Moolort, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Moolort is situated in central Victoria
approximately half way between the major rural cities of Ballarat and Bendigo. It can be found at 37.078°S 143.927°E. The Universal Grid Reference for this area is 7623-1-1 Cairn Curran.
ing being the most prevalent although over the last 15 years some smaller farms have started growing grapes for wine
and conifers for Christmas trees. In the past however, Moolort was a large gold mining
area which at one point had rivalled other local mining towns in the area for population. There is one mine on the outskirts of Moolort that currently mines vivianite and siderite
.
in England
as well as from the United States
at a price of £500,000 at a time when gold was selling for about £2 per ounce. It was this excessive capitalisation that ultimately led to the downfall of the Moolort mines as even though the mines were quite rich they were never able to pay dividends.
The mines around Moolort were significant because they were the first deep lead mines in the Maldon Mining Division and among the first to use electrical power. According to Bannear (1993), many of Moolort's mines hold cultural significance due to the difficulties experienced in running deep lead mines as well as the various means used to extract water from the mines to keep them dry and relatively safe.
Most of the gold mines were closed by 1906 with the last of the equipment and property being sold off by 1916. The tailings were sold to the State Rivers Board for use as road base. Between 1905 and 1925 Moolort's population shrunk quite quickly. A town that once had twenty-eight pubs and three post offices became little more than a village that could no longer even field a football
team. In the next fifty years even the state school, general store and the last post office were closed with locals having to travel twelve kilometers (7.5 miles) to Carisbrook
or sixteen (10 miles) to Newstead
for their needs.
of Moolort and the granite
formations of the Newstead area.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
approximately half way between the major rural cities of Ballarat and Bendigo. It can be found at 37.078°S 143.927°E. The Universal Grid Reference for this area is 7623-1-1 Cairn Curran.
Industry
The main industry is currently agriculture with sheep and crop farmFarm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
ing being the most prevalent although over the last 15 years some smaller farms have started growing grapes for wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
and conifers for Christmas trees. In the past however, Moolort was a large gold mining
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
area which at one point had rivalled other local mining towns in the area for population. There is one mine on the outskirts of Moolort that currently mines vivianite and siderite
Siderite
Siderite is a mineral composed of iron carbonate FeCO3. It takes its name from the Greek word σίδηρος sideros, “iron”. It is a valuable iron mineral, since it is 48% iron and contains no sulfur or phosphorus...
.
Goldfields
Due to a mistake with calculations the first shaft of the Moolort mines was sunk approximately 6,000ft (1,846m) to the west of the main lead, this meant that the miners had to dig across to the lead while underground after already having dug down to 284ft (87m), until a new shaft was sunk. This new shaft was at Keystone and allowed the mines to extract material closer to its source. Unfortunately the heads of the mining companies did not believe that colonial workmanship was up to the task of constructing the equipment that was needed, especially the water pumps. The pumps were needed to clear water from the mines as a water basin is under a large part of the Moolort plains, at the height of operations the mines were pumping out 20,000,000 gallons (91 megalitres) of water everyday. This led them to buy the equipment from LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as well as from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at a price of £500,000 at a time when gold was selling for about £2 per ounce. It was this excessive capitalisation that ultimately led to the downfall of the Moolort mines as even though the mines were quite rich they were never able to pay dividends.
The mines around Moolort were significant because they were the first deep lead mines in the Maldon Mining Division and among the first to use electrical power. According to Bannear (1993), many of Moolort's mines hold cultural significance due to the difficulties experienced in running deep lead mines as well as the various means used to extract water from the mines to keep them dry and relatively safe.
Most of the gold mines were closed by 1906 with the last of the equipment and property being sold off by 1916. The tailings were sold to the State Rivers Board for use as road base. Between 1905 and 1925 Moolort's population shrunk quite quickly. A town that once had twenty-eight pubs and three post offices became little more than a village that could no longer even field a football
Football
Football may refer to one of a number of team sports which all involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer"...
team. In the next fifty years even the state school, general store and the last post office were closed with locals having to travel twelve kilometers (7.5 miles) to Carisbrook
Carisbrook
Carisbrook was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The city's main domestic and international rugby union venue, it has also been used for other sports such as cricket, football, rugby league and motocross. Carisbrook has also hosted a Joe Cocker concert and frequently hosted pre-game...
or sixteen (10 miles) to Newstead
Newstead
Newstead is a name related to several places:*Newstead, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada*Newstead, New York, a town in the USA*Newstead, Victoria, a town in Australia*Newstead, Queensland, a suburb in the city of Brisbane...
for their needs.
Topography
Most of Moolort consists of basaltic soil laid down by the eruption of Bald Hill approximately 10,000 years ago. Most of Moolort consists of low rolling plains although there are at least three unnamed hills. At the southern end of Moolort Long Swamp is the only major wetlands. Towards the east, the Cairn Curran reservoir was formed between the basaltBasalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
of Moolort and the granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
formations of the Newstead area.