Plans emerge to revive Ardlethan mine and scrap plans for dump

The owner of the Ardlethan tin mine, Australian Tin Resources (ATR), will this week present a briefing to Coolamon Shire Council and relevant state authorities explaining its intention to mine the byproducts of mining operations in the mid 1980s. 

It comes a year after the community united in fierce opposition to ATR’s plan to turn the abandoned site into a rubbish dump, claiming it would “create a mountain of waste” and attract “pests, pathogens and diseases”.

Sydney-based ATR director Peter Francis claims to have made a breakthrough with “a simple gravity processing technique” that could employ 30 Ardlethan residents within the next 12 months.

“We propose to build a pilot site and after six months we’ll know the process works and if it does we’re looking at extending the mine life by 15 years,” Mr Francis said.

“We’ll start off with seven or eight people and build up to 30 if we reach full production, all of whom will be local hires aside from the manager.

“We’re hoping to get the pilot up and running in six months.”

Coolamon Shire Council mayor John Seymour said he and his colleagues were “all in favour of the mine, given the employment opportunities” for a town of between 400 and 450 people.

“Rural industry is the main income out here and as farms get bigger and bigger, the population’s getting less and less,” Cr Seymour said. 

“If the population continues to decrease it doesn't bode all that well for places like Ardlethan.

“It might also clean the place up a bit too, it's a hell of a mess up there, like a bomb's gone off.

“When the initial miner walked away, there was no rehabilitation or anything like that.”

Ardlethan resident and vocal campaigner against the dump Renee Doyle tentatively condoned the mining venture. 

“Rubbish on an elevated site like that mixed with the acid tailings is not compatible with farming country or the town right beside it,” Ms Doyle said.

“We're still keen to make sure the environment's protected, making sure any development is compatible with tourism and farming. 

“But we're OK with the mining as long as it's done according to the law and they put in plans to rehabilitate that site.”