Pindar Cave and the old Mooney Mooney Ochre Mine
Apparently a german family mined for ochre on the ridge south-west of Pindar cave before World War I (1914).
The old Patonga parish map showing the location of the mining lease
Pindar Cave was most likely named after the ancient Greek poet of the same name.
As far as I know, the cave was first labelled on a bushwalking sketch map that Myles Dunphy drew in about 1954, and he used names of similar origins for other features on his map.
The old survey plan for mining lease ML4 shows the earliest applicant as E.Trotman in 1912. On Trove there was also an advertisement from 1913 by E. Trotman for paint pigment, as shown below.
But "E. Trotman, Limited" went into voluntary liquidation in 1914.
Ownership of the mining lease (ML4) was later held by the Mooni Mooni Pigment Company, Limited. But the mine seems to have been uneconomic, since this company too was wound up voluntarily in 1921.
All that remains today are an old mine pit with a few rusty steel rods to the south-west of Pindar Cave, and the overgrown remains of an old road north of Pindar Cave.
There are stone retaining walls where the old road zig-zagged down the steep hill towards Mooney Mooney Creek, and on the edge of the creek is an old stone wharf.
This road was probably once used to bring the pigment down from the mine via bullock cart to then be transported to Sydney by boat.
Not far up the spur from where the road ends are the rusting iron remains of what may have been an old bullock cart.
There is an old map showing the original route of the road on Trove.
The approximate route of the old road is shown in 3D here, along with the location of Pindar Cave:
There is also a deep circular hole near the walking trail behind Woy Woy tip which is thought by some to be an old ochre mine or a test hole. There are also several basalt dykes in this area.
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