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    Stoping, by Robert Kaufman
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    Blacksmith's forge, Herons Reef, Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park
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    Old Quartz Mill, Yapeen near Castlemaine, c. 1875 - c. 1930, courtesy of State Library of Victoria.
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    Calcining Quartz at the North Cross Reef, Stawell, 3 November 1875, courtesy of State Library of Victoria.
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Quartz Mining

Quartz reefs were the primary sources of gold in most goldfields. Generally steeply-dipping, they were mined in sections, leaving large slots (called stopes) in the ground where the reef had been. The quartz had to crushed to a fine sand to extract the gold.

Parks Victoria

References
Mount Alexander Mail, 21 March 1856. [ Details... ]
Mount Alexander Mail, 28 March 1856. [ Details... ]