The out-buildings at the Big Nugget Mine are all ready to be used. From left to right you will find the door into the dirty change room. After a shift underground the miners will go here and strip off their dirty clothes and hand them over to the caretaker, who resides behind the second door from the left. The caretakers job is to examine the miners’ clothes for any hidden gold nugget in the pockets or seams. Hence the nickname ‘nit-picker’. After a shower the miners will step over a foot high doorstep into the clean change room behind the third door. Here the miners will put on their clean clothes and get ready to board the train back home.
The building in the middle houses the first aid room and the carbide light room. In the light room the miners’ headlamps are refuelled and maintained.
The blacksmith’s shop is situated in the building to the right. The blacksmith plays a crucial role by repairing drill steel tips, picks and shovels. The interior of the blacksmith’s shop hasn’t been done yet, but will consist of a forge, an anvil, trough, tools and of course the blacksmith himself.
How did I come up with this ‘story’ about the buildings? Well, it is not pure fantasy. The photo below shows similar buildings at the Central Deborah Gold Mine in Bendigo.
