Lovett's Reward, North Dandalup, Murray Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Lovett's Reward	Adit (Abandoned)
North Dandalup	- not defined -
Murray Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

By 1896, Western Australia was gripped by gold mania. Huge discoveries had been unearthed in the years before at Cue, Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie, and other places, but none near Perth. Large amounts of money attract unsavourary characters, and so it was the North Dandalup scam was born.

In October 1895, was the first report of a huge gold discovery in the hills above North Dandalup, about 70 kilometres south of Perth, by a party of three prospectors, G.H. Lovett, Leslie Menzies and Joseph King. Canadian prospector Menzies, was the man who located the Lady Shenton Lode just south of the town named after him in the Eastern Goldfields Western Australia.

By April 1896, the local media was running almost daily reports about the discovery. Incredibly detailed information was provided by Lovett, Menzies and King on the shafts and drives, nature of the ore, and gold being found. Impressive gold specimens from the site went on display at the Exchange Club in Perth. Local impresarios visited the site reporting gold lining a cutting leading to Lovett's Shaft (Mt Lovett Reward)and gold found on the surface nearby.

A gold-rush occurred with prospecting parties pegging out neighbouring land. The local media was soon reporting on other leases, and mines with grand names like Pride of Claremont, Pride of Mt Lovett, Nonparrell Mine, Lady Forrest Mine, which existed only in the holder's imaginations.

A lavish function was held for Lovett, Menzies and King by the Perth Mayor, attended by politicians. Rousing speeches were made. Lovett was given a gold watch and chain.

The Darling Range Syndicate was formed, and fifty locals invested money into it to develop the mine. At its first general meeting , shareholders were told an English investor had visited the site, declaring it be one of the greatest gold reefs he had seen, to wild applause. Selling the site to an unsuspecting English finance firm was their ultimate aim, and shortly after one invested 30 000 pounds. Gold fever had gripped Perth.

The government geologist visited the site, but his report only added to the mayhem. Much of it states he has no doubt the site would prove to be one of the most significant gold discoveries in Western Australia. He does however briefly mention the workings at the site had not progressed to a point to make an informed opinion, saw no visible gold, and tests on ore samples came back with nil gold. The report stated he found quartz carrying arsenical pyrites stained with magnesia, iron oxide and minute stains of copper.

A Mr Casely was appointed mine manager, and for the rest of 1896, fabricated mine reports were released, dutifully reported in the local media as fact.

Doubts over the discovery began to surface from May that year, loudly and strenuously denied by Lovett, Menzies and King. They rejected the notion they were misleading the public and preventing access to the mine. People were named who had been present when gold was removed from the site.

Menzies in particular appeared to posses all the characteristics needed for a con-artist. L.H. Darlot wrote after visiting the mine: 'I saw and was dis-appointed, but I have so much faith in Mr Menzies that after seeing him today I thought I might have been wrong.'

A letter was written in the newspapers from W.H. Timperley stating 25 years before he had been instructed to go to the site which was being prospected by W. Pollard. He panned the creek next to the later gold discovery and found one speck of gold. With all the tact of a bull elephant he told Pollard: ' your prospects as a gold digger do not appear to be very brilliant'. Pollard agreed stating they had found very little.

Some pointed out the matrix of the specimens that had been displayed did not match the geology of the site. H.W. Butler complained: 'many areas are owned by persons unable or unwilling to show inquirers their datum peg, other holders are absent, and employees know nothing of their lease boundary.'

The site was visited by a London journalist who dismissed the field as holding little gold, being no better than a prospecting field, with little work done at all.

By 1897 large areas of the field had been abandoned, and mining equipment was being sold to anyone for a song. A propsector at this time wrote: ' I cannot for the life of me see what right the government had to declare this a goldfield, as their action caused me to remain here.'

Most tellingly, B.F. Cammileri of Busselton in 1937 wrote of his prospecting days. At the height of the events, he broke into the mine and stole some stone showing gold from the cutting. He was able to scrape the gold off the surface of the rocks with his knife. The underlying ore held no gold.

Another gold find at the site was made in 1915, when a prospector reported copious gold from nearby Kronin Creek, three kilometres north-east of the old workings.

The government geologist was dispatched, but this time a more professional report was produced. He noted none of the surrounding countryside showed ore that was likely to contain gold. Gold was found in holes under large boulders along a short range of the creek, and every pan brought up nuggets. These had a remarkably similar appearance to gold found in slag from smelting operations. His conclusion: ' in the face of all the evidence I cannot arrive at any other conclusion that the gold was put in the creek, but it is certainly waterworn, and therefore must have been in the creek for several years'. He did however find cassiterite while panning and molybdenite at the old workings in chloritic schist.

Lovett's shaft is still visible at the site. Ironically the area may contain small amounts of gold, planted by miners over one hundred years ago.

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