Great Fingall Mine office facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Great Fingall Mine office |
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Great Fingall Mine office in 2011
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| General information | |
| Type | Mine office |
| Location | Day Dawn, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 27°27′34″S 117°51′27″E / 27.45944°S 117.85750°E |
| Designated | 7 February 1997 |
| Reference no. | 627 |
The Great Fingall Mine office is a very old and important building. It is located in Day Dawn, a small place near Cue in Western Australia. This building was made from stone around 1902. It was built during the time when many people rushed to find gold in Western Australia.
Contents
A Building from the Gold Rush
The Great Fingall Mine office was built in a style called Federation Italianate. This was a popular building style at the time. It was a single-story building. Its main job was to be the office for the Great Fingall Consolidated Gold Mining Company.
Inside, it had offices for managing the mine. It also had an assay office. An assay office is where they test rocks and minerals. They would check how much gold was in the ore found at the mine.
Why the Mine Office Was Left Behind
The Great Fingall Mine office was used for many years. However, the nearby Great Fingall Mine closed in 1918. Around the same time, World War One started. Because of these events, the mine office was left empty. Eventually, the whole town of Day Dawn became abandoned too.
Why This Building is Special
The Great Fingall Mine office is very important for history. It is the only big building left standing in Day Dawn. It is also a rare example of a building that had both administrative (management) and assay (testing) offices together.
Over many years, the building has faced challenges. It has been empty for decades. This means it has been exposed to weather and some damage from people. But even with these problems, the building is still mostly strong. Some parts like the verandahs (porches) are gone.
Facing New Dangers
The Great Fingall Mine started working again in the mid-1990s. At first, people worried about the old office. Blasting at the mine could cause rocks to fly towards the building. There was also a fear that a wall might collapse. This was because the new open cut pit (a big hole in the ground for mining) was very close.
By 1997, experts thought the danger had passed. But by 2020, the mine had grown even closer. It was only about 10 meters away from the building. The ground near the mine could slowly wear away. This might cause the old mining office to slip into the mine.
A Possible New Home
Since about 2000, the Shire of Cue has been thinking about moving the historic building. They want to move it to the town of Cue. If it were moved, it could be fixed up. Then, people could visit it and learn about its history.
However, moving and restoring the building would cost about $3 million. This is a lot of money for the local government. In 2020, the Shire of Cue was hoping for help from the state government. They also hoped the mine's owner, Westgold, would assist.
