Western Consolidated Gem Mine (Western Gem Mine; Gem Consolidated Mine), Kundip, Ravensthorpe Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Western Consolidated Gem Mine (Western Gem Mine; Gem Consolidated Mine)	Mine
Kundip	- not defined -
Ravensthorpe Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The first notice found about Western Consolidated Gem Mine was 1907, and from here till 1921 it was owned by W.J. Parkinson. The shaft at the mine was known as Parkinson's Shaft.

It was a gold mine, its name borrowed from its already established neighbour, the Gem Mine. This in turn was named after beryl was found initially at the mine. The Gem Mine was to its north, Hillsborough and Fairplay mines to its west, and Two Boys Mine to its north-east. Gem, Western Consolidated Gem and Two Boys mines all accessed the same quartz reef.

In 1910, Western Consolidated Gem and Two Boys in total employed thirty men out of seventy working the Kundip field. The owners in 1913 are reported as Parkinson and Dunn, mining heavy sulphide ore at 4.5% copper, and 34 dwt gold per tonne, on a reef 3 metres wide, but 2 metres of it was said to be low grade.

The mine was progressing well until 1918 when the ore body they had been following suddenly stopped. With no alternatives mining ceased.

Maybe unaware of this, prospectors J Kerwin and J Garrity took up the lease in 1921, but there were no reports of ore reaching the battery.

In 1932, the Beryl Gold Mines Ltd purchased several leases on the field. This company was one of the Charles de Bernales group. Bernales was a flamboyant promoter of Western Australian gold mines during the 1930's gold boom. The company undertook test drilling and mining on Gem, Two Boys, Fairplay, Hillsborough, Harbour View, and Western Consolidated Gem Mine. Gem, Two Boys and Western Consolidated Gem Mines it called the Beryl Group of Mines.

After much hype about the potential values of these mines, they had to announce in 1936 that little gold or copper had been found. Western Consolidated Gem Mine was barren from 1918. A recent exploration company made the same mistake on the Kundip field.

The mine occupies shears, dipping north and south at the contact with a granitoid intrusion to the north, and foliated to massive porphyritic or amygadoidal mafic metavolcanics to the south. The upper oxidised levels contain quartz-limonite-(un-named) Cu carbonates grading down into pyrite and chalcopyrite. The massive pyrite comes with gold values, but is low in copper.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References