Mararoa Gold Mine, Norseman, Dundas Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Mararoa Gold Mine	Mine
Norseman	Town
Dundas Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

An historic former gold mine.

West of the Norseman line of reefs, is the Mararoa line running parallel. The Mararoa lease was a rectangular block alongside the Lady Caroline Block. The Mararoa North, Excelsior, Bethnel Green and All Nations mines were all sited on the Mararoa line to the north of the mine. The Mararoa South and Mararoa Junction were south of the lease.

By 1898, only the Mararoa itself remained as an active mine. 24 acres. Initially around 1895, two English companies attempted to float the mine but failed. The original prospectors then sold the lease to a Coolgardie syndicate for a small sum. After a good deal of exemptions and litigation, an application for forfeiture was granted.

The lease was under option then to a party of miners headed by R.T. Pascoe. They uncovered two parallel reefs, close together on the surface, with the western reef containing the better gold. A shaft was sunk to 50 feet, with the average reef width of 5 feet, of amber coloured quartz. The reef narrowed in the drives, and was of poor value, pinching out entirely to the north. They declined to purchase the lease. GML 126.

The Mararoa swallowed the similarly named Maraboa GML 60, which had originally been developed by Goodall (surname), but forfeited in December 1894. E. Grimes then sunk 3 shafts to 150, 110, and 80 feet. 800 tonnes or ore was raised by 1898, but it never made it to crushing. It then became part of the Mararoa lease, yielding 3135 ounces of gold.

The lease was surrendered in 1902, and changed to Mararoa GML 852. It was worked until at least 1906 by Pascoe, Crabb and co, who also owned GML 759 and 912, all 12 acres each, and owned the Bevilaqua battery, known at the time locally as the Norseman Crushing and Cyanide Works.

References

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality