Christmas Reef gold area, Siberia Goldfield (Waverley), Kalgoorlie-Boulder Shire, Western Australia, Australia
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| Latitude & Longitude (WGS84): | 30° 18' 38'' South , 120° 58' 26'' East |
|---|---|
| Latitude & Longitude (decimal): | -30.31060,120.97409 |
| GeoHash: | G#: qdw58f4eu |
| Locality type: | Area |
| Köppen climate type: | BSh : Hot semi-arid (steppe) climate |
Christmas Reef is about 10 kilometres south of Siberia, bordering the Davyhurst-Ora Banda Road.The separately listed Mexico mine is at the western end, about two kilometres west of the road, and Fair Adelaide at the eastern end, about 1 kilometre east of the road. The reefs trend west north-west to east south-east. The most concentrated workings are about 200 metres south-west of the Davyhurst-Ora Banda Road and Mexico mine access track junction, where two parallel reefs show workings.
Discovered around 1894, the area showed intermittent mining by prospectors. Limited information was found, usually the names of prospectors mentioned in passing.
In 1894, the Christmas Reef lease is GML 675, with a costean showing fine and coarse gold; lease 676 with a water shaft down to 27 feet, lease 677 with a slab hut and office, and reef cut showing fine gold, lease 680 Mascotte Reef (possibly the parallel reef just to the north but only speculation) a water shaft to 22 feet, and further shaft to only 4 feet, in soft but dangerous ground. E. Davenport Cleland mine manager.
A lease called Walker's Reef is mentioned in 1895. Harris and Murray are also mentioned this year as having found new gold.
Scott and Walsh have the Starlight lease in 1911, as a flat hematite lode, in which narrow veins of fairly rich specimens were found, but not payable enough for a fully fledged mine.
1919, Blackman and James Correll are hand boring trying to locate the leader from which Ben Williams had obtained rich returns. Riordan and party are on a small leader to the north, while Smith and party are prospecting an old tunnel with poor results. Six men are dryblowing the surrounding gullies.
1928 McPharlin and Duncrow put through some small crushings from the old Christmas Reef. 1933 it was McPharlin and Green. The Fair Adelaide leases are north-east of the junction described above, and are mentioned in passing several times but appears to have been minor pottering by various prospectors. J. Nesbitt in 1933 took out 28 tonnes.
Mineral List
3 valid minerals.
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References
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Coolgardie Miner newspaper (1895), Siberia Sentences, 25/04/1895
Coolgardie Miner newspaper (1895), A Flying Trip Up Nor' Westward. Siberia and Dunnsville, 14/11/1895
The Sun newspaper (Kalgoorlie) (1911), Mining, 12/05/1911
Coolgardie Miner newspaper (1894), Christmas and Mascotte, 04/08/1894
Western Argus newspaper (Kalgoorlie) (1928), Ora Banda Crushings, 13/11/1928
Kalgoorlie Miner newspaper (1919), Broad Arrow Goldfield. Mines Inspector's Report, 14/10/1919
Western Mail newspaper (Perth) (1933), The Dolly Pot, 16/02/1933
