Maldon State Battery
The Maldon State Battery consists of the remains of the former State Battery including buildings and machinery, the Alliance shaft and associated mining machinery foundations, several large heaps of battery sand, and the site of the Joe Jenkins (the Welsh Swagman) house who was one of Maldon's notable historical figures.
The Maldon State Battery is a well preserved example of an important form of gold mining. It is historically important as the most significant (because of its high usage) of the seven surviving State batteries.
The site highlights quartz crushing and gold recovery technology used in the past.
The battery is on the walking track between the Union Hill Gold Mine Lookout and the Beehive Mine and Chimney Ruins. It can also can be accessed directly via Adair Street East.
To the south is the fenced shaft of the Alliance Mine and remains of a large stone engine bed.
The Gold Battery was built in 1914 and opened in 1915. It was last used in the 1990s so being the most complete existing example of 7 built. With the installation of mercury plates on the output table, whilst running, no-one in town could go to sleep. It shattered the peace when in operation. When gold was dug from coarse ground and could not be extracted by hand with a pan, sluice box or cradle in a creek, it could be brought to the battery and crushed. After crushing, the gold was extracted from the remnants in cyanide tanks, which dissolved the crushed rock and the gold was easily separated.
The cyanide is still present near larger mine sites and although not the place to grow food, it does breakdown naturally and is more dangerous to wildlife than humans.
The Maldon State Battery is historically and scientifically important as a characteristic and well-preserved example of an important form of gold-mining. lit is also a significant producer of Victoria's nineteenth century wealth with it's intensive use of machinery. This played a large role in the development of Victorian manufacturing industry.
The following was printed in the Bendigonian (Bendigo, Victoria: 1914-1918 on Tuesday 12th January 1915.
Mr Brown (Minister for Mines) said the object of the Battery was to assist the prospector and working miner to find payable stone and to treat the stone at a cheap rate.
The Battery cost 2000 pounds and the charge for crushing was 5/- per ton.
Mr. Lawson, Minister for Lands stated that the Battery was a necessity and he hoped its erection would lead prospectors to locate something permanent for the benefit of the district.
Photos:
Location
20 Adair St East, Maldon 3463 Map
