Gossan hill

The Gossan Hill Mine in Western Australia is owned by Chinese mining company MMG Mining. It mines copper, lead, gold, silver and zinc alongside the Scuddles underground mine, which together make up the Golden Grove mining operation.

The Gossan Hill Mine has had Many Owners

The two mines, Gossan Hill and Scuddles, were acquired by MMG parent company, China Minmetals, from Oz Minerals in 2009. The Gossan Hill mine was originally owned by Australian Consolidated Minerals Pty Ltd who sold it to Normandy Poseidon in 1991. the mine then changed hands many times with Newmont Australia buying it from Normandy in 2002. Newmont sold it to Oxiana in 2005. Oxiana merged with Zinefex in 2008 to form OZ Minerals who in turn sold the mine to China Minmetals in 2009.

The Gossan Hill and the Scuddles Mines Make up the Golden Grove Operation

The two mines that make up the Golden Grove operation are only three kilometres from each other and they both mine for the same minerals and share the same surface processing infrastructure. Open pit mining commenced at Gossan Hill in January 2012 and it is expected to produce 235,000 tonnes of copper concentrate containing 59,600 tonnes of the metal during its lifetime. The Gossan Hill Mine is the older of the two mines being discovered in 1971, whereas the Scuddles Mine was discovered in 1979.

Ore Concentrates Exported Overseas for Smelting

The Gossan Hill Mine is located approximately 280 kilometres east of Geraldton in the Mid West Region of the state. The underground operation is mined via a mechanised sub-level open stoping method with underground operations being accessed via a decline. The concentrates of high precious metals, copper and zinc are exported to smelters in Thailand, India, Japan, Korea and China through the port at Geraldton. The lead produced at the Gossan Hill Mine is primarily used in the making of batteries, copper in electrical wiring and zinc for galvanising steel against corrosion.

On Site Employees and Contractors Keep it all Working Smoothly

The surface infrastructure at the Gossan Hill Mine is operated by Golden Grove on site employees along with contractors who provide on site requirements such as camp domestic and catering services. The entire operation is provided with 132 kv power that is delivered from Three Springs to its south. The mine has its own thee megawatt diesel powered generator for back up purposes in the event of power failure from the Three Spring supply. Water to the site is drawn form bores and treated before storage and use by the mining operation, including the mine village. There is a sealed road leading to Geraldton as well as around the village but all other roads are unsealed.

Employees and Contractors Housed in Mine Village When on the job

Workers at the Gossan Hill Mine work to a FIFO roster. The mine has a sealed all weather airstrip along with an enclosed terminal building. While 'on the job' the mine workers live in the minernvillage that contains 600 rooms. A further 100 rooms are to be constructed soon.