Coopers Creek
Coopers Creek started in the mid 1860's. It began when a gentleman by the name of Donald McLeod prospected for gold in the Thomson River. He had little luck with his efforts but while prospecting at the junction of the Thomson River and Coopers Creek he discovered a vein of copper appriximately three and a half metres thick.
Samples of this vein were sent to Melbourne and it was later decided that the quality of the copper was satisfactory to start mining. Not a lot of gold was found at Coopers Creek however other minerals apart from copper such as silver, platinum and lime were discovered and mined. Due to the area being full of steep hills, isolation and rough tracks, supplies were brought in by pack horse. People were also brought in this way. This would have happened once or twice a week.
The copper was carried out by horses for a few miles before being loaded onto bullock wagons and transported to places such as Sale, Port Albert, and Melbourne. A horse team with wagons took up to 10 hours to get from Moe to Walhalla. There were two coach comapnies operating this area at the time, Cobb and Co, and Fryers Coach Lines from a place called Toongabbie.
Although many small operations mined Coopers Creek, the Walhalla Copper Mining Company was formed about 10 years later in the 1870's. Smelting furnaces which smelted the copper to produce coarse copper were erected on site. The furnace bricks were created by local clay to save on costs of production. The area being operated was of a large size, and a tramway was constructed to link the mine with the spalling and calcining areas. Sadly, by the early 1880's the copper ore was worked out and the mine was closed.
The 1870's was the prime of Coopers Creek. Up to 200 people lived there, more than 20 houses, lime kilns, which the foundations can still be seen today, a general store, a school and the Copper Mine Hotel were built. The Copper Mine Hotel has been re built to its former glory and is open to the public today. The school hosted dances and other activities. With the Walhalla Mine growing all the time, firewood for the boilers, batteries and construction of the mine meant that local timber sources were soon denuded. Coopers Creek was also denuded of firewood after the bridge over the Thomson River was built as a new way for the miners.
In the late 1890's Hulbert Black and Darty opened up a new source of copper and in the early 1900's the Coopers Creek Mining Company was formed. Unfortunately, about 12 months after it started, it ended due to financial difficulties. The mine is still accessible by four wheel drive, and parts of the original smelter are still standing alongside the creek. The mine entrance still houses a mine hopper that appears to have been winched up the hill to other mines, filled with ore and then carted to the smelter.
Coopers Creek has a huge history, and many sources of its history are available on the internet. For a small locality, it was a busy one. Below are images taken of the mine and the smelter. The bridge to the mine is still in very good condition and certainly a highlight of the walk to the mine entrance. Other relics and diggings can be seen around the general area. It would have been an impressive site to see this mine and smelter in action.
The platform for Coopers Creek on the Moe to Walhalla railway was called Platina, believed to have been named after the platinum being pulled out of the mines.
The bridge to the mine as it is from September 2007
The hopper at the site of the mine entrance, note the skip still on rails above
The mine entrance and interior. The mine has about 8 inches of water lining its floors and the temperature is freezing cold. The mine is now closed off obviously for safety reasons.
This has yet to be worked out. It may have been a storage area for perishable goods, or a kiln. Research on this still needs to be carried out as to exactly its purpose.
These images are showing whats left of the once booming copper smelter. Considering its age, it has done well to stand this long considering floods recently have leveled a lot of the foliage along the creek.
What is left of the original line from Moe to Walhalla?
Although Coopers Creek is part of the Moe to Walhalla Railway I felt it should have its own page as there are still some magnificent things to see if you ever get the chance to go there. Although small, the thriving township has left a lot of memories behind to give anyone who sees them the feeling of what those days were like.
Below are some photos of the original part of the Walhalla line from the area of the Platina platform to just before Thomson where the railway has been rebuilt and operates today.
This photo is showing the line looking towards Thomson. You can see the bridge just ahead on Coopers Creek track which leads to the copper mine and Copper Mine Hotel.
The Coopers Creek Track bridge now a lot more visible as you walk around the curve.
As you walk along the track you can still see parts of the old sleepers left behind.
Here is a close up of one of the sleepers with the dogspike still attached to it.
This photo shows the extent of the fire damage recently walking along the track. Surprisingly a lot of relics of the railway are still standing and quite visible if you look hard enough. Sadly the fire that went through Coopers Creek and reached the edges of Walhalla was deliberately lit.
If you look closely this is one of the telegraph poles used along the line. It was quite practical to use existing trees for the wires rather than erecting poles everywhere. Some of the poles needed to be constructed however due to the rugged countryside and steep edges along the track.
A close up of one of the poles showing the support wire holding it up. The insulator is still attached but not visible in this photo.
Plans to continue constructing the line from Thomson to Erica are on the books. This pile of rail I am assuming is for this reason.
Known as either the "Chinamans Tunnel" or the "Horseshoe Tunnel" this shows the entrance to the manmade tunnel used to divert the Thomson River so gold could be mined on the curve. As mentioned at the beginning of this page there was little gold found.
The exit of the tunnel. A hairy tale mentioned on the information board at the beginning of the walk to this spot stated that the tunnel was constructed and a big celebration was organised to moment the occasion. One of the miners took his family into the tunnel to show the construction but did not alert the team with the detonator to let the water flow through at the entrance. When the blast happened the water rushed throug the tunnel and swept the family out of the exit mouth with horror in the townsfolk eyes. The mother was a strong swimmer and managed to get the rest of the family to the waters edge safely. I can imagine that such an event like this must have terrified the spectators and cheering was most likely not heard until the family was safe.
The last images I wanted to save until last because it is a favourite part of the walk. Not far from Thomson still standing is one of the original bridges. This bridge escaped the fires and it is a marvel to look at as it shows the original design and construction of the bridges built along the line. This bridge looks spectacular close up and considering its age has held up extremely well.
