The Great Cobar Open Cut

The Great Cobar Open Cut was created by men who were employed over 100 years ago to undertake the back breaking job of digging the huge hole. Using picks and shovels and horse and cart, the men removed rock from this quarry to be used as backfill for the underground mine stopes in the "cut and fill" method. Gravel was used to build up the floor level after mining to gain access to higher ore bodies. The depth of the main hole is 150 metres, but at its deepest the open cut extends down to a depth similar to that of the Great Cobar Mine. The Great Cobar Open Cut can be viewed safely from behind a fence. It is not accessible to the public.