Halley's Comet Gold Mine, Marble Bar

Statement of Significance

The Comet Mine has historic and scientific heritage significance as an example of an important mining operation in the Marble Bar district. The major find occurred in 1936. and led to a 'second boom' for Marble Bar. the first having been in the 1890s.

Physical Description

The Comet Mine today (except for the tall smoke stack) is an example of a working mine with all the technological paraphernalia that goes with a mine of the 1990s. However evidence of the early days remains with various buildings from the 1940s still being used. Concrete pads are reminders of demolished employee quarters.

History

Halley's Comet Mine derived its unusual name from one of the founders, Thomas (Tommy) Starr, who said 'something like this could only happen once in a lifetime'. He was referring to the freak discovery of the gold bearing ore that led to the opening of the mine in 1936. Three prospectors working together in the tackings of the old mine, the Tassie Queen, followed their intuition that there was more gold to be found in the area.
While Boyd and Robertson worked the tackings, Starr worked from a different angle. Carrying quite heavy prospecting equipment and water for his panning dish, Starr broke from his normal pattern one afternoon and followed a different route back to camp. Going over the top of a hill instead of into the easier gullies, Starr 'stopped for a breather', during which time, on an impulse, he panned-off another dish of dirt and was surprised to find a rim of golddust around the edge of the pan. That was how Halley's Comet Mine, commonly called 'the Comet', was discovered almost by accident.
The Comet Mine continued on to have an interesting history. Claude de Bernales' mining company offered the three partners the large sum of £20,000 to buy the mine but the offer was refused. Only weeks later they accepted double that sum, a very large amount of money in the 1930s. Starr, Boyd and Robertson were not the only people that benefited from the Comet Mine transfer. Starr shared his luck with Marble Bar by giving £500 to the Christmas Benefit. The children of Marble Bar had an interesting time opening their presents at the 1936 Christmas Tree Celebration.
Marble Bar also benefited from the Comet Mine's fortunate but unusual depth. The Pilbara mines were renowned for petering out but the Comet Mine was a very profitable investment, employing a number of people in the region and creating a boom for Marble Bar.
An interesting aside to the history of the Comet Mine is the character of Claude de Bernales. He was a prominent personality who was involved in a number of mining investments - raising money from overseas investors, using little apart from his charm and smooth good looks. (Refer H Edwards' book, Gold Dust and Iron Mountains).
In September 1940 the Comet Mine was the scene of a tragedy often faced in the mining profession - a death owing to a rock fall. A miner, Arthur Ware, was killed by a collapse of earth. His burial at the Marble Bar Cemetery was attended by a large number of people.
Stuart Stubbs and his sons owned and operated the Comet Mine for half a century (1947-1996). It was the centre of their widespread mining operations.
The Comet Mine was a well known landmark owing to the tall smokestack constructed at the mine. Towering 250 feet high, the smokestack was the tallest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere at the time.
Comet Mine is presently not operating (1997). A caretaker lives on the site.

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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.