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Radium Hill Mine - 1906 to 1961

A.J. Smith's initial shaft at Radium Hill
A.J. Smith's initial shaft at Radium Hill.
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Radium Hill mine and treatment plant (circa 1926)
Radium Hill mine and treatment plant (circa 1926).
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Tipping ore truck underground at the Radium Hill mine (circa 1955)
Tipping ore truck underground at the Radium Hill mine. (circa 1955)
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Heavy media separator, Radium Hill mine (circa 1954)
Heavy media separator, Radium Hill mine. (circa 1954)
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An electric locomotive hauling ore truck, Radium Hill mine (circa 1955)
An electric locomotive hauling ore truck, Radium Hill mine. (circa 1955)
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In 1906, A.J. Smith, who mistook a dark coloured ore for tin, inadvertently made the first discovery of a radioactive material at Radium Hill. Sir Douglas Mawson identified uranium within the sample and named it davidite after the late Sir Edgeworth David.

Following this initial discovery, the area was worked intermittently for the recovery of radium (mainly for medical purposes), although all operations were considered unsuccessful.

A few hundred kilograms of uranium were also produced largely as a by-product, and it is believed that this was used as a bright yellow pigment in glass and ceramics. However it was not until the 1940’s that the potential for uranium was fully realised and, as a result, requests were made by the British and American governments to set up a mining and processing operation to produce yellowcake.

This full-scale operation was commissioned and operated by the South Australian Government to satisfy a contract signed by the Commonwealth and State Government with the UK-USA Combined Development Agency for delivery of uranium over a seven-year period.

Substantial development work was undertaken prior to full-scale operations using conventional mining methods commencing in November 1954. The lodes were initially opened up by sinking of the main shaft, then development of a system of levels.

The extraction of uranium from the Radium Hill ore was undertaken in two distinct operations — the concentration on site at Radium Hill, then chemical extraction after shipping to Port Pirie some 280 km away. Approximately 854 000 t of ore grading approximately 1100 ppm U were extracted and milled to produce 120 000 t of concentrate for treatment at Port Pirie to produce approximately 850 t of U3O8.

A township to support 1100 people was built, with water being piped from NSW, a railway spur constructed to connect Radium Hill with the Broken Hill – Port Pirie line, and a power transmission line constructed from Morgan. Between 1949 and 1952, the Housing Trust built 145 houses, many prefabricated. A population of 867 was recorded at the township in 1961. The residential area comprised houses, a hospital, school, government retail store, canteens, swimming pool, and other support, recreational and commercial facilities.