Renison Bell is an underground tin mine and locality on the West Coast of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Australia.

History

In 1890, tin-bearing

gossan Gossan (eiserner hut or eisenhut) is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein. In the ''classic'' gossan or iron cap all that remains is iron oxides and quartz, often ...

was found near Argent River by George Renison Bell. He claimed land and formed the Renison Bell Prospecting Association. Renison Bell Post Office opened on 1 July 1908 and closed in 1976. In 1934, "Paddy" O'Dea amalgamated adjoining leases and mines into the Renison Associated Tin Mines NL. In the 1970s, Renison Bell gave its name to the historical conglomerate RGC (Renison Goldfields Consolidated) which once owned and operated mines in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

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, and

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. RGC sold the Renison Bell Mine to Murchison United NL a Brisbane-based Australian company, in August 1998. Murchison United operated the Rension Bell Mine during the period of lowest tin prices in history. In July 2003, Murchison United went into administration and the mine production ceased. April 2004 saw the purchase of Renison Bell by Bluestone Tin Limited. Bluestone Tin Limited operated the mine and mill at Rension Bell, under continuing low tin prices, until placing the operation into 'care and maintenance' in September 2005. Bluestone Tin Limited, now part-owned by Metals X Limited as part of a joint venture with Yunnan Tin Co., recommissioned the mill and mine in 2008. The first tin produced in August 2008. It is located on the former

Emu Bay Railway The Emu Bay Railway was a Tasmania, Australian railway company. The railway was significant during full operation, in that it linked the Tasmanian Government Railways system at Burnie with that at Zeehan that further linked to the Mount L ...

line, now called the Melba line, which is owned and operated by TasRail east of

Zeehan Zeehan is a town on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia south-west of Burnie. It is part of the West Coast Council, along with the seaport Strahan, and neighbouring mining towns of Dundas, Rosebery and Queenstown. History The greate ...

- not far from Melba Flats, which is the current terminus of that railway line.

References

* * * Tuma, Andrew and Bottrill, R.S. (2006) ''The minerals of Western Tasmania: Introduction, history and geological setting''. in Australian Journal of Mineralogy, volume 12, No. 2, December 2006 *

History

See also

References

Further reading