The Gemfields: Looking back to the mining boom days
mining
raising a voice
daily living
By January 1969, buyers were paying $2000 per ounce for first grade blues and the 'boom years were just around the corner. By the mid 1970s the area had been invaded by operators with mechanised equipment, many working around the clock. Buyers from Thailand became semi- permanent and the prosperity of 'easy' money gave rise to full employment and a greater population.
daily living
raising a voice
daily living
The expansion of the 'fields' with the opening of machinery mining in the late 1960's saw a rise in population. This rise brought a demand for better service (and lower rates) and saw the 'fields prosper as it had not done since the great hand mining expansion after the end of the First World War'. Local benefits included: schools, water,
The expansion of the 'fields' with the opening of machinery mining in the late 1960's saw a rise in population. This rise brought a demand for better service (and lower rates) and saw the 'fields prosper as it had not done since the great hand mining expansion after the end of the First World War'. Local benefits included: schools, water, public toilets, power, telephones, bridges, library, Fire Brigades, freehold land and the State Emblem.
raising a voice
raising a voice
raising a voice
The uniqueness of The Gemfields has always been a source of pride. The allocation of fossicking Scrub Land for tourists and locals is carefully preseved, as the community lives in a range of housing and mining claims that have been in families in some cases for many years.
There is a continuing conversation with Govt departments to maint
The uniqueness of The Gemfields has always been a source of pride. The allocation of fossicking Scrub Land for tourists and locals is carefully preseved, as the community lives in a range of housing and mining claims that have been in families in some cases for many years.
There is a continuing conversation with Govt departments to maintain a good flow of communication and future planning to preserve the Miners Common into the future.