Copper mining in the United States the northwest part of the state in the early 1850s, and mining began in 1855. The ore is massive sulfide and disseminated ore in mica schist and gneiss, and amphibole schist and gneiss. The principal ore mineral is chalcopyrite, which occurs with pyrrhotite and pyrite, The mine operated until 1883, then worked sporadically until large-scale mining began in 1957. The mine closed for good in 1962. Total production was 31,000 tonnes of copper, 9,400 ounces of gold, and 145,000 ounces of silver. Copper was mined at Creta from 1965 to about 1975. The ore 2% to 4.5% copper as chalcocite
Ore railway station station has been unstaffed since a booking office fire in the late 1980s, and it has no other facilities. There is limited road access via Ore Valley Road (off Hughenden Road), but this station is not recommended for people with physical disabilities. The area has in the past been a hotspot for vandalism but is now covered comprehensively by CCTV. It is scheduled for a major re-development. There has been some debate as to whether the station should be renamed Hastings East or Ore Valley. Trains terminating and restarting at this station run forward into a turnaround siding which runs