The lode was stripped by open-cut where it protruded from the river bank and 31-long-ton (31 t) picked ore was sent to smelters at Cockle Creek for a return of 22% copper with 3 ounces (85 g) of silver and 12 pennyweights (0.66 oz; 19 g) of gold per 1 long ton (1.0 t).

According to one account a shaft was sunk in 1867 and "a drive at the 30-ft level showed the lode to be 23 feet in width and to consist of spongy metallic copper."

Daintree and his partner William Hann worked the mine in a "desultory fashion" for a few years but by 1898 the site was reported as deserted by surveyor Robert Logan Jack.

[1] By 1900 the mine was back in production when William Woodhead from Broken Hill acquired freehold title and floated it publicly.

Employee numbers doubled in 1909 to 105 men and productivity leapt to an impressive 10,913 long tons (11,088 t) of ore.[1] The isolation of the mine again made the operation marginal.

In 1907 construction began on a railway to the Etheridge field, principally to bring ore from the Einasleigh mine and tap known copper deposits around Charleston (later Forsayth).

[1] The opening of the new Etheridge railway to Forsayth in 1910 allowed for the daily transportation of ore to Chillagoe as the route passed by the Einasleigh Mine.

Machinery was upgraded, including a new Babcock and Wilcox boiler, and construction of a concentrating plant large enough to deal with the expected 150 long tons (150 t) of ore a day, was started.

[1] By 1911 ore production was not meeting expectations and the Chillagoe Company bought out the mine from its subsidiary and installed an Elmore flotation unit.

In the resulting froth the particles of copper minerals adhere to the raft of air bubbles on the surface, while the majority of worthless rock (gangue) sinks.

[1] Lionel Clive Ball, assistant government geologist, deemed the installation of the floatation unit a "complete failure".

This seemingly uneconomical and inefficient practice was, according to Ball, due to the Mine's small reserves and the great expense of erecting smelters at Einasleigh.

[1] During the early part of 1971 activities included the installation of bearers for an air winch, installation of 3,000 feet (910 m) of polythene plastic water liner to work as a reticulation system for the camp, and a concrete floor for the power house being poured to the south of the main shaft and an area cleared for a garage/workshop.

The workshop/storeroom area was completed and an ablution block was adapted from concrete engine beds remaining from previous operations.

Extra timber and lagging was placed at the entrance of the mine shaft due to fears of falling rocks.

Most of the metal infrastructure such as pipe work and bolts had corroded due to their long period of saturation, and were replaced.

[6] The Einasleigh Copper Mine site is a mix of very early workings and those of the exploration crews in the 1970s and the past year or so.

Concrete engine mounts, the mill, a slag "floor", ore dumps, steel framed sheds and evidence of the change rooms and toilets from the 1970s are intersected by drill pads from exploration in 2005.

[1] In the grass beyond the main mine site are traces of the 1970s work camp: a concrete slab floor and a power pole.

This is due to a combination of events: removal of the rail track, the construction of an airstrip at some stage west of the mine, frequent grass fires and souveniring of the sleepers.

However, a trail of dog spikes once used to secure the line is discernible along part of the east west access that presently passes the isolated multitubular boiler.

[1] Parts of the steel headframe erected in 1971 remain: a rudimentary structure above the shaft with one leg proud of the ground and another loosely positioned.

The floor appears to have been built out from the cliff and levelled using a mix of basalt boulders (the whole site is strewn with large quantities) and soil.

[1] The former mill is located north of the main shaft, beyond the crusher, and is now represented by a series of engine mounting blocks and a concrete floor.

[1] There appears to be a rough track along the cliff top developed by clearing basalt boulders that scatter the surface of most of the site.

There are pipes present that suggest it was a low-pressure system relying on water cascading from the upper to lower bowl.

After cutting across the plain west of the town it runs directly to the mine roughly parallel and south of the boundary of Lots 1 and 2.

[1] Einasleigh Copper Mine and Smelter was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 11 December 2006 having satisfied the following criteria.

Although the surface elements have been adversely impacted upon during the late 20th century it is expected they are still of sufficient standard to be able to yield information that will contribute to an increased understanding of early mining and smelting history.

The early association with Richard Daintree is particularly significant as he is regarded as an important administrator, explorer and photographer in Queensland.