Coongan Star Gold Mine (Grecian Bend), Marble Bar, East Pilbara Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Coongan Star Gold Mine (Grecian Bend)	Mine
Marble Bar	- not defined -
East Pilbara Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

GML 92. 6 acres. A north-south striking reef, dipping shallowly west, with no outcropping on the surface, on the summit of a low hill. The mine borders Marble Bar on the east, and just south of the entrance road. Prospectors shacks, and mining equipment are nearby.

The first information found on the mine was 1892, by it is assumed the original prospectors Laurence and Town (surnames). The strange name for the mine is possibly after an 19th Century fashion called the Grecian Bend, where women were dressed in such a fashion they would stoop forward. The writer suggests this may have reflected the stance miners needed to take in the cramped underground workings.

A year later the name changed to Coongan Star, after the Coongan Star Gold Mining Company, who had taken over development of the mine. This was a British concern, who had also taken over the Exhibition, Rejected, No. 1 Coongan Star Extended mines in the area, and the Prophecy mine at Bamboo Creek. A battery was erected at Coongan Star, palatial mine managers residence, and other wasteful expenditure.

Mine manager was E. Haaben. The battery crushed for the public. Part owner of the nearby Ironclad mine, James Isadell, was charged with assault of Haaben and various battery workers, when the gold value of his crushing did not meet expectations.

After this company abandoned the lease, Albert Frederick Calvert took over floating the Consolidated Gold Mines of Western Australia, with 90 000 pounds capital raised. Of this a substantial $73 700 pounds went into the pocket of Calvert himself. With little working capital, the company was being reconstructed within a year. Then it was amalgamated with several companies on the largely unsuccessful Nicol Goldfield near the present day Karratha. With the Nicol Gold Mines, United Nicol and West Mallina companies, they raised 375 000 pounds, three quarters of which went to Calvert, his family members, and cronies. He then retired from the board, leaving the companies to collapse.

Robb, Harkness and Harrison (surnames) take over the mine around 1903, and they produce regular crushings for the next few years. They had lost interest in the mine by 1908 when an application for forfeiture was submitted.

S.R. Hedditch is noted as owning the mine in 1910, but only an exemption application was found. Then W.H. Cooper, D. Devan and C. Sorenson take over in 1911. They struggle with the inflow of water, and crushings dry up for a number of years as a result. Cooper and Sorenson are noted as owning the mine in 1913.

Hodges and McDonald (surnames) are taking out crushings in 1931. The mine is still producing substantial amounts with one crushing this year of 62 tonnes for 282 ounces. D. Pryce and Pozzi sink a shaft in the vicinity of the Coongan Star mine in 1933. Regular crushings were found to 1941, still producing along the way, decent amounts of ounces to the ore crushed. The mine may have been active intermittently after the war years, by individual prospectors but no information was found.

References

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