68. Junction Mine and Lookout

Junction Mine and Lookout.png

The lease for this mine was pegged in 1884, and the Broken Hill Junction Silver Mining Co. was formed in 1886.  

The wooden headframe is the oldest of its kind on the Line of Lode. It was erected over the mine’s Browne Shaft in the 1890s and has since been modified several times.  

During consolidation, which began in the 1920s, North Broken Hill Ltd at the North Mine acquired the Junction Mine in 1929, and Junction North in 1931. Broken Hill South Ltd then acquired the mine in 1962, holding it until 1972. 

The surviving buildings and industrial structures on the site include the concentration mill (1897), winding engine (1946), compressor house (1918), manager’s residence (c1916) and ore bin (c1946). A four kilometre tunnel was driven at the 451 metre level in Browne Shaft to No. 7 Shaft at South Mine during 1962-63.  

One of the largest mines in the region, the Junction Mine produced over 7 million tonnes of ore to the value of £1.2 million until closure of the original mine in 1923. 

Audio transcript available.