Exploring old mines

Dedman

Dedman

Forum Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2012
Messages
766
Location
Perth Western Australia
Car Year
1999
Car Model
Forester
Transmission
5MT
One of my hobbies is exploring old mine in the Australian bush so I thought I would post some of my finds on the off chance others share this hobby and want to add some of their finds.
Here is some pics from some mines near Reefton in the Warburton area Victoria. There were 2 tunnels in the 50-100m length along with 2 others that had collapsed entrances.
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Diversion tunnel on the upper Yarra river near reefton
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Antimony mine, Pyrites State Forest/Lerderderg State Park, Victoria
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North Sultan Mine, Barrys Reef, Blackwood Area. This is a more modern gold mine operated up until the 1980s im guessing. It is a very deep shaft
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Another Mine in the Barrys reef area. A very very long tunnel
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Very cool! That's an incredibly interesting way to explore and get a feel for the areas history.
We've yet to work up the courage to check out the old mining shafts where we ride in Southern West Virginia, where there's a few old ones.

What's the most interesting/odd thing you've seen in an old mine?
 
I was out riding with my brother one time, and we came across a mine. He decided to go in and explore a bit, while I decided to stay safe outside :p

He explored a bit on one level, then climbed down an old wooden ladder to another level. After just a bit of exploring, he found some old dynamite.

He cautiously but quickly got out of there.
 
Just be careful when exploring old mine shafts, i just recently went to Colorado in the Telluride and Ouray area and there are 100's of mine shafts just about all are blocked off because of the dangers of people exploring them, one main reason is bad air, lot of the air shafts are collapsed and no fresh air get to move in them, take couple of breaths before you even know it you are passed out. I love to explore old mine shafts but most are still considered private land owned my some company.
 
Every thing you do has some level of risk. I just decide to draw the line somewhat higher than others tend to.
In saying that, when exploring old mines I don't do so unprepared or light heatedly. These are the rules I follow to limit the risk;

  • Always carry good lights and back ups and back ups of backups
  • This one is very important for anyone in the bush: Think about what you are stepping on when walking anywhere. Small shafts can easily be covered by sticks and vegetation so make sure what you are stepping on is solid before applying weight.
  • Wear a helmet (although I am often pretty slack with this one because I seems to stumble on mines when least expecting it)
  • I always assess the stability of any mine and if it looks dodgy I stay clear.
  • If I need to climb down anything I always use a rope or harness and never climb on anything left/constructed by miners without being securely attached to something.
  • If the air starts to get stale then I don't proceed.
  • I don't go deep into mines unless I can sense air flow.
  • Never go near coal mines (although there are pretty much no underground coal mines in Aust)
In saying this it is still quite risky but that is a decision I choose to make. IMO life without risk would be no life at all.


Compared to the USA, Australia has very little in the way of deep mines that haven't been closed off or still in operation but I am forever looking :ebiggrin:


I actually spend far more time walking around the bush finding mines and looking at mining sites than actually in mines. I get real enjoyment out of trying to get my head around how these early miner did what they did as well as checking out all the old mining equipment that is left lying around.


I think the most interesting thing I have come across is just how small some of the hand dug tunnels are (through pretty much solid rock and not wide enough in any direction to even come close to swinging a pickaxe)
 
You have better luck at this than me, All the mines I've ever found are OLD vertical shaft mines, almost always missing caps that have fallen in. most of the time the grounds around them is so unstable i don't feel safe being closer then 10 meters from the shafts, all but one were easily 10 plush meters deep. With that one exception more than likely being the cap had only managed to fall in a meter or two.

Have you got the northings n eastings for some of these?

I'm with you on the risk dedman! some of the place's i've been mtbing once home i've thought if i fell there i'd probably be dead right now, I want to do more caving but havent really found many close by.

Other than limited risk's you mentioned, If i've had phone reception i usually sms someone my coordinates before doing anything a bit daring, and as part of my choice If i can't do something like that I'll personally choose to leave it alone.

I love the alternative use for a snatch strap haha
 
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Dedman said:
Antimony mine, Pyrites State Forest/Lerderderg State Park, Victoria
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idw said:
I love the alternative use for a snatch strap haha
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I noticed that too :lol::lol:

dxd said:
I was out riding with my brother one time, and we came across a mine. He decided to go in and explore a bit, while I decided to stay safe outside :p

He explored a bit on one level, then climbed down an old wooden ladder to another level. After just a bit of exploring, he found some old dynamite.

He cautiously but quickly got out of there.
Click to expand...
I don't blame him :eek: :rotfl: :biggrin:
This sure does look like fun & sounds like an interesting past time to add the agenda, when exploring the great outdoors :raz:

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
idw said:
I love the alternative use for a snatch strap haha
Click to expand...

Snatch straps are the perfect tool for the job. They are sufficiently wide to be able to climb vertically with no foot holds without being to hard on your hands and yet they roll up into a nice small, fit easily into your backpack size. The loop on the end is also great for securing to trees and the likes.
 
NachaLuva said:
You could also use your winch rope...when its time to come up just push the button :lildevil::rotfl:
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Only if you could get your car close enough...
Also as car winches are not designed for lifting I dont know if it would rely solely on the winch (even though im 99% sure you would never have an issue)
 
Dedman said:
Also as car winches are not designed for lifting I dont know if it would rely solely on the winch
Click to expand...

Could always take a folding shovel and get out the hard way :lol:
 
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