VPRS 6976 Particulars of Bores

This series comprises registers recording geological details of boring operations of individuals and larger companies or syndicates, using both diamond and hand drills. Each volume records the details of boring activities within a particular mining district. (Castlemaine, Ararat, Maryborough and Beechworth.) The existence of volumes for other mining districts is unknown. When mining for alluvial leads or deep quartz reefs of gold or deposits of coal, boring procedures were used as a means of prospecting undeveloped territory. Through the establishment of Prospecting Boards which administered direct subsidies in aid of mining operations (including hiring out of diamond drills), the government encouraged prospecting for gold and coal within the mining districts. Hand drilling was used by large companies but is also cited in the Mining Department's Annual Report 1905, as economical for the individual miner or co-operative party in search of narrow runs of alluvial gold. The printed header for each pages in these volumes reads 'Particulars of Bores. Drill no - [number added by hand] - Diamond or Hand'. The register entries are arranged within a column format, that record the locality of operations, an individual for contact location of the drill (through the land parish section and allotment number), position of bore, total depth of bore, depth to bedrock; R.L. of surface, datum, sea-level, strata passed through and remarks. The existence of volumes predating or postdating the series date range is unknown. This series was originally identified and documented by a service provider. An evaluation of the supplied documentation in 2025 resulted in a minor amendment to the series title, the identification of the recording agency and changes to this series description.