South Cornwall Pit

Author

Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes

Place Number

06639

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Location

Greenbushes

Location Details

Local Government

Bridgetown-Greenbushes

Region

South West

Construction Date

Constructed from 1888, Constructed from 1899

Demolition Year

2003

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type	Status	Date	Documents	More information
Heritage List	Adopted	28 Nov 2019

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type	Status	Date	Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type	Status	Date	Grading/Management		More information
Type	Status	Date	Category	Description	More information
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	28 Jun 2001	Category 2	Category 2 High level of protection appropriate: provide maximum encouragement to the owner under the town planning scheme to conserve the significance of the place.
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	29 Mar 2018	Management Category B	Management Category B Conservation of the place is highly desirable. If not already, to be included on the Local Heritage List. Development proposals to be assessed pursuant to State Planning Policy 3.5 Historic Heritage Conservation; a Conservation Management Plan (if one exists); and to reinforce the significance of the place. Record prior to redevelopment, recognise and interpret if possible.

Statement of Significance

The Cornwall Pit is of historic and research value, and was once of great social importance.
Aesthetic Value
NA
Historic Value
The Cornwall Pit is historic as the first large scale Tantalum pit in Australia.
Research Value
The Cornwall Pit is of research value as a world class ore body and a highly mineralised pegmatite which is geologically significant on a global scale.
Social Value
The Cornwall Pit continues to be a significant focus of mining activities at the Greenbushes Mine, employing a large number of people in the district and further afield, therefore having a high social value. An interpretive viewing area above the pit is easily accessed by the public, to learn about the minerals and processes of extraction. As a tourism attraction of learning value, it continues to have social value.

Physical Description

The pit is 265m deep with a further 200m of underground development beneath the pit. Cornwall main shaft was sunk in 1907 to a depth of 205 feet.

History

This site was originally mined by dredging for surface deposits of tin and tantalum. By 10 August 1899, when the mine was officially opened by the Greenbushes Tin Development Company, the shaft was already “98 ft deep and the lode in places running 8ft to 12ft wide”. By 1974 surface deposits were dwindling. With the inception of large scale mining machinery, more aggressive exploration methods were possible and drill and blast methods were introduced, with the large scale removal of mineral and waste made possible by hydraulic excavators and 150 tonne dump trucks. In January 1999, the Cornwall Pit was 150 metres deep, and in 2003 excavation ceased at a depth of 265 metres.

Integrity/Authenticity

Medium
Although the Cornwall Pit is not currently active, it remains an open cut pit (mine) which is viewed by many tourists each year.
High

Condition

References

Ref Name	Ref Source	Ref Date
	Gwalia Greenbushes Operations Company Information Booklet
	Talison Lithium Pty Ltd Staff
	(trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper)
Southern Times pg.3		12/08/1989
http://investorintel.com/technology-metals-intel/	mt-marion-lithium-super-pit-making/

Other Reference Numbers

Ref Number	Description
No.G24	MI Place No.
-	Assess No (Shire Ref)

Place Type

Historic site

Uses

Epoch	General	Specific
Original Use	MINING	Other
Present Use	MINING	Other

Historic Themes

General	Specific
OCCUPATIONS	Mining {incl. mineral processing}

Creation Date

14 May 1997

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

27 Apr 2021

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.