Great pics, Liz
I remember the open pit of the mine there when it wasn't 1/4 as deep as what it appears to be, now. Plus, there was no water in the bottom of the pit. Yes, it's gold, but there's a few other ores there as well...mainly sphalerite (ZnS....zinc sulphate), galena (PbS....lead sulphate) and a few others. There was some rock in the middle of the pit that they had roped off because with water seeping into it, the minerals were forming powerful acids (mostly sulphuric acid) and there was a very strong endothermic reaction occurring within the rocks. Actually, some had exploded because of the heat generated!!!!. You could feel the heat being given off and some of the rocks were too hot to touch.
The old church there is supposed to be haunted. So is the graveyard there. They used to occasionally use the old church as a meeting hall or for different events, but it is largely unused. I think it's heritage listed...like most of the town. I know the Imperial Pub is listed.
I think, from memory, the quartz veins there, like the blow you took the piccie of, are contemporaneous with the mineralisation in the area. I'll have to check that one up, though. Pity all my notes and stuff were stolen years back.
