The owner-operator of the Union Hill Gold Mine and nearby gold processing plant, Kaiser Reef Ltd, held an information session for Maldon residents at the Baptist Hall on Thursday 27 November to advise of current and future works planned for its Maldon sites.
Around 60 community members attended the presentation led by General Manager of the Maldon Gold Mining Project Dylan Morgan, alongside General Manager Growth Team Shawn Panton, Maintenance Manager Chris Sucick and Administrator Kerri Mason.
Background
Kaiser Reef Ltd, which is listed on the Australian stock exchange, has operated in Maldon since 2021 after an acquisition agreement with Golden River Resources Pty Ltd. In that time, it has mainly processed ore from other sites across Victoria; in particular, the A1 Mine near Jamieson, which has recently been placed into ‘care and maintenance’ mode. The company’s website states that the processing plant is under-utilised, but has “…ample capacity to process ore from Maldon and other future projects, making it a pivotal asset in maximising growth opportunities.”
With the price of gold currently peaking (at over $200 per gram), and with Maldon’s gold of particularly high quality, the company now seeks to restart mining and processing of materials from the Union Hill Mine. Mr Morgan explained that the Union Hill Mine has been in ‘care and maintenance’ since 2019, but the company must undertake mining in order to maintain its licence. However, he said: “Open-cut mining for Maldon is largely finished.”
A staged plan for mullock heap?
Mr Morgan explained that the company is legally obliged to have a closure plan, explaining: “It’s not a date, it’s a set of plans that we have to go through.” He said that the government holds money in a closure bond to ensure this takes place.
Kaiser Reef will commence by processing the 25 metre high mullock heap beside the Union Hill Mine, which was placed there in the 1980s when the open cut mine was active. Mr Morgan told attendees that the price of gold makes it worthwhile to process the material before returning it to the pit, but that the company was legally obliged to remove the mullock heap.
He said there will be some drilling for two to three weeks, “to understand the Eaglehawk Reef that was mined from the pit,” indicating it had started on Monday 24 November. Mr Morgan said the reef is very long and very deep, extending to the South German Mine and beyond. He said future mining of the site would be underground.
Mr Morgan confirmed there are no plans to use explosives during the process of reclaiming the mullock heap, which will involve the material being trucked around Lowther St to the processing plant on Bendigo-Maldon Rd.
Next steps?
The long-term plan is for the entire mullock heap to be removed before the land is rehabilitated. The company will then bring in topsoil and chip bark, working with the Maldon Urban Landcare Group (MULGA) to ensure they plant the right trees. Mr Morgan said Kaiser Reef is: “…very committed to getting the rehabilitation right.”
Once the mullock heap has been removed, the company plans to refurbish the Union Hill decline (the sloping underground tunnel) and then commence underground drilling. Mr Morgan said explosives will then be used, with no expectation of surface disturbance, but that there are no current plans for this as the company is in “exploration mode”.
Exploration program
In addition to plans for Maldon’s Union Hill Mine, Mr Morgan spoke about the nearby Nuggetty Mine, which he said has the highest quality of gold that the company intends to process. “Back in the day they didn’t have very stringent mining regulations,” he explained. “They dug it out and made piles of mullock and made a big mess.” He said the company plans to reclaim those piles and rehabilitate the area, but a start date has not been set. “Our intention is to clean it up and make it a nice place for the community.”
Future exploration plans will involve applying for permits to do “flyovers” and measure electrical conductivity in the ground before seeking approvals to mine. “It doesn’t mean that we’re going to mine,” Mr Morgan said. “It does mean we are obliged to spend a certain amount of money on exploration.” While nothing is currently planned, he said, future activities will be communicated on Facebook and in the newspaper.
Questions from residents
In response to a question about the quality of the gold that might be processed from the mullock heap, Mr Morgan clarified that the material will be moved regardless. An attendee asked:
“The mullock hill works quite well as a sound barrier – will there be more noise?” To which Mr Morgan replied: “Not necessarily. Once this is done, the drilling will all be underground.” However, he said there was the potential to place a “noise panel fence” in place and that truck traffic will continue. An attendee responded: “We’re going to hear so much more sound, that’s very unsettling.”
A resident asked: “What am I going to see when it is finished, on Reef Street?” Mr Morgan said: “The view won’t change.”
Environment
Regarding environmental monitoring, Mr Morgan said that the company willingly meets very stringent guidelines, legislations and permit conditions around dust, noise and water contamination. He said the company monitors water for heavy metals, including copper, iron, cyanide, as well as E. coli. It monitors for the presence of dust (the company must adhere to limits) and attempts to minimise dust by using water trucks and by not moving materials on days when the wind blows towards nearby homes.
The collected data is included in quarterly reports to an Environmental Review Committee, he explained, but these contained sensitive information and were unlikely to be published. He said a public version could be considered.
Noise
Mr Morgan also explained he has a noise monitor that delivers continuous data to the computer at his desk. “I expect people to hear what’s going on,” he said. “We do everything we can to not make that invasive for people… we’ve been working on the stockpiles for three months, it won’t go any louder than that.”
The next two weekends there will be work on weekends, Mr Morgan said. Trucks would only operate on weekdays, and while the volume has recently been 15 loads a day, that could double or triple. The company’s licence allows for surface activities between 7.30am and 6.30pm, but it was acknowledged that recently some activity had been outside of these times.
“There was a miscommunication with contractors and some noise before 7am in the past few weeks,” Mr Morgan said. “That won’t happen again.”
Communicating with the community
To queries about how the company communicates with the community, Mr Morgan explained that its Environmental Review Committee holds quarterly meetings and includes members of various stakeholder groups (such as MULGA) and community representatives.
An attendee said: “I think one of the key things is that a lot of people were not aware that this was happening.” Others pointed out that an afternoon meeting did not suit many people, particularly those who worked full-time. Mr Morgan said: “We have a commitment to have ongoing community meetings like this.”
There remained lingering questions about how long the works will affect nearby residents, how much they would be affected by noise and whether vistas and home values would be impacted by changes to the landscape around the mine. Kaiser Reef provided contact details for comments and feedback and said it would maintain a complaints register.
Mr Morgan detailed some of the ways that the company had contributed to the community, including fundraisers and providing water for farmer and CFA use, and stated: “We want to partner with you guys. We’re here, we’re licensed. We’re always available to address any concerns.”
The Tarrangower Times will ask further questions of Kaiser Reef and report further, stay tuned and also contact us with your point of view.
Visit the Kaiser Reef Ltd web page about its Maldon Operations here: https://kaiserreef.com.au/projects/maldon-gold-mine.
This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 5 December 2025.
