Mr Rawlinson, 63, who operates the Gunnadoo mine at Ophir, will outline his proposal at council's Planning, Building and Health Committee next Monday night.

The management and future of Ophir, the site of Australia's first payable gold discovery, has been in limbo for more than 12 months.

Cabonne Shire Council, the reserve's current trustee, voted early last year to relinquish control of the site unless it received guarantees of significant and ongoing funding from State and Federal governments towards the upkeep and development of the site.

Its resolution came out of frustration at a lack of financial support from the higher tiers of government for the management of one of the nation's most significant historic sites.

Council estimates it needs more than $200,000 a year to manage the reserve effectively.

In the past few years it has budgeted to spend $35,000, but all expenditure has been suspended pending a decision about the future of the site.

Mr Rawlinson said yesterday he understood Cabonne's frustration.

"I sympathise with Cabonne to a certain extent because this area is more of a liability to them than an asset," he said.

"There are no towns out here and so no matter how many people come out here it is basically Orange that benefits from any visitors to the reserve.

"I would like to see Orange [City Council] take over control of the reserve.

"I think Cabonne has really finished with this place because they have done nothing here; the place it going to rack and ruin with the weeds.

"The road hasn't been graded in more than a year, there have been no blackberries sprayed in more than a year."

He said he believed Orange City Council was in a better position than Cabonne "to put their case to the governments for funding".

Mr Rawlinson, a one-time guide at Jenolan Caves, said the worst case scenario for Ophir would be for the reserve to end up in the control of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, which is a possibility if Cabonne relinquishes its trusteeship.

June 30 is the deadline Cabonne has set for it to receive government funding commitments.

Orange City Council's acting general manager Mike Ryan said any decision about whether Orange would take on the management of Ophir would have to be made by the full council.