8 
Tbe trough in the older Palaeozoic rocks in which the Grampian sandstones 
were deposited appears to get deeper from, south to north, for the basal 
conglomerates of Greenvale reach the surface, but at Murra-Warra, near 
Horsham, a bore proved Ordovician at 400 feet from the surface, while further 
north in the Netherby bore referred to (between Nhill and Lake Hindmarsh) 
Older Palaeozoic strata were not reached in a bore 2,200 feet deep. 
The Source of the Gold obtained in the Grampians. 
Several writers have expressed opinions on the origin of the gold found ■ 
in the Grampians. 1 
The gold which has been obtained in payable quantities appears to be very 
closely associated with the granodiorite, and, with one possible exception, 
more or less gold has been obtained wherever granodiorite outcrops in the 
Grampians. The largest quantity has been secured from the Mount William 
goldfield, where over 25,000 oz., all in pieces weighing less than 2 dwt., is said 
to have been raised from alluvial wash mostly under 30 feet in depth. There 
is another but smaller goldfield at Stony Creek, 4 miles from Fyan’s Creek, 
at Hall’s Gap ; a considerable amount of gold has been obtained here from 
shallow alluvial workings, and a dredge was built but is now abandoned. 
I lately visited the Coronation mine and Wright’s lode on the Sugarloaf 
Hill, Mount William, and noted several points of interest. 
The Coronation lode, which has been proved to 300 feet from the surface, 
is in granodiorite. There are two tunnels, the lower out of repair. 
The lode varies considerably in size and composition ; in some places it 
is not more than 2 inches thick and in others it has been taken out over a foot 
wide ; in different parts it ranges from a vein of rather vitreous quartz to a 
vein of limonite, or it may assume the form of quartz through which are small 
bands of quartz and felspar crystals. I was informed by the manager, 
Mr. A. Pottage (who showed me over the mine, and to whom I am indebted 
for assistance and information) that when consisting of quartz, the lode was 
almost barren, and when formed of ironstone, it was small but rich ; the gold 
was probably deposited with iron sulphide which has decomposed to limonite. 
In the upper tunnel of the Coronation mine, the lode consists of a decom¬ 
posed granodiorite which differs in appearance but little from the ordinary 
decomposed granodiorite ; it appears to be an impregnation along a fissure 
or track and the altered portions occur at irregular intervals. Possiblv, 
solutions travelling along the track have altered the granodiorite for a few 
inches on either side, and in this altered portion gold has been deposited. 
Almost identical occurrences have been noted at the Mount Deddick silver- 
lead field, where fissures traverse the granodiorite and the rock on one or both 
sides of them is altered for varying distances, and the altered portions contain 
a small amount of galena and other minerals which do not occur in the 
unaltered rock. 
On the Sugarloaf Hill is Wright’s lode, which also traverses granodiorite ; 
it consists of granitic matter and possibly the lode material has been altered 
bv siliceous and felspathic solutions which have passed along one or more 
movement planes. It is about 4 feet thick and dips in a westerly direction 
at about 10°. A shoot of more auriferous stone, 5 to 10 feet in length, has 
1 Special Report on Mt. William Gold-field by H. Herman, Dept. Mines, Viet, 1900 ; Report on 
Auriferous Discoveries, Grampians, bv J. Stirling, Prog. Rept. Geol. Surv. Viet.. No. XI. 1899 ; Mt. 
William Gold-field, Grampians, by E. J. Dunn. Rec. Geol. Sur. Viet., Vol. III..pt. 2. p. 118, 1912- Report 
on Proposed Boring Sites, Boggv Creek, Mt. William Gold-field, by A. M. Howitt, Rec. Geol. Sufv. Viet. 
IK.SafeMS Gap '* E - J - 
