Description
Reids Ridge gold mine is located on Badimia country within the Karara Rangeland Park in the Midwest region of Western Australia, 342 km northeast of Perth. The previous mining tenement M59/117 was forfeited in 2015. Mining disturbances within the site are small and confined to discrete areas. Reids Ridge consists of an underground mine shaft extending 160m below surface, other shallow shafts, redundant infrastructure, unconfined tailings and waste rock material. The preliminary inspection of the site also identified ground subsidence risk zones.
Karara Rangelands Park is a popular tourist wildflower and camping destination managed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA). Mining features within the Reids Ridge site present a significant risk to the public accessing Karara Rangelands Park.
Rehabilitation works for Reids Ridge will be undertaken by the Abandoned Mines Program in collaboration with the DBCA.
Strategic objectives
- To minimise significant safety risks associated with shaft features and previous mining activities on the Reid’s Ridge site.
- With consideration of heritage values, to enhance the potential future use of the site through rehabilitation.
Program implementation framework
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Desktop assessment |
Investigation |
Planning |
Implementation |
Monitoring |
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Stakeholder engagement commenced July 2021 and is ongoing (U) |
Initial site inspection by Abandoned Mines Program November 2022 (C) | Landform design tailings and waste rock stockpiles 2026 (P) | Declaration as an abandoned mine site April 2023 (C) | Monitoring of environmental indicators to ensure the site has met objectives for post-project landuse (at minimum the site is safe, stable and non-polluting) (P) |
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Initial site risk assessment February 2023 (C) |
Aboriginal cultural heritage Surveys 2024 (U) |
Geotechnical remediation options for shafts 2024 (P) |
Deconstruction and Clean-up of site debris and redundant infrastructure 2025 (P) |
Revocation of declaration of abandoned mine site (P) |
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Preliminary project plan 2023 (C) |
DBCA flora and vegetation survey 2024 (P) |
Rehabilitation works for shafts, waste rock and tailings landforms 2026 (P) |
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Geotechnical Assessment 2024 (U) |
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Engineering assessment of redundant infrastructure 2024 (P) |
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State heritage assessment 2024 (P) |
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Tailings material characterisation 2025 (P) |
Schedule: Completed (C); Underway (U); Planned (P)
