Mining of antimony commenced in Ringwood shortly after its discovery in 1869.
Antimony was a sought after mineral in its time. It was used for making pewter, in the manufacture of vulcanised rubber, as pigment in paint, for the manufacture of medicines and in the printing industry. Today it is little used and little known.
Various mines operated generally south of Whitehouse Road and north of Mt Dandenong Road Ringwood East, most notably Boardman’s Mine in Mines Road, now the site of Maroondah City Council offices.
Mining took place during the 1870s and into the 1880s although was generally discontinued after 1892. Elsewhere in the locality, brick works and tile works operated in the 1880s, producing bricks and terracotta roof tiles for an expanding Melbourne. That enterprise was brought to an abrupt end by the recession of the 1890s.
