Joker's Tunnel, Yalgoo

Values

The place demonstrates early mining practices used in the region during the late nineteenth century.
The place has a close association with the expansion of the Mid West region due to the success of the Murchison and Yalgoo goldfields at the end of the nineteenth century.
The place is highly valued by the community of Yalgoo and surrounding districts, and visitors to the region as a relic of its mining past and for its landmark value and historical associations.
The place is located within the first pastoral stations established in the region by the Morrissey family.

Physical Description

Joker’s Tunnel, Yalgoo is located 10km southeast of the town of Yalgoo in the Mid West region of Western Australia. It is located within the Bunnawarra Station Pastoral lease. A mining tenement is also held over the land. Tourism signage directs visitors to the regional tourist attraction off the main Yalgoo-Ninghan Road. The surrounding area includes a small car park. Interpretation signage is located near the main entry to the tunnel, which is just over one metre in width and under two metres in height. The hand cut tunnel extends approximately 100-200m through a small hill, located southeast of the larger Bilberatha peak on the Gnows Nest Range.

History

Yalgoo is located within Yamaji Country. Although early explorers had surveyed the area surrounding Yalgoo in the mid-nineteenth century, it was not until the 1880s that pastoralists established settlements, with a focus on sheep. The now Yalgoo townsite was granted as a pastoral lease in 1883. To the south, Bilberatha Hill and a portion of the Gnows Nest Range was taken up by Michael Morissey in 1879. Joker’s Tunnel is located within this area, which passed into the ownership of merchants CJ Wainwright and Co., in 1888. In 1894 gold finds in the surrounding areas of Yalgoo were so high that the boundaries of the Murchison Goldfield were altered in February 1895, with the newly created Yalgoo Goldfield incorporating the western portion, northeast of Mullewa. The small township of Yalgoo was in the centre. Yalgoo rapidly developed in 1896, with town lots taken up, the establishment of stores, hotels, post office, and cemetery, and the Mullewa to Yalgoo railway line opened in July (later reaching Cue and Meekatharra). In addition to the profitable Emerald mine which changed hands several times, other successful ventures included the Carlyle Cumberland Victorian United group, and the Joker Propriety Venture Syndicate, which established the Joker Mine to the south of Yalgoo. These operations reflected the shift in the late 1890s from predominately individual prospector operations on leases to foreign syndicate-led ventures. The Joker Field had undergone several name changes as prospectors took up leases within the area, but maintained the Joker moniker amongst locals. On the establishment of the Yalgoo Field circa 1895, the place became known as the Yalgoo Joker, with surrounding and ultimately unsuccessful leases with similarly card-themed names, including King of Clubs, Ace, and Full Hand. The Joker Mine was successful for some time, and a small settlement sprung up in the area, including a pub (named The Joker) and other buildings, and a 20 head battery. However, by April 1898, the battery was dismantled and re-erected at the nearby Fields Find, 100km to the south. Despite its name, Joker’s Tunnel is not located on the Joker Field lease. Taken out in 1896 by W Porritt as GML 188, the Star of Bilberatha lease is located to the west of the Joker Field. The tunnel is one of many shafts sunk across the area by the Western Australian Venture Syndicate who took over several leases in 1896, including Joker and Bilberatha. Joker’s Tunnel did not prove to be a success, with the Western Australian Venture Syndicate achieving only three kilograms of gold from 550 tonnes of ore from the lease. By 1903, the syndicate had sold off nearly all its companies and ceased operating in Western Australia. The Joker name may reference the nearby Joker’s lease, which was for a time under the same ownership, or demonstrate a wider use of the name to indicate the wider area and the defunct settlement. Other theories relating to the name suggest that the tunnel was a joke as a financial loss for the English syndicate owners, or even it was a deliberate scam perpetrated by local miners on the foreign investors. Joker’s Tunnel has also become a local tourist attraction. Along with several mining sites and locations identified on the Shire of Yalgoo’s Heritage Trail, the place is signposted as a heritage tourist attraction off the main highway.

Uses

Historic Themes

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