Thomson River Copper Mine (Cooper's Creek Copper Mine), Walhalla, Baw Baw Shire, Victoria, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Thomson River Copper Mine (Cooper's Creek Copper Mine)	Mine
Walhalla	- not defined -
Baw Baw Shire	Shire
Victoria	State
Australia	Country

The Thomson River Copper Mine is situated on the steep forested slopes of the Thomson River valley, 5 km south-southwest of Walhalla.

Since its rich oxidized ore was discovered in outcrop in about 1864, the Thomson River Copper Mine has had a long history of intermittent exploration and mining. Although ore shoots have proven to be small, the mine has yielded a relatively large proportion of the total copper ore production in Victoria. In order to reduce the costs of transporting the mine product to distant buyers, the various mining companies have always smelted the ore on site. The ore also provides the most notable occurrence of nickel and platinoid minerals in Victoria.

Early mining was by means of an open cut and stoping above an upper tunnel driven southward along the No.1 ore lens for 43 m. Subsequently in order to mine at greater depths, the No.2 & 3 adits were driven eastward from above the river levels about 26.6 and 54 m below the original orebody outcrop. The bottom level is only 12 m above the river level.

It seems likely that up till 1881, between 9,000 and 10,000 tonnes of ore averaging over 10% Cu were mined from No.1 orebody. The next phase of mining ended in 1913 after a production of about 2,500 tonnes of ore from No.2 orebody. It was estimated the average grade of this ore to be 3.75% Cu, 0.34% Ni, 12.8 g/Tonne Ag, 1.5 g/tonne Au, 2.3 g/tonne Pt and 3.8 g/tonne Pd. From 1966 to 1971 probably around 700 tonnes of dyke ore were mined."

Victorian Heritage Inventory History of Site: A vein of copper was discovered near the gold diggings at Cooper's Creek in 1864. The Thomson River Copper Mining Co. was formed in 1865, with leases on both sides of the river and ambitious plans for smelting works. In 1867 tributers erected two furnaces (the works managed by 'Captain' Osborne, late of Kapunda, SA) which failed to effectively smelt the ore. Other copper companies operating during this period included the Advance Copper Co. and Vulcan Copper Co.Following modifications to the smelters, the Thomson River copper mine tributers in 1871 began re-smelting the regulus produced by their earlier operations. Tramways were constructed to ensure a steady supply of firewood. Still the furnaces proved ineffective. In 1874, the Walhalla Copper Mining Co. was floated with 30,000 shares of £1 each to work the 'splendid mass of ore' on show in the Thomson River mine. The company set about remodelling the smelting works, 'using a large quantity of firebricks made from good-quality fireclay found a short distance from the works'. After spalling (breaking up) the ore, it was calcined (roasted) in large heaps in the open. The broken, burnt ore was then smelted in reverberatory furnaces (the main hearth measuring 14 ft in length), together with a flux of poor carbonates. The smelting process reduced the ore first to coarse metal, then to blue metal, and lastly, by roasting, to coarse copper. Pack horses and mules carried the copper out, for transit to 'Swansea, &c.' for further refinement. A 'substantial and well constructed bridge' was built across the river to improve access to timber and to connect the smelting works by tramway with the copper mine and spalling and calcining floors (these were situated on a 'spacious plat' excavated in 1875). Cooper's Creek township took shape around the smelting works and opposite the mine, presenting 'a lively appearance' and promising to become 'a flourishing little place'.Initial smeltings were unprofitable, because of high firewood consumption and depressed copper prices. In 1878, a new shoot of copper was opened up, and 'Captain' Saunders (ex Burra) took over as superintendent of works, instigating a major overhaul of the plant. A stone-breaker and Pioneer crushing mill were installed, kilns were built for calcining, and the smelting furnaces were rebuilt on a larger scale the hearth of the main furnace measuring 16Â1⁄4 ft x 9 ft. In 1879, the mine was in full work, with 70 men employed. There were hopes that a tramway might link Cooper's Creek with the railway line at Erica, giving access to La Trobe Valley lignite for smelting fluxes. But by the time the third of the new furnaces was lit in 1880, the shoot of copper was practically exhausted and a tributer was being sought.

For almost twenty years, things went pretty quiet at Cooper's Creek. Periodic attempts were made to work the copper deposits at Cooper's Creek from the late 1890s (at which time diamond drilling struck new lodes), but no real development took place until about 1910, when the Gippsland Copper, Platinum & Gold Mining and Smelting Co. took up leases with a view to opening up and proving the lode at existing and deeper levels. Smelting plant was built and long tramways linked the mine to the railway line, which now extended to Walhalla. The settlement of Platina developed around the mine and works. Despite the company's intention of proving the copper lode at depth, work was confined to smelting of remnants of ore from the old stopes, mullock heaps, and smelter bottoms. A gold mine operated on the Happy-Go-Lucky Reef, an adjacent lease, during the same period, and the last ore mined there, in 1915, was sold to the copper smelting works for fluxing purposes. The copper mine and works apparently ceased work soon after.

In 1962, a small party (the Cooper's Creek Syndicate) cleared out the old copper mine and restored the tramways. Five years later, Cooper's Creek Pty Ltd commenced mining. A smelter was built in 1969, and ore was conveyed thence by tramway and flying fox. Operations ceased in 1971, when the price of copper fell. Some years later, the machinery, gear and sheds connected with the mine were shifted to the Long Tunnel Extended mine at Walhalla, when it was re-opened as a tourism venture.

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