Nobles Nob mine

Nobles Nob mine is a gold mine in the Northern Territory of Australia located in the locality of Warumunga about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) south-east of the town of Tennant Creek.[1] It was once the richest gold mine for its size in the world.[2]

Nobles Nob
Nobles Nob in 1980
Location
Nobles Nob is located in Northern Territory
Nobles Nob
Nobles Nob
Location in the Northern Territory
LocationWarumunga[1]
Territory Northern Territory
CountryAustralia
Coordinates19°42′46.6″S 134°17′31.9″E
Production
Productsgold
History
Closed1985
Owner
CompanyExcalibur Mining
The abandoned Nobles Nob Mine pit

Establishment

The Nobles Nob deposit was first prospected by blind cattleman Bill Weaber and his wife Kathleen, who came to Tennant Creek from Wyndham in Western Australia, arriving on 16 November 1933. He began prospecting the following day with prospector Jack Noble, who was blind in one eye. Noble is best known for discovering The Pinnacles in Western Australia and Wheal Doria mines in Tennant Creek.[3] Kathleen Weaber, later named the mine after him.[4] Weaber was granted four leases on the site on 2 March 1934, pegged out by Noble.[5][lower-alpha 1]

The mine was bought by Australian Development NL in 1937.[7] The Weabers left Tennant Creek in 1940 following a series of family tragedies. They sold the lease, unaware of the mine's potential.[8]

A battery was operational at the mine by 1947.[9]

Production

During the mine's life, Nobles Nob produced over a million ounces (32 tons) of gold.[10] By 1949, the mine's ore was valued at £1,003,860.[11] Nobles Nob produced assays which regularly exceeded 100 oz (3.2 kg) of gold per metric ton. One particularly rich area within the ore body produced over 300 oz per ton.[10]

A worker, Mr. Veskimae, was electrocuted at the mine on 6 November 1951.[12]

In August 1953, the mine dismissed 57 workers for striking over the poor quality of food at the mine. Local residents billeted the sacked workers, and the mine was 'declared black' by the North Australian Workers' Union.[13] The workers' jobs were reinstated two weeks later.[14][15]

The main shaft collapsed at 5 am on 11 August 1967. There were no fatalities, and Nobles Nob became an open-cut mine.[16][17] Milling resumed in January 1968 using stockpiled ore from the caved-in area.[18]

It closed on 14 January 1985 after almost 50 years of production. The announcement followed the production of only 7299 ounces of gold in the prior financial year.[19]

The Nobles Nob lease is currently owned by Excalibur Mining.[20]

Notes
  1. An urban myth associated with the establishment of Nobles Nob mine is that Noble would select a specimen and describe it to the blind Weaber, who would then handle it for some time, "seeing" with his fingers. The two men would then discuss it again and decided whether to process it or not. This is an urban legend. Bill undertook the management of the venture only.[6]

References
  1. "Place Names Register Extract for "Nobles Nob Mine"". NT Place Names Register. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  2. "TROUBLE AT NOBLES NOB". Centralian Advocate. Vol. VII, no. 322. Northern Territory, Australia. 7 August 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 9 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. "TENNANT CREEK NOTES". Northern Standard. No. 2. Northern Territory, Australia. 20 February 1934. p. 8. Retrieved 15 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "BLIND CATTLEMAN". Northern Standard. No. 49. Northern Territory, Australia. 23 June 1936. p. 7. Retrieved 15 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Advertising". Northern Standard. No. 17. Northern Territory, Australia. 2 March 1934. p. 7. Retrieved 15 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. Tuxworth, Hilda (1966). Tennant Creek - Yesterday and Today (PDF).
  7. Hill, Brian Raymond (1994). To buy a mine : the acquisition of Nobles Nob gold mine, and the early years of Australian Development NL.
  8. Kelham, Megg. "A Tennant Childhood: Kevan Weaber Remembers 1932–1940". Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  9. "NOBLE'S NOB CRUSHING". Centralian Advocate. Vol. 1, no. 24. Northern Territory, Australia. 1 November 1947. p. 1. Retrieved 16 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. "Tennant Creek". Sydney Morning Herald. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  11. "ORE VALUE AT NOBLES NOB". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 31, 986. Victoria, Australia. 9 March 1949. p. 9. Retrieved 16 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. "Tennant Creek Fatality". Centralian Advocate. Vol. V, no. 231. Northern Territory, Australia. 9 November 1951. p. 1. Retrieved 16 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. "NOBLES NOB DECLARED BLACK". Centralian Advocate. Vol. VII, no. 323. Northern Territory, Australia. 14 August 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 9 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. "NOBLES NOB DISPUTE ENDS". Centralian Advocate. Vol. VII, no. 326. Northern Territory, Australia. 4 September 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 15 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. "NOBLES NOB DISPUTE SETTLEMENT". Northern Standard. Vol. 8, no. 36. Northern Territory, Australia. 3 September 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 15 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. "Search for deadly gas". The Canberra Times. Vol. 42, no. 11, 812. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 6 October 1967. p. 3. Retrieved 16 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. "Noble's Nob mill resuming". The Canberra Times. Vol. 42, no. 11, 855. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 25 November 1967. p. 17. Retrieved 16 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. "Noble's Nob mill resuming". The Canberra Times. Vol. 42, no. 11, 855. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 25 November 1967. p. 17. Retrieved 17 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. "NT gold mine to close". The Canberra Times. Vol. 59, no. 18, 002. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 11 January 1985. p. 14. Retrieved 17 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. "Nobles Nob Data". Mining Atlas. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
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