REGISTER OF AUSTRALIAN MINING, 1988-89, edited by Ross Louthean. Published by Resource Information Unit, 100 Hay St, Subiaco, Western Australia, 6008. Price $195. Overseas (North and South America), $A225.
Not unexpectedly, gold exploration and development in Australia occupies a large part of this new 552-page book, a heavyweight volume by any standard, and the largest yet published. Put out annually, it lists all major mineral and oil-gas deposits in Australia.
Although it has separate sections on the base metals (nickel, copper, lead/zinc) and other minerals, gold, which is enjoying a spectacular boom Down Under just as it is in Canada and the United States, takes 164 of the 552 pages to tell the story of the yellow metal’s development there.
As an editorial comment states, “the overview on the West Australian gold scene in this edition shows how colossal the growth of gold production has been for Australia, with West Australia at the vanguard and Queensland showing the promise of becoming the dominant second string.”
A 159-page section at the back of the book carries in considerable detail all public listed mining and oil/gas companies, proposed listings, private explorers and the subsidiaries of overseas companies.
The sheer size of the new volume, it’s noted, arose from “the enormous number of new floats and gold discoveries, the change of direction in resources by many companies and the corporate bloodbaths and takeovers that emerged from the fluctuating sharemarket climate.”
For Canadian readers, most of that will have a very familiar ring.
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