Like almost any other 19th century mining area, the West Coast saw its 20th
century scrapping era when machinery which had been installed in seemingly
inaccessible places was somehow dragged out again.
Fortunately there were some spots so remote that they defied even the most
zealous of these pioneering recyclers. One of these was Big River, a mining
locality in a rugged landscape straddling the headwaters of the Grey and
Inangahua rivers.
As a result there remains an internationally important collection of mining
equipment including a poppet head, two steam winding engines, a pair of boilers,
part of an aerial cableway with its loading system, and remnants of a stamp
battery along with its associated gold smelter, cyanide tanks and zinc boxes.
There are also assorted building remains associated with 60 years of mining and
settlement.
Since their abandonment in 1942, these relics have all somehow survived a
further half century in a far from favourable climate with two or three metres
of rain a year, frequent snowfalls and hot summer temperatures. The rate of
decay during the past few years has been alarming.