Site 19 of the Golden Quest Discovery Trail (GQDT).
This is the site of the former town of Copperfield. It borders the west side of
the junction. The David Copperfield
mine is a trench, mullock, shafts etc. It is assumed it was named by a fan of Charles Dickens. In the late 1890's, the
mine was developed by the Mount Ida Consols Company. Copperfield was worked to 180 feet deep, but little development work was done. When doubts surfaced about the value of ore at depth, and the short nature of the shoots on the goldfield, the company abandoned the
mine in 1906. The company achieved 9364 tonnes of ore for 15 786 ounces of gold.
The
mine was then taken over by the government as a
water supply for the Mount Ida state battery.
There is more information on the signboard here and presumably in the guidebook for the Golden Quest Discovery Trail.