Sons of gwalia

The Gwalia gold mine in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia was initially established by the former United States President Herbert Hoover who used his position as mine manager to bring in cheap labour from Europe to force down labour costs at the mine that grew became one of the largest and most profitable in the state.

Gwalia Mine Owned by St Barbara Limited
The Gwalia Mine, today, is owned and operated by mining company St Barbara Limited after Sons of Gwalia went into administration at the end of August 2004. St Barbara Limited acquired all of Sons of Gwalia assets, which included three other gold mines, besides the Gwalia mine, which was on care and maintenance at that time.

Gwalia Decline to Reach 2,000 Metres Underground
When the gold mining industry began growing again in the latter half of the 2000's as a result of improved world gold prices St Barbara Limited decided to develop a deeper decline, the Hoover Decline, at the Gwalia mine to reach depths of 2,000 metres, with mining operations commencing at the 1,100 level. The portal for the decline being situated in a former Sons of Gwalia open pit that had been mined to a depth of 375 metres. The ore body being mined had already produced four million ounces of gold.

Most Gwalia Gold Reserves at South West Branch Lode
The Gwalia Mine has reported reserves of 2.0 million ounces of gold grading at 8.9 grams a tonne and by the end of the 2012 financial year ore was principally being extracted from the South West Branch lode which hold 87 percent of the total of all known reserves at the mine.

Gwalia Processing Plant Produces 175,000 Ounces
The processing plant at the Gwalia Mine operates with a traditional CIP circuit that is capable of handling 1.2 million tonnes of hard rock gold bearing ore and 1.8 million tonnes of softer ore annually that is blended together during the processing operation. Gold production at the mine reached 175,000 ounces for the 2012 financial year.

Ventilation Raised Bore Shaft is Largest in Australia
Surface infrastructure at the Gwalia Mine also includes a gas fired power station, a refrigeration plant to keep the underground workings cooler and more comfortable as well as a paste fill plant. The ventilation system consists of a 800 metre long 5.5 metre raised bore shaft. The largest built in Australia to date.

Mine workers accommodation was comprehensively enlarged and upgraded in 2008 and has since received an award for environmental excellence. The Gwalia Mine was commissioned by St Barbara in October 2008 and two years later commissioned the King of the Hills Mine that is located 42 kilometres away. The ore from this mine is processed at the Gwalia Processing Plant. St Barbara Limited acquired Allied Gold Mining Plc in 2012. A purchase that brought together the Gold Ridge Mine in the Soloman Islands and the Simberi Mine in Papua New Guinea.
St Barbara Limited ceased mining and processing at their Southern Cross Mine in Western Australia near the end of 2012 by placing it in care and maintenance before selling it to Hanking Gold Mining in April 2013.
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