Rose Hill Gold Mine (Queensbury), Coolgardie, Coolgardie Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Rose Hill Gold Mine (Queensbury)	Mine
Coolgardie	City
Coolgardie Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

Located immediately south of the King Solomon lease, less than 5 kilometres south-east of Coolgardie. The mine was on a low grade porphyritic dyke, 30 to 60 feet wide, crosscut by many quartz leaders carrying gold. Several mines were on the line of lode, generally considered large but low grade for gold values. The lode at Rose Hill was kaolin,rich in exceedingly fine gold with some ironstone and quartz leaders.

The first mention found was the sale of the mine in late 1894, from the Newcastle Coolgardie Syndicate based in New South Wales, to London concerns for 20 000 pounds. The mine at this point was taken over by the Queensbury United Gold Mining Company until mid 1896, as 5 leases totalling 52 acres. It is thought the mine was named after Lord Percy Douglas, future Marquis of Queensbury. At the time, the Queensbury family was notorious and scandalous in England. Books have been written, but we will get off track. Lord Percy, was a relatively normal member of the family by comparison. He arrived in Albany on a young aristocratic world adventure, with David Carnegie, also of English nobility, and future explorer of the vast interior deserts of Western Australia. Their arrival coincided with Bayley's gold discovery at Coolgardie in 1892, and Douglas/Carnegie set out for the new field, being one of the first 500 to arrive.

Accounts of people who met Douglas on the goldfields describe him generally as a down to earth and likeable person. He suffered from polio, was an alcoholic, and went bankrupt in 1901, losing his money gambling on horse racing. Douglas and Carnegie were on Fly Flat near the Rose Hill site panning for alluvial gold. No information was found Douglas was directly involved in the Rose Hill site. He left for London again late 1893 to promote the Premier gold mine north of Coolgardie.

The company had conducted very little work on the leases before going into liquidation. The new Rose Hill United Gold Mining Company was a subsidiary of the York Trust, with the old Queensbury shareholders given 54 000 shares, and the Queensbury debts were paid off. Virtually no information was found about this company either, other than its first shareholder meeting in London in May 1897. A rich lode is claimed to be discovered at the mine about the same time. M.B. Davidson had been appointed mine manager.

New owners are mentioned in 1907, although un-named, actively hauling out ore, with the intention of sending it to the King Solomon mine battery. A crushing was found of 250 tonnes in 1907 for 100 ounces. The property is also being worked by un-registered tributers for 60 tonnes at 65 ounces. Winding machinery is being erected.

Three prospectors were working the mine in 1920 stoping ore at the 80 foot level, the gold being recovered merely paying expenses. Penglase and Pearse were noted at the mine a year later crushing 300 tonnes.

References

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