Mal’s Miner’s Pick: A Glimpse into 1800s Goldfields

Mal’s Miner’s Pick: A Rare Glimpse into 1800s Goldfields

Mal — one of our guests from the Kalgoorlie All-Inclusive tour — recently shared a unique find that speaks volumes about goldfield history.

While detecting in State Forest near reef diggings, he unearthed a 4” iron relic with a square, hammered head — nestled among leaf litter and old quartz piles. At first, Mal wondered if it might be a chisel, possibly blacksmith-made.

The area shows clear signs of past mining: quartz dumps, frequent shafts along the reef line, and tailings that suggest a significant gold yield. David Bannear’s heritage notes even mention a stamp battery near the end of the reef — further confirming the site’s historic importance.

But here’s where it gets interesting…

After reviewing Mal’s photos, Darren confirmed the object is an original miner’s pick head — dating back to the 1860s onwards. According to Darren, it’s not uncommon for the wooden handle to snap underground or during hard use. When that happened, miners would often repurpose the remaining pick head as a chisel — using it to crack open quartz and dig out gold directly from the rock.