In 1851 the innovative Port Phillip & Colonical Gold Mining Company was floated in London to mine for gold on the Victorian goldfields. The Port Phillip Company tried to mine at various sites around Victoria, but miners were hostile to the large, foreign owned company. It was not until 1857 that work started after the superintendent of the Company, Henry Rivett Bland, negotiated an agreement to mine on Cameron's pastoral lease, receiving sole rights to mine the land for twenty-one years.
The deep quartz reefs under Clunes were the goal of the Port Phillip Company. Large stamping batteries to crush the quartz were erected. Charles Kinnear and 100 shareholding miners of the Clunes Quartz Company provided the quartz to the Port Phillip Company on a profit sharing basis.
A pioneer in many technical company mining innovations, the Port Phillip Company invested heavily in equipment. With 80 stampers it boasted one of the largest gold plants in the world. It was the first Victoria mine to provide fresh air to the workings using a Roots Blower. Highly qualified engineers imported from England ensured a productive future for the Company.
The kilns of the Port Phillip Company are some of the earliest man-made structures surviving at Clunes. The kilns were used to roast gold bearing quartz, which made it easier to crush.
The Port Phillip Company was one of the top five productive gold mines in Victoria producing 16,000 kilograms of gold. Operations ceased in 1891. Source: (Clunes Tourist and Development Association)