PNG Mining Industry

This movement led to the discovery of large quantities of gold in the History of Mining in PNG (extracted from “Not a Poor Man’s Field”, by Michael Waterhouse, 2007)

PNG has a long and strong relationship with gold mining since the 19th century, in 1852 when naturalist John Macgillivray found gold flakes on pottery in Redscar Bay, now Central Province. The first extensive search for gold occurred in 1888 in the Louisiade group of islands, Milne Bay Province. That led to discoveries in much publicized areas such as the Woodlark, Misima and the Sudest islands. The thought that there is gold on the islands and much more could be found on the mainland pushed prospectors/miners onto the mainland.

From the islands to the mainland. The earlier searches for gold was in Buna and along the Gira & Yodda rivers, Northern Province, and as miners move further inland in search for more prospective sites, ended up in the Waria river, in the Morobe Province. Movement inland was in the areas between the East Cape of Milne Bay and the Huon Gulf of Morobe Province. Other miners were making their way up the Lakekamu area streams in the Gulf Province, towards the Kukukuku land, (Menyamya area, Morobe Province). They were following the trails of gold along rivers and streams/creeks, wanting to find the sources of the gold in the head-waters. 

Eddie and Koranga Creeks. The start of a gold rush into the Wau-Bulolo regions, eventually led to a large-scale dredging mining operation. Miners were given prospective & mining ordinances (equivalent to current exploration & mining licenses), all supported by Australian Government. The Bulolo Gold Field, as it was called, was one of the world’s largest gold mining operations in the early 1900s.

Modern and current mining operations in PNG commenced with the Panguna mine on Bougainville Island in 1972. This was followed by Ok Tedi in Western Province, Misima, Porgera, Lihir and the other smaller to medium scale mines such as Tolukuma, Sinivit, Simberi, Hidden Valley Eddie Creek, Crater mountain and Kainantu (old Kainantu and the new one referred to as K92).