Henty mine rebirth is solid gold with a big boost for West Coast economy and jobs

HENTY Gold Mine, riding on the back of improving commodity prices, is again pouring gold and creating more than 100 jobs on the West Coast in the process.

Pybar Production Supervisor David Dredge at the Henty Gold Mine near Queenstown, which is again pouring gold and creating more than 100 jobs. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

HENTY Gold Mine, riding on the back of improving commodity prices, is again pouring gold and creating more than 100 jobs on the West Coast in the process.

Workers at the mine yesterday poured the first gold since Diversified Minerals took over, having bought the operation from Unity Mining last year.

Premier Will Hodgman said it marked the first gold since a prolonged period of care and maintenance and the beginning of the mine providing a return on the company’s strong investment.

Diversified Minerals General Manager David Pelchen, far left, and Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman, right, during a tour of the Henty Gold Mine. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

“This is a great day for the directors, for the management and for the workers here at the Henty gold mine,” Mr Hodgman said.

About 150 people worked at the mine, between Queenstown and Zeehan, when it was last operational.

The mine has produced 1.3 million ounces of gold since it was established in 1996.

The first bar to be poured, called a Dore Bar, was 40 to 70 per cent gold.

The news is a major boost for the region, which has been hit by the downturn in the mining industry.

Wayne Bould, chief executive of peak body Tasmanian Minerals and Energy Council, said the significance could not be underestimated.

“It shows the fact the combination of good geological knowledge with support from government agency Mineral Resources Tasmania has produced a fantastic outcome,” Mr Bould said.

MRT provides a guide to mining and exploration in Tasmania with information on geoscience.

The Australian Mines and Metals Association director industry services, Tara Diamond also welcomed the mine’s reopening.

“This is a great day for the mine’s employees, surrounding communities and the Tasmanian mining sector,” she said.

“It will provide a much welcome economic boost for the area, particularly as other mines remain in care and maintenance mode.

Diversified Minerals is a fully owned associate of Pybar Mining Services.

Resources Minister Guy Barnett said commodity prices were on the up and the West Coast formed part of one of the most mineral-rich districts in the world.