Brockman - near Old Halls Creek

Brockmans hut: This site is the remnants of an abandoned gold mine and of an old hut. It is believed local prospectors built this hut for the geologist Brockman in the 19th Century. Later it was used as a place of trade between Aboriginal people and miners. Mount Bradley is known as Luga in the local Jaru language.



Brockmans Hut

;-)

Gidday

Is it this one


The Brockman Mine is an open cut zircon, niobium and tantalum deposit about 16 km from Halls Creek

There is a postcard of Brockman Hut for sale on ebay.

Cheers

Hi

From A Prospectors Guide to Metal Detecting in WA By D.W. de Havelland (1985).

Page 41-43

BROCKMANS & GOLDEN CROWN

Some 12.2km along the Duncan Highway past old Halls Creek townsite, lies the start of what is known as Brockmans. A little further on, and on the right hand side of the road, are the remains of an old hut. During the heyday of the area many small vegetable patches lined the creek banks, providing welcome relief to the 'greens' - starved prospectors.

It is believed that the first major gold discovery of the Kimberleys was made at Brockmans, but the exact location of the gully is not recorded.

What is certainly known is that the first white child born in the Halls Creek area was a Coleman and the mother gave birth to the girl at Brockmans. The father acted as midwife with a relay of miners on horseback riding to and from the township's telegraph office with progressive reports and instructions from the doctor (on the other end) at Derby. It was the mother who later laid the foundation stone of the Mechanics Institute.

From the 12.2km mark, dry blowings can be found on both sides of the road. The eastern side contains both the greater concentration of workings and nuggets found.
According to one source a large nugget was located near a gum tree just past the old car body on the left hand side of the road. This area has since seen the use of a bulldozer so the exact spot can no longer be located. There are still nuggets to be found in the locality.

Many smaller nuggets have been both specked and detected along the roadway, especially after rain. Almost opposite, but slightly south of the Brockmans ruins, lies an enclosed grave with a rock headstone, the final resting place of a wandering digger.

In a little under a week we detected nearly four ounces of gold within 30 metres of the main road starting near the first old car body, down to just past Brockmans ruins.
Still within the Brockmans area lie several important mines and alluvial patches. As N. R. Smith the government geologist reported in 1898, it was considered to be the richest and most widely spread alluvial field on the Kimberley goldfield.

The 'Golden Crown' mine , situated almost in the centre of the Brockmans area , was the most productive . Whilst Butcher and partner operated the mine it returned 1.281.20 ounces of gold from the crushing of 1,153.50 tonnes of ore (prior to 1897). On the 24 January 1888 they sold the mine and equipment to C. E. Nicholas & Co. for the princely sum of 5,300 pounds cash and 25 .000 pounds worth of script in the newly formed company.

Other mines in the vicinity are the Mt Bradley , which returned 810 ounces from 789 tonnes of ore, Faugh-a-Ballagh, 15.98 ounces for 15 tonnes, and the Lady Margaret. 252 ounces for only 97 tonnes.

Almost every creek, gully and Oat in the Brockmans area on the eastern side of the road has produced nuggets. In late 1983 a local took me to a bulldozed heap very near the dam marked on the map and picked up several pieces in less than five minutes. It was not unusual to locate a small leader every week or so with many ounces of gold lying close by.

'Rosie's Flat' has very little dry blowing on it, yet the area being almost4km long has produced many many hundreds of nuggets and specimens. The sides of the hills still have pockets of gold untapped by either the old timers or the modern day prospector.



Here is approximate location shown on 250K



Cheers
Greg

Gday Alan, there is a map available called the Brockman Goldfield Map by Doug Stone, can be got from any good map shop or ebay. This may help if you don't have it already. Cheers, Mark.