know for sure. It is typical of the information found for this location.

The area is south-west of the Joker's Tunnel local tourist site. At the south-west edge of the area is an approximately 500 metre line of deep trenches following the line of lode west north-west to east south-east, and the writer suggests with no conviction this is probably the site of the Joker Mine. An area of 200 acres to the north-east contains many small diggings, shafts and mullock piles, almost qualifying to be classed as a historic goldfield in its own right. Many leases were taken up in this area, some owned independently, some mined in conjunction with the Joker Mine, in a frenzied period of activity lasting only a few years from 1895.

Writers waxed lyrical about the mine, which nearly always around 1896 was called the 'famous' Joker Mine, with no explanation of why after such a short period. One source states the mine produced 20 000 ounces of gold in the late 1890's, but cannot be confirmed with incomplete crushing records, and with virtually no geology information found. It was compared, probably unfairly, with the Great Boulder Mine on the Golden Mile, one of the richest and most successful gold mines in Western Australian history. One writer stated seeing gold specimens from the mine was like being in 'a fairy tale of the Arabian Nights'.

The only geology information found was the surface reef was around 100 feet wide, with rich veins striking off a central dyke.

Various named leases were found adjoining or near the Joker lease, in the hope of picking up something of the Joker Lode. These include the Joker Proprietary, Joker Extended, Right and Left Bower, Star of Bilbertha, Lady Elgrove, Miners Right, Prince George, King of Diamonds, Queen of Spades, Royal Flush, Full hand, Lone hand, and probably many more.

Arthur Patroni was noted as one of the original owners of the lease in passing in one source.
In July 1896, the mine was purchased from C.B. Kidman to the Western Australian Venture Syndicate. The following month the Joker Proprietary Mine, adjoining Joker was purchased by the same company. The Western Australian Venture Syndicate was formed in 1894 by a Perth solicitor C. Campbell Macklin. Powered by money raised in London, the syndicate embarked on a gold mine buying spree, possibly un-parallel in Western Australian history. By 1896 it owned over 50 gold mines and leases, conducting development work on many of them at the same time. Over a dozen subsidiary companies had been spun off from the main syndicate to operate these mines. They included significant mines like the Great Boulder and Hannans on the Golden Mile, to leases on many of the well known goldfield locations across Western Australia. By 1903, virtually all of these companies had been sold off, and the remainder invested in overseas locations, and ceased operating in Western Australia.

The syndicate not only mined the Joker Lease, but also the neighbouring Joker Proprietary, Star of Bilbertha, Bower leases, Miners Right lease, Queen of Spades lease amongst others with several open cuts and shafts on each. 49 men were employed on the Joker Proprietary alone, while it is said the Joker lease employed 300. One visitor described a small town springing up to service the workers and mines. The site had a 20 head battery.

Mining ceased here in 1898 by the Western Australia Venture Syndicate after investing inordinate amounts of money into the field, some say making about 70 000 pounds from gold, but not enough to cover the costs. The subsidiary company operating the Joker field headed to Norway to mine copper. The mine was taken over by then mine manager a Mr Butement, under a tribute arrangement.

Some mining is reported in 1902 by the Fields Find Gold Mining Company, a 'reconstruction', possibly one of the sold off auxiliary companies from the Venture Syndicate. During this period 29 000 tonnes of ore was crushed worth 7000 pounds.

The site was reported to be in a sad state of affairs in 1921 with various un-roofed derelict buildings, the writer stating there was probably more value taking out the timber in the shafts than any gold.

In 1935, James Scala is reported to be testing for gold at the old Joker Mine. Regular crushings are then reported from him till 1940, when he is reported to be deceased. The mine is sold at this point to M.H. Kennedy, who had interests in other gold mines at the time in the Yalgoo area. During this period it was called the Picata Joker Mine. Herb Priddis and Harry Fletcher were seriously injured after a rock fall in the mine in October 1941. Nothing was found after this. The fact it has never been developed as a modern mine, would indicate this was always a small but rich find, albeit over an extended area, that was largely worked out within a few years.



No minerals currently recorded for this locality.

References