No. 1 Scottish Gympie Mine and Battery

On Tin Can Bay Road, opposite Lake Alford recreation area, lie the remnants of the richest Gympie gold mine. The No. 1 Scottish Gympie Mine had the deepest shaft on the Gympie goldfields and reputedly produced 17,245 kg of gold between 1896 and 1923. The mine had originally operated as the Gympie Goldmines East Monkland Mine. Scotsman Matthew Laird scoped the potential of this mine before returning home to establish a company and subsequently purchase the mine. Share purchases were locally managed by Hugh Willett of the Brisbane Stock Exchange. The No. 1 Scottish Gympie Mine commenced operations in 1896, with Laird returning as general manager in 1898. By 1904, the battery had 125 head of stamps, employed 394 men, and produced 7,112.3 tonnes of ore annually. The mine closed in 1923, leaving about 150 men unemployed. A local syndicate of 19 men purchased the lease over the shaft and equipment in 1924, and briefly recommenced mining. That lease was relinquished in 1924 and the machinery auctioned. In 1927, W. Runge and O. Alexander took over the mine site and established a cyanide plant. The Runge family held the lease until it was taken over by the Gympie Shire Council.