The Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre

Today started rather overcast here and so it was a bit of a lazy morning. The sun did break through this afternoon and so my uncle and I headed to the Beaconsfield Mine and Heritage Centre which is right down the road from where he lives.

The mine was created to extract deposits of gold from far beneath the earth. It has a fascinating history that I will write about a little later. For now, this is just an overview of the place.

The Beaconsfield Mine made world news in 2006 when part of it collapsed, killing one miner and trapping two others. It was caused by an earthquake in the area, and while 14 miners escaped quickly, two others were found alive after five days of being trapped. It took another 9 days for the rescuers to dig through the almost impenetrable granite and extricate them.

The museum is housed in the ruins of the Grubb Shaft.

There is plaque found along the walk to the entrance to the museum that has a fascinating bit of history.

The museum has undergone extensive renovations since the accident and the entrance was moved from the building above to a newly constructed wing.

Upon entering we encountered a large collection of telephones. Some were reminiscent of the ones I knew as a child.

Tasmania was a large producer of apples. They still grow some here but vineyards have taken over the land once used for the orchards. Here is a delivery truck hanging from the rafters that was packed with apple crates.

I was amused to find a 1946 John Deere tractor amongst all the machinery. I discovered a number of items that were imported from the States. The plaque on the front of this one reads in part "Has worked for 15,000 hours. The only repair was the fitting of new "rings" at 8,000 hours. The rear tyres are original."

We soon came upon the entrance to the new section that details the events of the accident. This wall of wool was the first thing I saw.

This plaque was mounted on the wall next to it.

The exhibit really was quite moving, testament to the power of community, and the will to survive.

There was much more to be seen so we didn't linger long. Upstairs was a room full of artifacts that gave an overview of life in Beaconsfield and the surrounding area through the ages.

There is a place called Alicia Hall where the miners went for entertainment.

After perusing the large collection we walked out into the ruins (I have lots of photos of the crumbling walls but they will have to wait for now). There was a miner's cabin constructed to show what life was like for the prospector's who first came to the area during the gold rush that occured after gold was discovered in the area. It was certainly not an easy life.

Another building housed a forge and blacksmithing tools, various machines used around the mine, and this wonderful old gas pump.

In the last section there was a statue of miner that, by popular choice, has been named "Tassie Jack".

I have hundreds more photos from today and will post some of them when I am off the road and have time to do justice to the history of this fascinating place.

Tomorrow we are heading to Sydney and the family reunion that is being held on Saturday. If I have a solid Internet connection, I will continue to post these travelogues. If not, well, you all will know why.