Victory East Extended Mine (Walter's Folly), Nullagine, East Pilbara Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Victory East Extended Mine (Walter's Folly)	Mine
Nullagine	- not defined -
East Pilbara Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

About one kilometre south of Nullagine, from the Nullagine-Newman Road, a rough track heads south-east for about another one kilometre to the base of a low north-south range of hills. Here across the flats are a series of old shafts, trending north-east to south-west, known as the Victory line of reefs. Several mines were operating here in the late 1890's, probably the richest the Victory East Extended.

The Victory was developed by prospectors Toy, Aherne and party from 1896, with the first trial crushing 25 tonnes for 132 ounces of gold. In October 1897, they sell the mine to London concerns, who also purchased the Marquis lease on the same line of lode. Nothing however is reported on their activities, and by 1900, the mine is back being worked by parties of prospectors.

A rich crushing occurred in 1900 of 30 tonnes of 270 ounces. At this stage the mine had temporarily changed its name to Walter's Folly, worked by Aikman and party. The crushing came from a section missed by the previous mining . However little ore remained above the water level, and no prospector at the time was financial enough for expensive pumping equipment to get to the lower levels.

In 1903, its reported the mine is owned by a private syndicate, who had sunk a shaft to 140 feet deep, where they had cut the reef. George Giles, underground manager, for Bells Exploration Company was descending the shaft at the Victory mine when the ladder broke. He fell 140 feet and was killed instantly.

Gibb-Maitland arrives in 1908. He states the Victory lease at that stage had consumed the Victory East Extended lease GML 561 (formerly GML 424 and GML 991), Walters Folly lease, the original Victory lease GML 421 (formerly GML 383). This collection of leases contained five shafts but even by this stage they were in a state of dis-repair. The mine had produced 172 tonnes of ore for 626 ounces of gold.

He states the Victory reef traverses the lease from the south-east boundary, but outcrops little. At 80 feet down the shaft the reef is 4 feet thick, the walls perfect soft fine grained solid white sandy shale, which hardens on exposure to air. The quartz was much iron stained, with gold showing freely at the bottom of the shaft he states.

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