Cooinda Reserve Excavator Bucket

The Liebherr 994B Excavator Bucket was donated to Bland Shire Council by Evolution Mining’s Cowal Gold Operation in 2020, as a permanent reminder of the mine’s contribution to the people of the Bland Shire.

The Cowal Gold Operation is located 40 kilometres north-east of West Wyalong and sits within the Bland, Lachlan and Forbes Shires on the traditional lands of the Wiradjuri people.

This bucket was fitted to EXC302—a 294 tonne mining backhoe excavator. Made of bisalloy 80, a high tensile and abrasion resistance steel, the bucket operated at Evolution Mining’s Cowal Gold Operation from 2005 to 2018 and was used for 50 000 hours of digging before coming to rest in Cooinda Reserve.

The Bucket connects their gold history to the present gold mining operations.