Wattle Dam Gold Mine
Encyclopedia
The Wattle Dam Gold Mine is a gold mine
located 25 km south west of Kambalda
, Western Australia
.
It is currently owned by Ramelius Resources. Ramelius, listed at the Australian Securities Exchange
since 2003, discovered Wattle Dam in 2005 and begun mining the deposit in 2006.
Ore from Wattle Dam is not treated on site but rather taken to the company's Burbanks Treatment Plant, 8 km south of Coolgardie
, near the Burbanks Gold Mine
which is owned by Barra Resources Limited.
Ramelius has made headlines in 2009 when it became engaged in a bitter dispute with Avoca Resources Limited
over conflicting takeover bits for Dioro Exploration NL. Avoca eventually had to drop its bit for Dioro, having reached an 44.85% interest in Dioro at the close of the offer on 20 August, short of the 50% needed. Ramelius's offer for the company closes on 8 February 2010. Avoca made a renewed takeover offer for the company in late December 2009. Avoca eventually succeeded in its bit for Dioro and, on 21 April 2010, Dioro was delisted from the ASX.
Ramelius instead purchased the Hill 50 Gold Mine
from Harmony Gold
for A$40 million in July 2010.
deposit in March 2006. After two periods of open pit
mining in 2006 and 2008–09, underground development commenced in May 2009. The company expects high grade underground ore to be available for milling in December 2009.
The ore is treated at the Burbanks Treatment Plant, which is located 65 km from Wattle Dam. Ramelius purchased the plant in November 2006 for A$
2.8 million. Ramelius spent a further $1.3 million on refurbishing the facility, which has a capacity to treat up to 180,000 tonnes of ore per annum. When not used for Wattle Dam ore, the facility toll treats third party ore, like from July to September 2009. Before the purchase of Burbanks, Ramelius had its ore treated at the plant of the Higginsville Gold Mine
, owned by Avoca Resources
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:...
located 25 km south west of Kambalda
Kambalda, Western Australia
Kambalda is a small mining town about 60 kilometres from the mining city of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, within the Goldfields. It is split into two townsites 4 kilometres apart, Kambalda East and Kambalda West; and is located on the western edge of a giant salt lake, Lake Lefroy...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
It is currently owned by Ramelius Resources. Ramelius, listed at the Australian Securities Exchange
Australian Securities Exchange
The Australian Securities Exchange was created by the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange in July 2006. It is the primary stock exchange group in Australia....
since 2003, discovered Wattle Dam in 2005 and begun mining the deposit in 2006.
Ore from Wattle Dam is not treated on site but rather taken to the company's Burbanks Treatment Plant, 8 km south of Coolgardie
Coolgardie, Western Australia
Coolgardie is a small town in the Australian state of Western Australia, east of the state capital, Perth. It has a population of approximately 800 people....
, near the Burbanks Gold Mine
Burbanks Gold Mine
The Burbanks Gold Mine is a gold mine located 9 km south east of Coolgardie, Western Australia.It is currently owned by Barra Resources Limited.-History:...
which is owned by Barra Resources Limited.
Ramelius has made headlines in 2009 when it became engaged in a bitter dispute with Avoca Resources Limited
Avoca Resources Limited
Avoca Resources Limited was an Australian gold mining company, based in Perth, Western Australia. It merged in with Anatolia Minerals Development Limited in 2011 to form Alacer Gold....
over conflicting takeover bits for Dioro Exploration NL. Avoca eventually had to drop its bit for Dioro, having reached an 44.85% interest in Dioro at the close of the offer on 20 August, short of the 50% needed. Ramelius's offer for the company closes on 8 February 2010. Avoca made a renewed takeover offer for the company in late December 2009. Avoca eventually succeeded in its bit for Dioro and, on 21 April 2010, Dioro was delisted from the ASX.
Ramelius instead purchased the Hill 50 Gold Mine
Hill 50 Gold Mine
The Hill 50 Gold Mine is a gold mine located 4 km north-west of Mount Magnet, Western Australia. The mine was, until July 2010, owned by Harmony Gold and had been placed in care and maintenance since 2007...
from Harmony Gold
Harmony Gold (mining)
Harmony Gold is the third largest gold mining company in South Africa , the 12th largest in the world and the 5th largest gold producer in the world. Harmony and its subsidiaries conduct underground and surface gold mining and related activities, including exploration, processing, smelting and...
for A$40 million in July 2010.
History
Discovered in 2005, Ramelius begun mining thedeposit in March 2006. After two periods of open pit
Open-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
mining in 2006 and 2008–09, underground development commenced in May 2009. The company expects high grade underground ore to be available for milling in December 2009.
The ore is treated at the Burbanks Treatment Plant, which is located 65 km from Wattle Dam. Ramelius purchased the plant in November 2006 for A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
2.8 million. Ramelius spent a further $1.3 million on refurbishing the facility, which has a capacity to treat up to 180,000 tonnes of ore per annum. When not used for Wattle Dam ore, the facility toll treats third party ore, like from July to September 2009. Before the purchase of Burbanks, Ramelius had its ore treated at the plant of the Higginsville Gold Mine
Higginsville Gold Mine
The Higginsville Gold Mine is a gold mine located near Higginsville, 45 km north of Norseman, Western Australia.It is currently owned by Avoca Resources Limited. Avoca has made headlines in 2009 when it became engaged in a bitter dispute with Ramelius Resources over conflicting takeover bids...
, owned by Avoca Resources
Production
Production of the mine:| Year | Production | Grade | Cost per ounce |
| 2005-06 | 4,190 ounces | g/t | A$ Australian dollar The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu... |
| 2006-07 | 16,963 ounces | 8.36 g/t | A$ |
| 2007-08 | 16,154 ounces | 5.25 g/t | A$ |
| 2008-09 | 16,283 ounces | 3.74 g/t | A$ |
Sources
- The Australian Mines Handbook: 2003-2004 Edition, Louthean Media Pty Ltd, Editor: Ross Louthean
- Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistics Digest 2008 Page 34: Principal Mineral and Petroleum Producers - Gold
External links
- Place Names Search Results - Wattle Dam Geoscience AustraliaGeoscience AustraliaGeoscience Australia is an agency of the Australian federal government. It carries out geoscientific research.On a user pays basis it produces geospatial products such as topographic maps and satellite imagery.-History:...
website - Ramelius website - Wattle Dam operation
- Wattle dam gold mine ABC rural report on the mine with pictures
- Ramelius Resources at Yahoo!7 Finance