Absolutly Fantastic

Submitted: Saturday, Feb 05, 2005 at 20:53
ThreadID: 20152 Views:1786 Replies:3 FollowUps:4
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Went for an interview today which included a site visit to an undergound mine. The mine has just started re production and dewatering has exposed old drives underwater for 5 years. We went for a walk down one of these drives and the crystal formations had to be seen to be believed. The whole drive is coated in orange and yellow crystals which light up the drive under cap lamp into the distance with the sparkling of a thousand skies full of stars. Delicate formations grew from the walls looking like frayed string starting from one point and fraying steadily out. Where services hung down from the backs orange bells had grown around them like lampshades which illuminated when a torch was put in them. Large gypsum crystals grew off the meshing and ground support. pale mushroom shaped formations grew up from the floor some with delicate fingers coming from underneath giving them jelly fish like appearence. The whole appearence was like a fairyland. I have been to cutta cutta caves near Katherine but this was something else again.
Hope I get the job coz the 2/1 roster will give me plenty of 4wd time and is 1 and a half hours closer to the beach
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Reply By: Member - Crazie (VIC) - Saturday, Feb 05, 2005 at 20:57

Saturday, Feb 05, 2005 at 20:57
Davoe

How far underground do you go??

Good luck with the job. Crazie
AnswerID: 96860

Follow Up By: Member - Davoe (WA) - Saturday, Feb 05, 2005 at 21:00

Saturday, Feb 05, 2005 at 21:00
not far only about 400m When I worked at Leinster our office was 400m underground with working levels 6-700m and the decline was 11k long about 1.2k deep and growing
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FollowupID: 355495

Follow Up By: Member - bushfix - Saturday, Feb 05, 2005 at 22:17

Saturday, Feb 05, 2005 at 22:17
better you than me,

I miss my old job with Telecom, 200m above ground clambering on steel broadcast towers and masts. Loo with a view or what?!!!!

Never did like leaving the sky behind, going underground.

good luck Davoe.
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FollowupID: 355501

Follow Up By: Muddy 'doe (SA) - Sunday, Feb 06, 2005 at 19:13

Sunday, Feb 06, 2005 at 19:13
Talk about one extreme to the other!

One guy working in holes in the ground measured in km in depth and another working on towers hundreds of metres up!

Think I will stick with my 4th floor air-con office. Call me a softie.

Love getting out in the 4by on the weekends though. One can only take being in the office for so long!

Hope the job works out Davoe.

Muddy
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Reply By: Ray Bates - Sunday, Feb 06, 2005 at 01:20

Sunday, Feb 06, 2005 at 01:20
I remember one of the last mines that I worked in before I retired. A raize bore pilot went through a aquafer and into the main drive and in came the water flooding the lower workings. 4,000 tonnes of water per shift (12hrs). All works stopped in the lower levels and the lower pumps were being serviced fro a smal dingy. Plenty of belt non-slip was used as at some times the only thing above the water were the motors. We were also bailing out with the skips after sealing up the bottoms with conveyor rubber. What a site that was to see eight tonnes of water being dumped out at the sky shaft leval into the ore and mullock bins every 30 secs.
Do not kid yourself too much about 2on 1off roster. After doing 14 12hr shifts all you will want to do when you get home is relax. Continuous rosters of this type will slowly sapp your strength that cannot be recovered after five days at home. I say five days because that is all you will get as you cannot realy count travelling time
AnswerID: 96891

Follow Up By: Member - Davoe (WA) - Sunday, Feb 06, 2005 at 15:26

Sunday, Feb 06, 2005 at 15:26
Its ok I have done it before except now this mine is only 1 1/2 hours max from kal and I dont work at the pool anymore. when i was at leinster it was 5 hours travelling and I had to get up there the night before then have a sleep (nightshift) before going back. The 5 days I spent at home I would work at the swimming pool - that was tough. I did however take the opertunity one break to whip accross to gerlton and Kalbarri
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Reply By: Member - Michael- Sunday, Feb 06, 2005 at 09:53

Sunday, Feb 06, 2005 at 09:53
Davoe
Where was the mine?
May the fleas of a thousand afghan camels infect the crutch of your enemy and may their arms be too short to scratch.

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AnswerID: 96910

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