Bendigo General History - Department of Planning and Community ...

1867: New Moon Company - most successful mine of the Moon Reef was the New Moon Co. The mine
commenced in 1867, their claim being south and adjoining the Robin Hood Co. Capital was 16
shares of £75 each. In a short time, after only £160 had been called up, payable quartz from 173 feet
enabled dividends of £2778 ... In 1870 a registered company was formed with capital of £24,000 ...
There were two shafts on the lease, each 280 feet, while work had commenced on a new engine shaft
and the erection of a winding plant. The company purchased the Robin Hood's lease and plant in
1878. The Robin Hood shaft became the New Moon main shaft and was eventually deepened to
2,400 feet. The New Moon Co was re-registered in 1886 as a No Liability Co with capital of
£12,000 and the mine developed into one of the best-managed mines on the Bendigo goldfield ...
This company, at the close of 1906 declared its 200th dividend. From 1878 to 1890 were lean years
for the company when many calls were made to shareholders, while for a period of 6 years the mine
was let to tributers who crushed 6417 tons for 415 oz ... dividends were paid from 1892 to 1913 ...
mine closed down in 1917 Apart from public crushing, the company crushed 545,289 tons of stone
during its existence, all dug from its own mine and yielded 230,601 oz of gold, and paid shareholders
the sum of £377,400. The former mine was taken over by the Bendigo Amalgamated Co from 1917
to 1922. It was re-opened in 1928 only to close in 1932. Later, cyaniders treated the sand, and this
was removed from its original position and dumped across the road into Napoleon Gully. 1
March 1867:
Raywood Division. [E P Virtue]
The total number of miners is as follows:
European Chinese Total for the Subdivision
Alluvial miners 500 50 550
Quartz miners 200 200
Total 700 50 750
The machinery is as follows:
Alluvial Mining:
Puddling mills, 20 at work, 25 idle
Quartz Mining:
Steam engines, 3 at work, 3 idle, 60 stamp heads, 70hp
Total value of machinery £312,500
Square miles of alluvial ground, 50
No of distinct auriferous reefs, 18
Mining is at stand still, due to continued drought. The Nil Desperandum Co, Raywood, is crushing
about 400 tons of their quartz at the Eureka engine, Sebastian, seven miles distant. Shaffer and party,
and other good claimholders, who have a large quantity of quartz stacked on the surface, are waiting
until the crushing machines in Raywood and Elysian Flat commence operations, which cannot be
until a heavy fall of rain. A new company called the ‘Croesus’ has commenced work on a line with
the Nil Desperandum Co, who is obtaining good returns. 2
June 1867:Sandhurst Division. [N G Stephens]: during the past 3 months, mining has been in a depressed state,
partly because some of our quartz claims were not yielding well, partly from the unsettled drainage
of reefs question, and partly from the scarcity of money; but prospects appear brighter, and results
over the last few weeks were encouraging. Some reefers are unworked due to being flooded,
proprietors will not erect machinery without some guarantee or hope of remuneration, and
claimholders will not contribute enough to induce them. On some lines the claimholders and
machine-holders are endeavouring, by private agreement, to arrange drainage of their claims. A
desire is shown to render the new drainage byelaw workable. The Catherine Reef Co are down
440feet; the Comet Co, on the Redan, 450 feet; the Johnson’s Reef Gold Mining Co, 475 feet, all
with good prospects ... The North Johnson’s Reef Co struck a new reef, at a depth of 270 feet. The
Hustler’s, New Chum, Victoria, Devonshire, Redan, Anglo and Christmas Reefs are yielding well.
The 3,149 oz. obtained by the Energetic Co on the Victoria Reef, was from 287 tons, at nearly 340
feet. The prospectors of the Wallaby Reef, Smokey Creek, had a yield of 156 oz. from 165 tons of
stone. The proprietors on the Dark Aerial Reef ... have payable crushings, but are not doing much at
present. Quartz prospecting claim - new reef, about 1 mile west of the Wallaby, and one on the Try-
Again Reef, Emu Creek, but payable quartz not reported. In alluvial mining at Huntley; the claims
are yielding steadily, and the field is extending. Some new companies have been formed, and new
machinery erected. Prospecting claim at Myer’s Flat. The applicants obtained 7dwt of gold from 1
1/2 loads of stuff and the sinking was 36 ft. A small rush has set in there. 3
1 Perry, 1975 pp214-227
2 Mining Surveyors’ Reports, March 1867
3 Mining Surveyors’ Reports, June 1867