Dixie Gold Mine, Grant's Patch, Black Flag Goldfield, Kalgoorlie-Boulder Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Dixie Gold Mine	Mine
Grant's Patch	- not defined -
Black Flag Goldfield	Ore Field
Kalgoorlie-Boulder Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The Dixie Gold Mine was the main lease amongst several that forms an east south-east to north north-west line of workings, along the base of a valley between parallel ridges. It is approximately 5 kilometres north of the Mount Pleasant mines, and the same distance south of the Ora Banda-Broad Arrow Road.

The workings were often called the Dixie Group, and a long list of prospectors worked them over the decades. The Dixie mine produced 2711 tonnes of ore for 5949 ounces of gold. 1900 was a productive year with 810 tonnes of ore for 2220 ounces.

The site started around 1895 as an alluvial area, and soon 700 men had rushed to the location. The Dixie mine was developed by the Dixie Gold Mining Company from 1896. David William Welch was mine manager. By 1900, they had taken over the neighbouring Gladiator lease, which contained a 10 head battery. The Barrier mine also adjoined the Dixie.
In May 1900, William Renfrey died when the battery engine he was attending to, exploded in a ball of flames. The company abandoned the lease late 1902. Bourke and party immediately took up the lease, the first of many.

Gold was found in patches, between large very low grade zones. 30 acres. There are two parallel reefs, 68 feet apart at the surface, however they join at depth. The reefs cut out at 142 feet, however the shaft was sunk to 300 feet in search of water. Fresh water was found at this depth. The northern reef was smaller, but saw the majority of activity. The southern lode was up to 20 feet wide.

The stone carried large pyrite cubes coated with gold, with more gold through the matrix. These would have made top shelf specimens, but weep, as its likely was all crushed. The lower levels contained sulphides, galena, copper, pyrite, iron pyrite and gold.

Mid 1934, Keith Harold Ware (31) fell out with his mining partner Gilbert Green, drew a gun and chased him off the lease.

Prospectors John Cannon (55) and Frank Astle decided to explore some of the shafts at Dixie in 1936, abseiling down using basic rope equipment. The rope used was old and perished, and as Cannon went over the edge of the Dixie Regina shaft, the rope snapped, and he fell 140 feet down the shaft and was killed.

The Mindat co-ordinates mark a line of shafts for 200 metres, the marker next to the area of greatest activity, but potentially the mine could be anywhere along the line.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References