88 
No. 2 locality is about 3 chains north-west of No. 1 and is further pp 
the slope. The excavation is about 20 feet deep, and it exposes a wall 
dipping in a south-easterly direction. There are numerous quartz veins of 
very ferruginous character traversing the broken and shattered country rock. 
Small ferruginous veins are numerous also, and here gold to about the same 
value per ton as at No. 1 locality is said to have been obtained. 
No. 3 locality is on the top of the ridge and a few chains from No. 2 
locality; here a shaft has been sunk 20 feet. The country rock is 
very micaceous * and similar quartz veins intersect it; the largest is about 
6 inches thick. The quartz is reputed to have yielded a few dwts. of gold 
per ton. 
No. 4 locality is about 20 chains west of No. 3. A shaft has been sunk 
to a depth of 50 feet, and the material on the dump is similar to that 
shown at the other localities; the country rock and the quartz veins are of 
the same character as previously described. It appears as though the 
whole of the belt of country is much crushed and penetrated by irregular 
ferruginous veins carrying gold, but exact particulars as to the value of 
gold per ton of the ore were not obtainable. It is reported that from 
No. 4 locality a crushing yielded 19 dwts. of gold per ton. Judging from 
the work done it would be concluded that there must have been some 
encouraging results, otherwise it would not have been persevered with. 
It does not look as though well defined reefs are to be expected at this 
locality, but the conditions are such that an extremely low yield of gold 
would pay if the country and veins could be broken down in a face and 
all put through the plant; unless this could be done there does not seem 
to be much chance of profitably working such an occurrence. 
There is an unlimited supply of water within about half-a-mile, 
excellent facilities for working the ground to a depth of, say, 90 feet 
by means of tunnels, abundance of timber for mining purposes and for fuel, 
and a railway station (Bonegilia) within 2 miles, so that, with a very low 
yield and working in a face, profit might be made. 
Before, however, the average yield of this belt can be gauged, a certain 
amount of prospecting work should be done, and to* test the value of the 
high ground no better plan could be adopted than that of driving a tunnel 
directly below No. 2 locality, a few feet above the flat and in a westerly 
direction for 200 or 300 feet. This should not be a costly matter and 
would be best done by contract. Such a tunnel (crosscut) would enable 
a good idea to be formed of the value of the oxidised veins, but would 
give no proper guide as to the value of the sulphide ores that undoubtedly 
occur with the quartz veins below water-level. Sinking below water- 
level alone will settle this point. 
[.Report sent in 77.5.07.] 
The Bethanga District. 
The country rock at Bethanga consists of metamorphic schist and 
gneiss. These rocks differ in character from those occurring as aureoles 
surrounding granite masses and they may be classed as Archaean.* There 
is a considerable area of them forming the belt which extends for several 
miles to the east of Bethanga and westward as far as Indigo Creek. 
Northwa.ru of i ackandandah, these rocks consist of highly contorted, very 
micaceous schists. Their proper boundaries have not yet been determined 
to the south, but they extend northward to the Murray River. There is 
a wide area of similar rocks at Benambra. 
* See Professor Gregory, F.R.S., i). Sc., Proc. Roy. Soc. Viet., 1903, 
