He knows the site inside and out, and more technically, above and below ground.

In 1953, Mr Dumbrell turned 18 years old, came of age and took his career underground as an ore train driver for the best part of a decade.

Mr Dumbrell was one of about 550 people who mined for lead, silver, zinc and sulphur as well as copper and gold before the mine shut in 1962.

Not long after mining stopped, the property, 5 Old Mines Road, was put on the market and bought by a private owner and for the first time since then will go to auction. The property was originally to go under the hammer on Sunday, but after increasing interest has been moved to September 1.

Mr Dumbrell, now 83, can remember the mine's operations as if it was only yesterday he was driving the trains.

"We used to do eight-hour shifts if you worked underground, we had two shifts, one from 8am until 4pm and the next was 4pm until midnight," Mr Dumbrell said.

"If you worked underground there was no midnight shift, but the mill where they treated the ore operated 24/7 ... it never stopped.

"There was always someone on site."

Before he turned 18, Mr Dumbrell started out cutting wood for the boilers at the mine.

"We didn't know any different because there was not much else employment here other than working in the mines," Mr Dumbrell said.

"The money was better in the mine than doing anything else around so as soon as I'd come of age I went underground until nearly the end of the mine."

The mine, approximately 50 kilometres south-east of Canberra, operated for about 70 years from 1892.

Operations carried out in two main phases - from 1882 to1889 and 1937 to 1962. The site closed due to the depletion of economic grade ore.

"The general manger called a meeting with the executives of the unions at 10 o'clock one Sunday morning and we thought, 'that's unusual' and when we got in that front room in the office and he said 'Gentlemen, mining operations ceased in Lake George Mines Friday night just gone - the mine's closed.

"That's the words he said and he sacked 360 of us on Monday morning."

Mr Dumbrell, who was then raising two young kids with his wife, was left with little money.

"I worked there for nine years, so I didn't have long service leave, I just got paid what was owed for the fortnight ... That's all I got."

The depleted property offered a different purpose for the Mikula family. Honza Mikula's father "used it as a weekend retreat" after buying it via tender.

"He bought it as a weekender, and coming from the Czech Republic he firmly believed that you should own land," Mr Mikula said.

"My father used to take us as children out to the property for weekends. There was work to be done – planting pine trees in spring, fencing, clearing land, burning off in winter, and so forth."

Mr Mikula's sister and her husband moved into the house in the 1990s and bred and rescued Siberian huskies. Three years ago, Mr Milkula's father passed away and his sister's family moved from the property about a year ago.

Over the years, the property has been remediated several times. From 1999 until 2002 a survey and remediation action plan was made and by 2005 works on erosion control and structure safety checks were completed.

"I really enjoy the peace and quiet that you get up there - just to walk around under the pine trees, and hear the wind, is very refreshing after a week’s work in the office," he said.

"I enjoyed the place as a child, too, even though there was work to do, I found that satisfying.

"There is a time to move on, and we as a family have reached that. There are no regrets about selling."

What was originally just an office building was turned into a four-bedroom property, sitting among 37 hectares of bushland. The price guide for the Sunday auction is between $600,000 and $650,000.

Mr Mikula and his wife spent the last year preparing the house for sale.

Remax Capital director John Buckley said the property was a "once in a lifetime" opportunity.

"The property may suit a homeowner who is looking for something totally different to everybody else, an artist who is looking for a unusual art space," Mr Buckley said.

"An adventure park, subject to council approval or even mountain biking, a massive playground are other ideas."

Mr Dumbrell is now retired and living in Queanbeyan.

"I've lost a lot of mining friends - there's not many of us left," he said.

"The mining bought so much to Captains Flat, now it's hard to even open a shop."

The auction is on August 5. More details can be found here.