Two freshwater storage dams occur to the northeast and southwest of the mine workings. Two large waste dumps block the drainage line below the arsenic chambers. A five-head stamper and engine stands nearby. Much of the area is covered with scrubby regrowth. The gradient of the site falls steeply from south to north. Most of the structures on the site are in ruins although stabilisation works have recently been undertaken. The archaeological potential of the site has been assessed as high. The Ottery Mine is the only arsenic refinery plant remaining in any condition in New South Wales. It is the oldest principal ore refinery in Australia. It was one of the first underground mines in the Emmaville area and largely responsible for the economic and social development of the town. The design of the Ottery arsenic plant is unique in Australia. It is the most complete and complex of the arsenic refinery sites. It is an excellent example of a traditional method of industrial processing. The site has a unique potential to provide information about the mining and extraction of arsenic, for students of geology, archaeology and industrial process. No detailed plans of the site or individual structures are known to exist. The site can therefore provide information not available from any other source. Ottery Mine was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. The Ottery Mine is the only arsenic refinery plant remaining in any condition in New South Wales. It is the oldest principal ore refinery in Australia. Ore from the site was smelted at Australia's first tin smelter. It was one of the first underground mines in the Emmaville area and largely responsible for the economic and social development of the town. The tin dressing plant represents the fluctuating fortunes of the tin mining industry. The Ottery also has historical links to the wool industry, as arsenic was the principal ingredient in sheep dip. With production commencing in 1882, the Ottery Mine is one of the oldest underground mines in the Emmaville District. Emmaville, Torrington and neighbouring towns developed from the mining industry. As such, the Ottery mine is an integral part of the history of the area. It represents the fluctuating fortunes of those who mined the Ottery tin lodes in the late nineteenth century and those who produced arsenic in the early twentieth century. Both tin and arsenic were extracted after 1927. The Ottery arsenic refinery is the oldest principal ore refinery in Australia.