Shedding light on Victoria’s mining history

Resources Victoria is leading efforts to better understand the historic mining regions of the state and uncover hidden mining relics from the past.

Resources Victoria is leading efforts to better understand the historic mining regions of the state and uncover hidden mining relics from the past.

A new airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) survey is currently flying over the Cobungra-Dargo region in the Victorian Alps, where remnants of past mining activities are scattered.

Being delivered in partnership with other areas of the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and Parks Victoria, the survey could help find old mine shafts, sluicing and panning sites, old camp buildings, tailing piles and historic machinery.

Gold miners were attracted to the region from the 1850s, leading to a surge in population and the creation of mining camps.

The Cobungra-Dargo survey covers an area of about 7,400 square kilometres of rugged mountain ranges, rolling hills and deep valleys; areas difficult to access by traditional survey vehicles. By using airborne LiDAR, we can remotely identify historic sites that would otherwise remain hidden beneath dense vegetation.

LiDAR is a remote sensing technology that measures distance by emitting laser pulses toward a target and recording the time it takes for the light to bounce back. The technology can peer through dense vegetation to accurately model land surfaces, making it an essential tool for locating old mining relics.

The information gathered by the LiDAR survey will be used to create a 3D image of the Earth’s surface, which will play a crucial role in helping to identify mining remnants, including the location of legacy mine shafts.

The data collected during the two-month survey will also be invaluable for a range of other applications, including mapping, forestry and environmental monitoring.

Information about accessing the data, which is expected to be available during the second half of 2025, is available from the Coordinated Imagery Program by contacting vicmap@transport.vic.gov.au.