ALLENDALE

EXPLORATION ACCESS FOR THE SOUTH-EAST PART, EL 3821
Exploration of ground to the east and south of the former large gold producer, the Ristori deep lead mine, was for many years impeded by a layer of planning constraints.  After September 2006, Mount Rommel began to intensify its semi-detailed ground gravity work south of the Creswick-Smeaton road.  The information set out below explains the background to the protracted delays.

The Heritage Overlay Issue
The Shire of Hepburn crosses the full extent of the gold mineralised structures (known or projected) between Ballarat and the Maldon Goldfield.  Planners had inserted a bureaucratic deterrent to future access, through use of the Heritage Overlay in the Shire Planning Scheme.  During 2005 the Company worked to reduce the effect of this Heritage Overlay on site access, with the encouragement of the private landowner at both Allendale and Clunes.

On 11th September, 2006, the Minister for Planning approved Amendment C15 to the Hepburn Planning Scheme.  This Amendment opened sensible access to prospects south-east of Allendale.

The purpose of the Heritage Overlay as presently stated in Section 43.01 of the Planning Scheme includes allowing a use that would otherwise be prohibited if this will demonstrably assist with the conservation of the significance of a heritage place.  [Give a little, gain a little.]

As the maps below show, the Government puts these laws in place over private land, without regard for the landowner, or for the existing mineral rights holder.

The inclusion of any private land (wherever it may be situated) in a Heritage Overlay does not give to any person authority to enter or occupy the land unless with the permission of the owner.  The brown coloured areas are listed places on the Victorian Heritage Inventory.  Consent of Heritage Victoria is a pre-requisite to approvals allowing work within 100 metres of these places.

The target areas for modern exploration are plotted on accompanying plans. Mineral exploration is an allowable use under Section 52.08-1 of the Planning Scheme, subject to Work Plan approval and the owner’s consent to enter.

The brown areas on this modern-day plan are both Victorian Heritage Inventory sites, and sites on the Heritage Overlay, the Shire of Hepburn Planning Scheme.  The added green band shows the south boundary of the former 6300 acre pastoral holding known (in 1873) as the Seven Hills Estate.  This property was advertised “for sale” in C.A. 17 February 1873.

A decade after the sale of the Seven Hills Estate, an article in a former Melbourne newspaper, "The Argus", 25 November 1884, reported that 162,849 ounces of gold had been won from the deep lead workings south and up-stream of the boundary, the Seven Hills Estate. The local area referred to is marked on one of the accompanying plans.

In a year 1942 publication, figures for the gold produced from this same local area are recorded as provided to the author by the then "Department of Mines" , this total being 181,740 ounces gold. The details allow this total to be divided into ...

   the western drainage   116,470 ounces

   the eastern pair of drainages  65,270 ounces.

When the archive records behind these statistics were examined, Mount Rommel came to the conclusion that the tests for a bedrock source would be more productive if investigation of the eastern pair of drainages could occur. After the approval of Amendment C15, the Shire of Hepburn Planning Scheme, the Company began its work as follows --

Year 2006   Very detailed ground gravity to the immediate east of the folding intersected in hole EX98-02. This work took place in the small triangular block of ground north of the disused railway. Results indicated the work zone had crossed a much larger N-S trending structure, buried by basalt of unknown thickness.

Year 2007 I.P. and resistivity on Allendale-Reservoir Road, and along Stag Road, led to surveys using these techniques in Lot 16, north of Stag Road, and semi-detailed ground gravity in Lots 9 and 16 (March 2008).

Year 2008  Drilling took place to investigate an I.P. result, and probing to discover the location of the north-trending drainage divide, concealed by two thin basalt lava flows ( Hole H5). Exploration interest is heightened by the finding of gold at H5.

Year 2009  Auger drilling, to locate the drainage divide to the north, and to thereby position the gold-enriched Kingston Park channel as west of, but near to, that basalt-covered divide.

Year 2010 In-fill semi-detailed ground gravity, to complete the coverage between Stag Road and the Creswick-Smeaton Road. Interpretation followed the assembly of data. A preferred target for new drilling was established, where shown on the following Site Control Plan.  The statutory procedures (Section 45, MRSD Act) have commenced, to attain approval for future drilling.

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