Vatukoula

Vatukoula is a gold mining settlement in Fiji, 9 kilometers inland from the Town of Tavua on the island of Viti Levu. It was established in 1934.

The Emperor Mines Limited (EML) owned the mine but shut it down in December 2006 due to the high cost of mining and the level of capital required to sustain the mining operation, which made it uneconomical for EML to continue mining.

Both open-cast and underground mining were carried out in Vatukoula, with one tunnel rumoured to extend out under Tavua Bay {This tunnel did not exist as of 2006, and is still very unlikely to exist now. It would be pointless and cost to much to dig a tunnel that would measure about 19 kilometers to reach Tavua Bay}. Emperor Gold Mines (previously a subsidiary of EML) pioneered the gold mining industry in Fiji, but has since been sold with its operations to Westech International a private company based in Australia. Westech International sold the mine to River Diamonds Plc (later renamed Vatukoula Gold Mines Plc) [1] The mine re-opened in April 2008 and is currently producing gold (2010.