Little Duke Mine 28-07-15

Another trip to this great little mine with lots to see. Eight of us met up in a disused railway tunnel, and proceeded on from there in two 4X4’s along the track bed to the mine sett.
After rigging a couple of ropes to nearby trees, we dropped through a small hole where the mine had been stoped through to surface, on to a back filled stope. From here it was a short way to the side of the capped shaft. which was rigged with more rope, for the drop down to a flooded timbered section. Here there is a tramming level back under the stope we had just crossed with some impressive copper formations on the old tracks and steels.
Below this there is a small hole that we crawled through leading through a short timbered side passage left when the stope was back filled. This, after a short distance met with a side passage leading off to another westerly stope. Onwards lead to a collapse where the timbers had failed with the weight of deads. It was possible to squeeze up into a void left where the sope above had run.
Retracing our steps passing back through the shaft, there is a very impressive timbered section within the back filled stope. Once through this section, the area opened out into a full stope.