Battery Hill Mining Centre
The ten head stamp battery which gives Battery Hill its name was commissioned in 1939 to provide crushing and processing facilities for the small privately owned gold mines.
While there were private gold extraction plants available, most were unsuitable for the heavy workloads required, and frequent breakdowns meant that miners had great difficulty in getting any ore crushed.
Work began almost immediately, but the advent of World War II meant that no mines were operating when the plant was completed in 1942.
It sat idle until the end of the War, and did not begin working until 1946. Partly as a result of budget constraints during construction, the foundations failed irreparably in 1956.
It was decided that the entire plant should be rebuilt. Using both new parts, and items reclaimed from local batteries and other areas of Australia, the plant was entirely rebuilt on its present site, where it re-opened in 1959.
It continued to operate commercially until the late 1980s and was handed over to be developed as a tourist attraction in 1992.
The Battery Hill Mining Centre conducts tours daily.
For more information about Battery Hill Mining Centre,
- Phone: (08) 8962 1281
- Fax: (08) 8962 2022
- Email:tennantmining@switch.com.au
- Visit the Barkly Tourism website.