Rum Jungle Project - A Detailed Timeline
1971
- April 2 - Rum Jungle project ceases operations permanently.
1969
- Excavation of overburden for a proposed open cut mine at Mt Fitch completed. No ore extraction is undertaken due to the low grade natgure of the deposit.
1968
- May 13 - Underground exploration shaft Brown's accidentally flooded, all work suspended.
- Excavation of overburden for a proposed open cut mine at nearby Mt Fitch started.
1967
- August - Underground exploration shaft constructed at the Brown's lead deposit.
1965
- November - Open cut mining completed at the Intermediate copper deposit.
1964
- (Late) - Open cut mining started at the Intermediate copper deposit.
1963
- August 19 - Open cut mining completed at Rum Jungle Creek South.
- January 6 - CDA uranium export contract is completed from Rum Jungle. Project continues, milling ore from the Rum Jungle Creek South mine and stockpiling the uranium.
1961
- March - Open cut mining started at Rum Jungle Creek South.
1960
- Major pollution first reported at Rum Jungle - "trees along the banks of one stream are dying and water holes [are] devoid of fish" (1).
1958
- Open cut mining started and completed at nearby Mt Burton.
- Open cut mining completed at Dyson's.
- Open cut mining completed at White's.
1957
- Open cut mining started at Dyson's.
1956
- A Melbourne newspaper has a front page story, written by Ross Annabell, describing the conditions at the "Rum Jungle Hell Hole". Workers go on strike and as a result get better housing and conditionsl.
1954
- September 17 - Rum Jungle mine officially opened by Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies, to fill contracts for the British-USA Combined Development Agency (CDA).
- September - Open cut mining started at White's.
1953
- Underground exploration and mining started at White's deposit. Work shows difficult ground conditions and that open cut mining was preferrable (and apparently economic).
1952
- December 9 - Advance mining team from the Zinc Corporation (later CRA) arrive at Rum Jungle, to allow 'Territory Enterprises Pty Ltd' (TEP) to takeover the project.
- Late (?) - Jack White is paid a further £17,000 reward for the discovery of a major uranium deposit at Rum Jungle, NT, bringing his total reward to maximum of £25,000.
- September - Jack White is paid a further £7,000 reward for the discovery of a major uranium deposit at Rum Jungle, NT.
1950
- Dyson's uranium deposit is discovered, named after the BMR Geophysicist Donald Dyson.
1950
- October - Jack White is paid a £1,000 reward for the discovery of a proven 25 t U3O8 deposit uranium at Rum Jungle, NT.
1949
- August - Jack White discovers uranium at Rum Jungle, NT.
1912
- Government geologist, Dr Jensen, reported the existence of uranium in the Rum Jungle, NT, area. The find was not confirmed and was forgotten.
1869
- Green-coloured mineral discovered at Rum Jungle, NT, by Goyder. Although known not to be copper, the mineral remained unrecognised.
Every attempt is made to make this timeline accurate and comprehensive, but please use carefully !!
Any questions, please email the SEA-US Webmaster.(1) Lichaz, W & Myers, S, 1977, Uranium Mining in Australia. In "Ground For Concern - Australia's Uranium and Human Survival", Editor M Elliott, Friends of the Earth, pp 25-63.
Further reference :
Barrie, D R, 1982, The Heart of Rum Jungle. 279 p. (Self-published).
Page last updated October 26, 2002.
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