Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):	28° 10' 59'' South , 116° 44' 10'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):	-28.18325,116.73636
GeoHash:	G#: qdgp8mkud
Locality type:	Area
Köppen climate type:	BWh : Hot deserts climate

This locality was once known as Melville, but had a name change in the late 1890's to Noongal. Gold was discovered here by Harry Melville, and with his partners Kennedy and Pearse (surnames) from the Emerald Gold Mine at Yalgoo, were the first to peg a lease.

The site of the abandoned Noongal townsite is 36 kilometres north of Yalgoo along the Yalgoo North Road. Old gold mines and leases are generally to the west covering several kilometres. The area is also known historically for emeralds, topaz, bismuth, and other gemstones and minerals, and these sites are located under the Noongal Station Mindat sub-heading.

For gold, Noongal is best described as a prospecting area, with some small historic gold mines which made some money for a year or two then closed down. The field was active for gold from the late 1890's to the 1930's. Named prospecting leases are many over the years, and generally amounted to nothing of consequence. This article will briefly mention some of the more substantial mines.

The Revival Gold Mine (GML 910) may have dated from the 1890's, but information was only found in the 1920's to 1934. It was worked by the Nevill brothers (J.L. and A.M. Nevill) from around 1927. By the late 1930's they had constructed a small battery at the site.

J.L. Nevill, Brian Rodan and Andy Rowell also discovered a new reef 5 miles north-west of the Revival in 1934. The reef was 400 feet long and 2-3 feet wide, with rich specimens reported. The reef was a schistose formation trending north-east to south-west, developed with three small shafts over a 250 foot length averaging 10 dwt per tonne. This may have become the named Continental Mine. The Continental Gold Mining Development Co NL took an option over the mine for a time shortly after its discovery. Beyond this it was worked by the Nevill brothers for the rest of the decade.

The Victoria United Mine dates from the late 1890's. In the space of 1896 to 1898 16 000 pounds of gold was taken from the a reef 2 feet 8 inches wide. Crushing figures are incomplete but that recorded is 1284 tonnes at 8 dwt per tonne. The shaft was down to 120 feet, essentially the water level.

St Michaels Mine owned by Michael Hynes produced around 1913 several crushings including 30 tonnes for 27 dwt, 40 tonnes for 15 dwt, 51 tonnes for 12 dwt , from a reef 2 feet wide.

Mystery, May Queen, Enterprise, and Champion are also noted as mines employing men in the late 1890's.

Mineral List

1 valid mineral.

References