The Brisbane Courier reported on 8 February 1873 of two reefs being mined for gold in Enoggera where "there were nuggets found upwards of two ounces of pure gold". Many gold mines were started around the Brookfield and Enoggera areas, some more successful than others.
I have not been able to find much information about the Mount Arum lease specifically. The Mount Arum lease was considered a very small mine by the Queensland Government. It is unknown whether any gold was extracted from this mine but many mines in the area failed to produce gold. An article in The Courier Mail from 6 March 1935 alludes to the many attempts to extract gold along Enoggera Creek over the previous few decades all without much success and seems to imply that there was little point continuing to try. Certainly, by the 1930s, interest in mining for gold was waning and, by the 1950s, had all but stopped.
Gold is associated with quartz reefs of the Neranleigh-Fernvale Beds and Bunya Phyllite. Minor gold occurrences were reported in the Brisbane city area and environs and gold from quartz reefs was described in the Brookfield-Enoggera area.
Gold occurs in three different environments:
(a) Associated with quartz reefs in the Neranleigh-Fernvale Beds, Bunya Phyllite, and Maronghi Creek Beds;
(b) At contact zones between granitic rocks and Palaeozoic basement;
(c) Minor alluvial occurrences from Gold Creek, Brookfield, and near Mount Coot-tha.
The ore occurs in altered argillite of the Neranleigh-Fernvale Beds. Argillite is a sedimentary rock that does not split easily, formed from consolidated clay. The host rock has been sericitised and replaced by silica. Sericitisation is the hydrothermal or metamorphic alteration of a mineral, often plagioclase, into sericite (a white mica). Subsequent fracturing gave criss-crossing white and colourless quartz veins, which contains native gold and limonite.
To get to this earthcache, follow the Duck Pond Track either from Mount Nebo Road or the Reservoir Track until you reach the trailhead. Here you will find an ill-defined track heading west which you must follow. Go straight past BFP #3 - Enoggera Butterfly Hill. Oh, alright, you can stop and sign the log if you haven't before.
When you get to the bird bath, follow the track to the left but watch the distance to the cache and do not follow the pink tape. The pink tape will take you down to the creek, away from the mine. You need to veer right and follow the track towards the mine.
Once you are at the mine, probably above it, make your way , carefully, around and down to the mine entrance where you will need to answer the following questions. To log this earthcache, please send me a message with the answers. Please do not include the answers in your log.
- Without actually entering the mine, estimate how deep the mine shaft is. Why do you think it was dug to this depth?
- Looking at the rock that forms the entrance to the mine, where the shoring beams are, please describe the colour and texture. What type of rock do you think this is?
- Now walk away from the entrance to where a gum tree is growing on the rocks on the eastern side. How does the rock here differ from the rock in the mine entrance?
- Why do you think this location was chosen for the mine?
Answers must be sent to the CO by private message or email. Please do not include the answers in your log. You may submit your log without waiting for a response. I will contact you if there are any problems with your answers.
References:
Around Brisbane and Gympie, Gold Detecting and Prospecting Forum, 18 January 2010, Detrackozi, http://golddetecting.4umer.net/t1356-around-brisbane-and-gympie, retrieved 3/9/2017
The Gold Deposits of Enoggera, The Brisbane Courier, 8 February 1873, http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1308677, retrieved 3/9/2017
Mines and Metals - Enoggera-Gold Creek Catchment Area, The Courier-Mail, 6 March 1935, http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/35888548, retrieved 3/9/2017
Gold Occurrences in Southern Queensland, http://www.treasureenterprises.com/gold%20prospecting%20information/Gold_Occurrences_in_Sth_Qld.htm, retrieved 3/9/2017