Australian Mining is the backbone of Australian industry and the gold rush that founded its economic success. The Royal
Australian mint has recognised this and issued the commemorativeuncirculated twenty cent available only as part of a two-coin set named Australian
Mining. The reverse was designed by Aleksandra Stokic and shows a bucket wheel excavator,
which is one of the largest land vehicles in existence and is used in open-cut mines. The obverse
features the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of HM Queen Elizabeth II along with the legend ELIZABETH
II AUSTRALIA 2013. The other coin in the Australian Mining set was the Discovery of Gold one dollar.Shortly after the British
Colony was formed, the search for natural resources began. Initially they found coal followed by copper and lead. The mining
industry had started though only on a small scale. The real boost to the economy was the discovery of gold in the Bathurst
area around 1851. Edward Hargraves was the man to start the gold fever which attracted prospectors from far and wide. This
was the start of the gold rush era which led to colossal economic growth. Gold was also found in Victoria, Western Australia
and Queensland and whole communities have been built to house the 'diggers'. Mining is now the prime industry of Australia
and supports a vast network of other industries.Surface mining has been, for some time, the most economical form of mining
in Australia. This is set to change in the future as underground mining is on the increase and will soon count for a much
larger percentage of Australian Mining. As deposits and open mines search for reserves, modern technology has allowed the
search for deeper mining in existing underground mines. This has led to the discovery of far more reserves than was originally
thought. In the Ernest Henry Mining operation close to Cloncurry, they have extended the life of the mine by transforming
the open cut mine into an underground mine by another 12 years.
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