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Blake steam pump
The Blake steam pump is rare for that model. This is also surprising as they were popular for mining and other uses in the late 19th century and early 20th century. However, those marked “Geo F. Blake Manufacturing Co” were made before 1897 so most of the surviving steam pumps of that pattern are other or later brands. Pumps of this size were less likely to be preserved because they were heavy.
Holman steam driven pump
The Holman hoist appears to be rare for that model, which is surprising as they were often used in small mines for winding or in larger mines, at the top of winzes underground. They were versatile as they could run on compressed air or steam, an important consideration given that exhaust steam would aggravate the heat and humidity underground. They could also pivot to suit the terrain in which they were being used.
The aerial ropeway bucket from the Ropeways Ltd aerial tramway from the Governor Norman mine to the Irvinebank Smelters appears to be rare. Aerial ropeways were used to transport ore, coal etc. to processing plants over ground difficult for transport. They were not as common in Australia as overseas and most went for scrap when mining stopped. The few other ropeway buckets in existence are at Rosebery, Tasmania, Katoomba in NSW and North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, though the latter is in such poor condition it is difficult to say what it looked like when working.
© Herberton Mining Museum History Association 2023