Dinkum Mining Guide

While building up your new town in Dinkum, you’ll often be required to obtain lots of metal ingots. This is where mining will come in, allowing you to extract shiny goodies from both above and below ground. In this Dinkum Mining Guide, we’ll go over everything you can currently obtain by mining, along with how to make use of your spoils.

How to Mine in Dinkum

Being able to mine in Dinkum is tied to the permit system, which is unlocked shortly after you arrive on the island. You can pick up Mining License Level 1 for 250 Permit Points, obtained at the start by completing milestones. With this license, it becomes possible to buy Basic Pickaxes for 1200 Dinks from John’s store.

The Basic Pickaxe can break open rocks and tin ore deposits, albeit at a slow rate. To obtain better tools that can break them faster, you’ll need the Level 2 license (costing 1000 points) for Copper Pickaxes, and the Level 3 license (costing 3000 points) for Iron Pickaxes. While the Basic Pickaxe can be bought from John’s store, the other two must be crafted at a Crafting Table. Copper Pickaxes require a Basic Pickaxe and 2 Copper Bars, with Iron Pickaxes requiring a Copper Pickaxe and 2 Iron bars.

Another tool in the form of the Jackhammer will also become available after selling Data Disks to Franklyn, an inventor that will start visiting your town after John’s permanent store is built. The Jackhammer costs 100,000 Dinks, while also requiring a number of materials:

• 5 Old Springs
• 2 Hot Cylinders
• 1 Green Board
• 8 Iron Bars
• 1 Stone Grinder

It’s certainly not cheap (and must be recharged every so often at the Charging Station, another item created by Franklyn), but it can speed up late-game mining.

Dinkum Mining Guide - Ore Types

There are 3 types of Ore in Dinkum:

Tin Ore

Tin Ore is the most abundant, and can be found somewhat frequently in all biomes. Represented by black chunks of ore, it doesn’t take long to mine, even with a Basic Pickaxe. You’ll need a lot of this, as Tin Bars are used for many items.

Copper Ore

Copper Ore is relatively rare, though still possible to find in all biomes. You’ll have the most luck searching in desert areas, with Copper Ore deposits usually being found alongside tin.

Iron Ore

The rarest of the 3 ores, mainly being found in the Mines. After your first mining expedition, Iron Ore deposits will very rarely appear in the overworld. It can sometimes be hard to differentiate Iron Ore from Quartz visually, though the latter glows when viewed from a distance.

Dinkum Mining Guide - Smelting Ore

Unsmelted ore doesn’t have many uses, and must be turned into bars before they can be used in most crafting recipes. There are 2 ways to smelt ore, with the most basic being the Crude Furnace. Unlocking after purchasing the Mining License Level 1, Crude Furnaces can be crafted with 3 Stone, 1 Camp Fire (2 Gum Logs, 3 Stone), and 5 Tin Ore. Placing 5 Tin or Copper Ore into the Crude Furnace will slowly smelt it into a single bar.

However, if you want to smelt Iron Ore, you need a regular Furnace. Bought from John’s Store for 30,8000 Dinks, this can turn 5 Iron Ore into 1 Iron Bar, while also doubling the smelting speed for lower tier bars.

Tin Bars are unique compared to the higher tier bars, in that they’re used on their own for certain items. They can be turned into Nails via a Crafting Table, or into Tin Sheets via Grinders. This is why you should always make sure to stock up on Tin Ore whenever possible.

Dinkum Mining Guide - Deep Mining

After buying the first mining license, the Deep Mining License will become available for 3500 Permit Points. This adds the Mine Deed, allowing you to create a mine for your town. To build this, it’ll require:

• 250,000 Dinks
• 10 Bags of Cement
• 10 Old Gear
• 1 Old Contraption
• 2 Old Keys
• 5 Tin Bars
• 5 Copper Bars

Once built, you’ll also need a Mine Pass, bought from John’s Store for 25,000 Dinks. This allows you to delve into the mines a single time, a randomly generated cave system that changes each day. The mines are home to a number of deadly creatures, including Bush Devils and Glowing Crocos (the latter being unique to the mines).

Deep Mining will be your most consistent source of Iron Ore, so go prepared for each trip. Food to replenish stamina, multiple weapons, and multiple pickaxes should be taken with you. A light source such as a Torch is also recommended, as the mines are incredibly dark.

Alongside ore, it’s also possible to find fossils and gems. These must be carried manually, but can be sold for a hefty profit at John’s store. While you can’t put them in your inventory, it’s possible to leave multiple in the elevator before going back to the surface. This way you don’t have to leave anything behind — though it requires some backtracking if you find a lot of these large items.

Dinkum Mining Guide - Quarry

Selling Data Disks to Franklyn will unlock a unique placeable structure called a Quarry. As with his other inventions it’s not cheap, requiring:

• 70,000 Dinks
• 5 Old Gears
• 1 Old Contraption
• 3 Old Springs
• 1 Button Board
• 1 Old Toy

However, once built and placed, Quarries will create barrels (containing Old items) and ore deposits daily. A few of these can be left in your town to create an easy source of ore, though it will still be slower than exploring the mines manually.

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