Kanowna Belle Gold Mine


The Kanowna Belle Gold Mine is a gold mine north-east of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, near the ghost town of Kanowna.
It is operated by Northern Star Resources. Kanowna Belle has one viewing platform and an interpretive centre.

History

The gold deposit was discovered in 1989 by Delta Gold NL and Geopeko Gold and construction begun in 1992, with mining in open pit operation starting in 1993. The mine was officially opened by Western Australian Premier Richard Court on 19 November 1993.
The project was solely owned by Delta Gold Ltd from 1999, when it purchased the remaining 50% for A$90 million. Delta later merged with fellow Australian company Goldfields Ltd to form Auriongold Ltd in February 2002. Aurion was taken over by Placer Dome Inc in 2003, who already, at this stage, held a 60% interest in the mine, and Placer Dome in turn by Barrick Gold in March 2006 for US$10.4 billion.
The Kanowna Belle processing plant, as of 2008, treated ore from three underground operations, Kanowna Belle, Raleigh and Bullant. In 2016 ore was sourced from Raleigh-Rubicon at Kundana, and from Kanowna Belle.
In August 2009, Daniel Williams, a truck driver working 900 metres underground, fell to death at the mine. It was the fourth fatal accident in Australian mining in 2009 and the eighth in 14 months.

Technology

The Kanowna site is underground a trial of Caterpillar's Minegem autonomous loader technology.

Production

Production figures for the mine:
YearGold
production		GradeCost per ounce
2000314,363 ounces5.68 g/tA$245
2001270,552 ounces4.87 g/tA$306
2002 1178,582 ounces4.63 g/tA$320
2003
2004237,291 ouncesUS$ 316
2005490,000 ounces
2006506,000 ounces0.102 oz/tUS$477
2007362,000 ounces0.102 oz/tUS$659
2008267,000 ounces0.160 oz/tUS$734
2009284,000 ouncesUS$532