Mitchells Creek

Rising north-east of Wellington, New South Wales, Mitchells Creek flows generally northward and joins the Talbragar River about 5 km south-west of Ballimore.

Newspaper reports of early prospecting are a bit confusing as another Mitchells Creek (now called Sunny Corner) was also a goldfield and was located 80 miles (130 km) to the south–east.

The Bathurst Free Press noted on 25 May 1850, “Neither is there' any doubt in the fact that Mr. M'Gregor found a considerable quantity of the precious metal some years ago, near Mitchell's Creek, and it is surmised he 'still, gets more in the same locality",[1] which pre-dates the extravagant claims of Edward Hargraves to be the first discover of gold in Australia.

A newspaper report on the mine published in August 1892 commented "When I first visited it, 18 or 19 years ago, it was being worked under the management of Mr Fitte, and was yielding fair returns of gold.

For the following eight years (1881–1889) no effort was made to resume working the reef, regarded by the owners as consisting thenceforward almost exclusively of sulphides too intricate to treat with profit.

It is traversed by a strong quartz reef, between walls of hard black diorite, exceedingly well defined, and with every indication of a permanent character".

A substantial steel tramway is laid from top to bottom of the shaft upon which the trucks are hauled by means of steel-wire rope attached to drum of the winding gear.

Grinding and concentrating plant, about 400 feet (120 m) distant from battery, and connected with same by narrow wooden shoot, conveying the pulp from stampers.

This comprises one 20 horsepower (15 kW) double-cylinder Marshall's portable engine, driving two Lamerton grinding mills imported from Glasgow.

Distributing shoots (wooden launders) and pipes deliver pulp from grinding mill tables to 6 Frue-Vanner concentrating machines, driven by a Tangye vertical 5 horsepower (3.7 kW) engine, steamed from the Marshall's portable boiler.

A Blake steam-pump, steamed from a steel tubular boiler, 8 horsepower (6.0 kW) Tangye vertical, pumps from an undercurrent on the west bank of the creek, and force the water through a mile and quarter in length of 4-inch (100 mm) cast-iron pipes to the supply dam at the battery.

After the mines closed the tailings from the crushing plant were purchased by the Mitchells Creek Gold Recovery Company for treatment by cyaniding.