THE GOLD-FIELDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES.
TUENA TO GOULBURN.
FROM OUR SPECIAL COMMISSIONER
No. 24.
AFTER leaving Tuena, the road to Goulburn lies over heavy mountain ranges, now
ascending a gully, then piercing a scrub on the stony summit of a ridge, then again
descending by a winding pathway along the sides of almost perpendicular hills, or
dipping boldly down the face of some prominent spur of the hill that offers a more than
usual opportunity of descent. I have, however, so frequently described mountain roads,
that now, coming towards the close of my journeyings, I begin to find that descriptive
adjectives are wanting, and to fear that the reader, not having before his actual eye the
scenes I have so very lamely described, may be led to fancy that there is a complete and
general sameness. To the unpractised bushman, one gully may seem exactly the same as
another, the difference being imperceptible to him, whilst to the old denizen of the forest
every minute object speaks aloud; a dead limb, a prominent tree, a variation in the species
of timber or in the undergrowth, or in the feed, a leaning of the boughs to this side or to
that, the appearance of the bark of the trees, and a thousand other peculiarities too minute
for description in so general a sketch as mine has been, are all noted in a coup d'oeil, by
the old bushman, and make up the most important feature of his description. These
distinguishing marks are they that make the difference between the hills and valleys of
the north, and those of the south. To read my description you would no doubt take them
to be the same -- the same generic features certainly are there: the abrupt hills, the heavy
timber, the deep gullies, and rude chasms, worn by the rush of water -- all these are
found in both places; but yet there is a distinct and palpable difference, though made up
of so many minute circumstances, that, unless all the points in which the change becomes
perceptible had been noticed in the first instance, they could not be appreciated in the last.
Nor, do I think the pen could adequately convey all that which only the eye of the
experienced traveller can mark, since, as I have before remarked, I have over and over
again heard persons declare that this and that gully were exactly alike: when I could at
once perceive the difference, though I could not convey the same impression to my
companion, who had failed in the first instance to mark certain features in the scene, and
consequently could not value the alteration when his attention was drawn to it. However,
be this as it may, to go with one jump to Binda, a distance of 25 miles, the road
throughout lies over a hilly country, until it comes down upon the swampy flat upon
which Binda and its numerous neat and well-cultivated farms are situated.
From Binda, the track takes up the Crookwell River, which it crosses and recrosses
several times, until at Mr. A. Long's very pretty farming establishment it takes up some
low stony ranges of schist and quartz, the highest point here of the great dividing Range,
since the Crookwell runs to the west, into the Abercrombie, whilst the waters on the other
side run eastward and fall into the Wollondilly, which, joining Cox's River, runs into the
Nepean, and finds its way into the sea by emptying itself into the Hawkesbury. The
greater part of the way from Binda to Flecknell's Inn, a distance of 30 miles, was over
what appeared to me to be a flat table land, exceedingly swampy, in fact so much so, that
the road ran at times a full half-mile through water, which however never more than
reached my horse's knees. Occasionally low rotten ranges, covered with dwarf timber,
intervened between these morasses, and at times also low stony ranges, covered with
mountain oak and ash, and dwarf and gnarled spotted gums afforded a relief that could
not be fully understood and appreciated, except by one who had journeyed through, I
can't say over, such a watery way as this. From Flecknell's the evidences of heavy rain
became stronger and stronger as I proceeded to wards Goulburn. The distance thence is
only sixteen miles. The road runs over some beautiful low and well grassed ranges into a
long gulley, along which it proceeds for eight or nine miles; now on one side, now on the
other, then crossing a low range, or skirting the side of a ridge, or dipping into a scrub, as
the boggy nature of the ground or the protruding of the rocks rendered a detour necessary.
By degrees the gulley opens out into a fine broad creek, with richly grassed plains on
either side, the timber becoming more and more scant, until it fails altogether over large
areas, in which the eye wearies itself in tracing the windings of the road that appears jet
black, or red or white, according as the soil through which it cuts is varied. Reaching
these plains, I know at once that Goulburn is near, and soon the houses appearing in the
distance tell me that I am not mistaken. The road thereupon becomes lighter, the ground
is got over more readily, though certainly as regarded my nag, with some persuasion,
rather stronger than mere words, and I reach Goulburn, almost fancying myself, from the
appearances of civilisation around me, once more at home.
Goulburn like Bathurst, has been laid out on an extensive tract of plain country. These
plains stretch away to a long distance to the southward, and to a less distance towards the
east and west, whilst to the North, heavy ranges of iron bark rise up from the level almost
immediately on quitting the township.
The population of this town by the last Census, was 1770 souls, and since then there has
been no addition by settlement, but if anything rather the reverse. It is however a very
fine healthy spot, and the population increases steadily every year, in the natural way.
The usual accompaniment to children -- pigs -- was wanting here, or at all events was
not so prominently forced upon the attention of the traveller. Considering its size, there is
an air of business and progress about the place that is most gratifying. As the centre of a
very large and extensive agricultural district, it has for many years past engrossed the
whole business of supplying the small farmers, or cockatoo settlers as they used to be
termed, that are planted round it ; whilst the diggings in its vicinity have naturally given it
some considerable impetus and standing. It engrosses the whole or nearly so, of the
traffic with Tuena, and shares with Sydney in the supply of the Braidwood diggings.
The town is very handsomely laid out, on fine gently undulating ground; the streets,
intersecting at right angles, have good broad roadways, such as Sydney would be much
the better for possessing -- though here again, the gaol, planted in the middle of the town,
and fronted by a lock-up, and backed by the Court House, forms a sad drawback to the
prestige of the place, carrying back one's mind to the days of old, when gaols and
court-houses were the chief features of every country settlement, and when, to establish a
township all that were requisite were a court-house, lock-up, and scourger: with
sometimes a public-house thrown in to bring business to the other establishments. Those
days have passed away, and with them, I would also wish to see these unsightly buildings,
that are always telling us of what we, as a community, have been -- not done away with
-- but kept out of sight instead of being needlessly protruded upon observation, as
though their presence were necessary to keep us in restraint. There are some good
buildings in the town, but none calling for particular remark, though, and it is worthy of
observation, that the hotels here are without exception the finest houses in the town.
There are branches here of the Union and New South Wales Banks, both doing a very fair
amount of business, so far as I could learn. There is not much new building going on,
though bricklayers and stonemasons command high wages. The ordinary daily pay of a
skilled labourer (carpenter, &c.) is 15s.; bricklayers and stonemasons getting from 1s. to
2s. a day more than this.
There are places of worship erected for Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics,
and Wesleyans, all being very neat brick edifices, and each well at tended. There is also a
Baptist meeting house, but I was given to understand that it was not now used as a place
of worship. The schools under the Denominational Board are four in number, and are
attached to the four leading Denominations. The private schools however are very
numerous, and some of them are of a much higher order than ordinary.
The number of public-house licenses issued last licensing day, were for the town l8, and
for the district 20. Except during the sessions and assizes, the inns do not transact a very
large amount of business.
Looking at the police records, rather a favourable opinion may be formed of the
inhabitants of this district. The average number of cases of all kinds, from drunkenness
upwards, disposed of daily by the Police Bench is about two. The committals for trial
from 1st January to the end of June were only 11, or not two per month; whilst there had
been but one committal since April. The heavier cases arise mainly from the unfortunate
predilections of the denizens of this part of the country -- drink and fat cattle murderous
assaults whilst intoxicated, and cattle stealing being the more serious offences committed
against the law.
I was informed that the attendance of the unpaid magistracy was very punctual, except
only in cases of flood or accident. The adoption of a roster on the Sydney principle has
aided materially to effect this.
The population of the police district is 1329, exclusive of the town, whilst during the last
year 7804 acres of land were under cultivation. The produce is wheat, oats, barley, and
potatoes, the proportion of each being in the order in which I have mentioned them. A
large quantity of hay is also grown here. The climate is remarkably favourable for the
growth of oats and other English products, gooseberries and currants grow very freely,
and form rather a novel sight to the Sydney-born traveller who sees them in his native
land for the first time. The yield of produce last harvest was estimated to have been fully
20 per cent, over that of the preceding year.
I was confidently informed that nearly the whole of, if not all the gold forwarded by
escort from Goulburn, might be said to come from Tuena, whence there is no escort ; if
such be the case it becomes interesting to enquire into the amount sent down hence. In
March, of the present year, none was sent down, owing to the bulk of gold having been
forwarded the preceding month to save the export duty. In April, 705 ozs.
were sent down; in May, 358 ozs.; and in June, up to the 15th, 170 ozs. Taking the
number of diggers estimated by me in my last letter as being at Tuena, this would give a
very first-rate yield per head. I am, however, inclined to think that this quantity is swelled
by amounts sent down by parties at Tumut to their principals in Goulburn; and the
increased quantity latterly forwarded from Goulburn bears me out, to some extent, in this
view.