huge quartz reefs containing gold extending from Jamieson to Walhalla were discovered in 1861
after more than 100 years of mining its gold yield totalled 155 tonnes – or more than 5 million ounces – with an average ore grade exceeding 27g/t.
20% of this was produced by the Morning Star mine between 1861 and 1963
A1 Mine Settlement is a town located north of Woods Point on the Mansfield - Woods Point Road.
The A1 Mine was one of Australia’s longest operating mines having been worked through to 1992. It produced in excess of 450,000 ounces of gold.
Black Friday bushfires of 1939 destroyed much of the above ground mining infrastructure, but following this, Western Mining Corp. who now owned the mine, went deeper and discovered the Achilles' Reef which yielded more than 250,000oz and became known as one of the richest single reefs ever mined in Australia. This mine closed in 1962 due to lower gold prices and higher electricity prices (used to pump groundwater out of the mines)
3 gold mines are still active in the area