Ballymore Resources’ Dittmer gold mine revival approved by land court

Gold mining could soon be returning to the Whitsundays after objections to the reopening of a historic mine were dismissed as ‘misconceived’.

Ballymore could soon be proceeding under an expanded mining lease authority to restart gold mining operations at Dittmer.

The revival of gold mining operations at a small Whitsunday town has been given a green light by the president of the Queensland land court.

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.

Ballymore expect to deliver at least 30,000 tonnes of gold, silver and/or copper each year.

It has applied to expand its mining lease and amend an existing Environmental Authority to restart underground operations.

The department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) facilitated three objections as a statutory party on behalf of ‘nonactive objectors’.

Ballymore claimed operations carried out fit the historical use of the land which “is not suitable for other uses”.

President of the Land Court, Peta Stilgoe, said the mine had been held by the government since the 1980s through the Abandoned Mines Program and its tenure yielded “little evidence” of remediation.

“Ballymore’s proposed remediation efforts are better than no remediation,” Ms Stilgoe said.

Ballymore said - with additional exploration - the mind could be further realised beyond its 10 year estimates.

In a ruling, Ms Stilgoe went through the objections against the reopening including that it would impact water, ecosystems and quality of life for residents of the community and was satisfied by Ballymore’s mitigation strategies.

Ms Stilgoe said following a DETSI inspection in February and May 2024, Ballymore had no infringements and she was satisfied with the company’s past performance operating mine sites.

The mine is expected to produce approximately 30,000 tonnes of gold, copper and/or silver ore each year for ten years and documents submitted on behalf of Ballymore said there was potential for further exploration.

Cartoonist Harry Bruce puts his spin on the Dittmer gold mine debacle.

One problem area Ms Stilgoe said was “potentially adverse” to the public interest was the blasting required.

Ballymore objected to a condition of the EA which blasting between 6pm and 7pm on the grounds that “vibration impacts to residents of Dittmer will be imperceptible”.

They later clarified this blasting would be for the sole purpose of maintenance and/or safety, which should be included in the finished EA.

DETSI and Ballymore also disagreed on the site for the monitoring of background water quality, but after a report was provided by hydrogeologist and geochemist Terry Harck, Ms Stilgoe accepted Ballymore’s site.

Ms Stilgoe recommended Ballymore’s mining lease agreement be approved by Minister for resources Dale Last.

“I understand that the residents of Dittmer are used to living in a rural idyll, largely undisturbed by modern machinery or development,” Ms Stilgoe said.

“The evidence before me, however, suggests that most of the residents’ concerns are misconceived.”

Ms Stilgoe said she expected the residents of Dittmer will watch Ballymore keenly and their oversight “will factor heavily in Ballymore’s operations.”

She also recommended the minister for the environment, science, tourism and innovation Andrew Powell approve the amended EA.

Originally published as Ballymore Resources’ Dittmer gold mine revival approved by land court