Ballymore Resources seeks court approval to restart gold mining at abandoned Dittmer mine, Proserpine

A mining objection hearing deciding whether operations can restart at a historic Qld gold mine with 300,000 tonnes of potential won’t be joined by the objectors.

The town of Dittmer could be the site of a new gold mine poised to start full scale production over the next three years.

A young mining company says it has uncovered about 300,000 tonnes of gold, silver and copper ore at a historic underground site, as it seeks approval to restart operations under a renewed and expanded mining lease.

However in an unusual turn of events a mining objection hearing about the proposal has proceeded without any active objectors.

Dittmer mine, about 20km southwest of Proserpine, was one of the largest gold mines in Queensland operating between the 1930s and 1950s and again in the 1980s before it was abandoned.

Ballymore Resources acquired a mining lease for the site in 2020 and since then has conducted exploration and studies that have identified a potential resource of about “300,000 tonnes of gold, copper and silver-bearing ore” at the existing mine.

It has applied to expand its mining lease and amend an existing Environmental Authority to restart underground operations, with the matter now before the Land Court of Queensland because a number of objections were raised to the Resources Minister and the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation.

The court heard three objections were raised but the “objectors chose not to be an active party in this hearing”.

Lawyers for DETSI agreed the hearing was unusual because “there is not active objector in a mining objection hearing” meaning its role only involved assisting the court and addressing any concerns with the draft EA and mining lease.

The court heard Ballymore took issue about overnight blasting times and surface water monitoring locations.

Close up of visible gold from Dittmer mine.

DETSI raised ongoing exploration on whether certain proposed conditions may impose limitations on human rights and any impact of mining operation on historical sites.

Barrister Angela Hellewell, for Ballymore, said there was issue about “what limitations should be imposed on blasting between 6pm and 7am” with DETSI pushing for conditions preventing overnight blasting.

When asked why it was necessary to blast at night, Ballymore director of operations Andrew Gilbert told the court the continuous nature of underground mining and hazards that are sometimes presented it was needed for management control.

“You’re required to do small scale blasting during the night time to minimise hazards primarily,” he said, clarifying there would be no production blasting at night.

“Management blasts and safety blasts are really when things happen during the shift that you need to deal with immediately.”

The court heard Ballymore’s estimated mining depth was 82m in 2025, 140m in 2026 and 220m or deepest by 2027.

Mr Gilbert said some blasting might be required at surface level in the underground but it would be done as needed.

The proposed site of drilling directly borders the hamlet of Dittmer and has part of Kelsey Creek present on the proposed mine site.

He also confirmed the proposed mining activity would not at any time cause more than 10 hectares of land to be significantly disturbed – the total surface proposed will be 0.58 hectares, as well as another 0.84 of already disturbed land.

Ms Hellewell said members of the community “perhaps have a misapprehension” that Ballymore’s mining activities would disturb areas including Peter Faust Dam, the historic waste rock dumps and the Kelsey Creek water supply dam.

Mr Gilbert also confirmed this was not the case.

The court heard Ballymore has committed to restoring any newly disturbed areas as well as some historically disturbed areas, and extra conditions regarding monitoring and reporting, dust avoidance and mitigation, noise mitigation and management and sediment control.

Ballymore Resources director of operations Andrew Gilbert

Mr Gilbert said the company also planned to upgrade the current public access track to Proserpine State Forest “to a modern standard”, adding any haulage trucks would not go through the main Dittmer road and there were no plans to mine towards the town.

Ms Hellewell said Ballymore had also agreed “to undertake target surveys to detect the presence of endangered species with actual potential habitat in nesting trees”.

“It has agreed to an in-depth surface water monitoring program. It has agreed to development and implementation of the groundwater management plan, which will ensure that all potential groundwater impacts are identified, monitored and mitigated,” she said

The court heard Ballymore’s issue with surface water monitoring locations involved issues accessing the sites.

“Our ultimate submission will be … that it is in the public interest for these activities to occur on this land, land which has been the subject of many, many years of mining, and that in some parts that land can finally be rehabilitated,” Ms Hellewell said.

“It is correct to say that there will be areas which remain unrehabilitated because of the action of former miners.”

The hearing continues.