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Whim Platform, Shaft and Mullock

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Maldon
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Cox Track, Maldon VIC 3463

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Features

  • Whim platform with associated shaft and mullock
A well defined whim platform sits beneath Mount Tarrengower, alongside Cox Track in Maldon. This whim platform still has its centre post hole for the whim drum, and the narrow path worn by the horse walking around the platform. The associated mine shaft and mullock heaps are present. 

This whim platform is located near the intersection of Cox Track and Ridge Track, see map above for exact location. 

A whim is a device used to haul ore up a shaft, similar in concept to the man-powered windlass and the horse-powered whip, but more complex and capable of lifting more efficiently and from deeper shafts. A rope is wound around a vertically mounted wooden drum, with both ends passed over pulleys and then run down the shaft. A horse is harnessed to the device and led around a circular track, winding the drum, which will lower one end of the rope (carrying an empty bucket down the shaft) while raising the other (carrying a full load up). 

Horse-powered whim working at Tribute Duke Mine. Source: State Library Victoria. 

This whim platform is included in the self-guided "Lisle's Reef Walk", which begins at the Mount Tarrengower Poppet Head Lookout and travels down the mountainside, passing an extensive assortment of mining relics. Small workings, a blacksmith shop, multiple whim platforms, mullock heaps, and impressive quartz kilns are just some of the featured points along the walk. Brochures for the Lisle's Reef Walk are available from the Maldon Visitor Information Centre, 93 High Street, Maldon.


DID YOU KNOW...

  • Bushwalking is an excellent way to get outdoors and exploring nature.
  • Evidence of the mid-late 1800's gold rush can be found throughout the Victorian goldfields in the form of abandoned mine shafts and tunnels, mullock heaps, buildings and ruins, circular puddling troughs, remains of cyanide vats, and quartz kilns.
 

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