Diamonds anyone?

Hello All

Here is a story that may be of some encouragement to would be prospectors and treasure hunters all chasing the dream.

There are more famous diamond fields in Africa and Brazil which are legendary for the quality and amount of diamonds they produce that has spawned massive multinational mining empires. Australia has its share too with the Argyle Diamond field in western Australia.

However that is not the only region in Australia that produces diamonds. There is a not so famous little diamond field in Eastern Australia that the big boys of the multinational mining game have no interest in.

The small diamond field first discovered by two gold seekers around the 1860's. There was many attempts by various syndicates to commercially mine for diamonds, most all ended in disappointment.

However one mine showed it was possible to mine diamonds there. the Monte Christo mine. The mine was operational until around 1900 until production with high labor costs and poor retrieval rates to the basic mining technique available at the time made the project unprofitable.

A report by the department of mines believed that the Monte Christo mine must of been near the diamond pipe the source of the alluvial diamonds . However If was not proven beyond doubt the exact location of the diamond pipe. And so the mystery remains.

The Diamond field lay dormant and forgotten for many years. Until an intrepid group of dreamers and adventurers formed a company to have one last go to try their fortunes with modern technology equipment. The Company consists of 5 employees including the company director. The took up the old Monte Christo  mining leases plus several others and sunk new shafts and reworked through the old mining workings. Bit bit by bit there are hoping to find the exact source of the diamond pipe.

It is so refreshing in an age of corporate multinational giants squeezing the little guy out of anything of value, that there is still a small groups of enthusiastic adventurers daring to dream, in footsteps of our pioneering ancestors seeking fortune and glory.

I only hope that our corporate masters who owns the world will not stifle that dream of the little guy. And I wish them every chance of success on their highly interesting venture as they recover more diamonds. And I hope they pull one over on the big boys.  

Hardluck  

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Nice story Hardluck, they also found diamonds at Echuca in South Autralia too but that wasnt followed up because Gold was the metal they were after there.  As with all gold rushes in those days, when the gold petered out the miners moved onto fresher pickings hoping they would get lucky. Echuca was the center of a large dredging operation, maybe thats why with all that water the diamonds were never prospected or exploited properly? 

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		Quote:			Posted by hardluck
	Hello Allen Thank you for the info on Echuca. That is a name and place I have not heard about or been for many many years. I did not know they tried to mine for diamonds there. I always suspected much further south ..that around Mount Gambier South Australia may have a diamond pipe somewhere. Hardluck

Maybe your right on Mt. Gambier there is an extinct volano there but its full of water and might take years to pump out hehe you might like to google earth it and have a look.  There are still many places in Australia where the white man has not even seen the country is that vast.  although with 4 x 4s these days people will go anywhere if they dont break down hehehe

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I just love the knowledge you all have... Being a lover of diamonds, I had no idea of the many places they were found.

I hope to find one attached to a ring on my next hunt!!!

Thank you all for the info.

SharenH

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Hello Treasuremonmo

Here is a picture of more Diamond recoveries. The area around the diamond field

A nice batch to add to the bag 

Hardluck 

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