The following is an excerpt from ’They Came To a Plateau’ by Jean Harslett and Mervyn Royle.
Chapter: ’Black Gold’
There was endless searching for lode tin, this being regarded as the ultimate in the district’s prosperity.
However, lodes to date (1874) were only located at Lode Creek, Kettle Swamp, Mt. Marlay and Kilminister and none were up to expectations.
Love and Moffat sank a shaft 65 feet at Lode Creek – there were many men like Love and Moffat or Jack and Newell, who came together in mining interests and remained together.
Later they moved to North Queensland to become so well known, their names are legend with its development – but to return to the lodes, it was estimated that two men with mining tools, sunk a shaft 6 ft square, in country of this nature, at the rate of one foot per week, and it would necessitate 3 – 4 drill points a week.
Subsequently lode tin was worked in Sundown, but it was alluvial tin and not lode tin, which made the district famous and wealthy.
1896: Pikedale mines erecting smelters, with confidence.
