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Lyell District CentenaryPrint Page 
22-October-2016
Photographs supplied by Peter Williams
The sculptured plaque at Iron Blow Lookout commemorates the Lyell District Centenary in 1983. It records the history of the Mount Lyell Mine and discovery of "The Iron Blow."
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The area was first explored by Charles Gould in the 1860s but its inhospitable environment deterred settlement and it wasn't until 1881, when Cornelius Lynch found gold in a creek near Queen River, that prospectors and miners began to move into the area. Many of the miners came from the Pieman River diggings to the north. They travelled down the coast to the port at Strahan and walked inland to the diggings.
Two years later three miners - Bill and Mick McDonough and Steve Karlson - discovered the rocky outcrop known as Iron Blow. The find was opened in 1883 and by 1888 the Mount Lyell Gold Mining Co. had been formed. It operated out of a town called Penghana.
Location
| Address: | Iron Blow Road, Iron Blow Lookout, Gormanston , 7466 |
|---|---|
| State: | TAS |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -42.069159 Long: 145.589322 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Landscape |
| Sub-Theme: | Settlement |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | November-1983 |
|---|
Front Inscription
THE MOUNT LYELL MINE "THE IRON BLOW"
THIS GROUND WAS FIRST PEGGED BY MICK AND BILL MACDONOUGH AND STEVE KARLSON IN NOVEMBER 1883 IN THEIR SEARCH FOR GOLD, THE LEASE WAS WORKED FOR GOLD WITH LIMITED SUCCESS UNTIL IT WAS RECOGNISED AS A COPPER MINE AND BOUGHT BY BOWES KELL AND WILLIAM ORR IN 1891. IN MARCH 1893 THEY FORMED THE MOUNT LYELL MINING AND RAILWAY COMPANY LIMITED. A LUCKY BONANZA OF HIGH GRADE SILVER ORE WAS A MAJOR FACTOR IN FINANCING MOUNT LYELL WHILE THE COPPER SMELTER AND THE RAILWAY TO STRAHAN WERE BUILT. FROM 1893 TO 1895 849 TON OF ORE WAS SOLD ASSAYING 21% COPPER AND 123 OZ OF SILVER PER TON. SUBSEQUENTLY THE BLOW WAS WORKED UNTIL 1929 AND YIELDED 5,497, 468 TON OF ORE ASSAYING 12% COPPER 2 OZ SILVER PER TON AND 0.065OZ GOLD PER TON.
COMMEMORATING THE LYELL DISTRICT CENTENARY 1983.
Source: MATHE MOUNT LYELL MINE "THE IRON BLOW"
THIS GROUND WAS FIRST PEGGED BY MICK AND BILL MACDONOUGH AND STEVE KARLSON IN NOVEMBER 1883 IN THEIR SEARCH FOR GOLD, THE LEASE WAS WORKED FOR GOLD WITH LIMITED SUCCESS UNTIL IT WAS RECOGNISED AS A COPPER MINE AND BOUGHT BY BOWES KELL AND WILLIAM ORR IN 1891. IN MARCH 1893 THEY FORMED THE MOUNT LYELL MINING AND RAILWAY COMPANY LIMITED. A LUCKY BONANZA OF HIGH GRADE SILVER ORE WAS A MAJOR FACTOR IN FINANCING MOUNT LYELL WHILE THE COPPER SMELTER AND THE RAILWAY TO STRAHAN WERE BUILT. FROM 1893 TO 1895 849 TON OF ORE WAS SOLD ASSAYING 21% COPPER AND 123 OZ OF SILVER PER TON. SUBSEQUENTLY THE BLOW WAS WORKED UNTIL 1929 AND YIELDED 5,497, 468 TON OF ORE ASSAYING 12% COPPER 2 OZ SILVER PER TON AND 0.065OZ GOLD PER TON.
COMMEMORATING THE LYELL DISTRICT CENTENARY 1983.
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au
