A VISIT TO THE WESTERN GOLDFIELDS.
BY OUR SPECIAL REPORTER
No. 4.
Taking a farewell of Palmer's Oakey, and following the river to the westward through the
narrow defile in the mountains known as the Gulf, from which it has burst, overcoming
all obstacles to its downward course, the traveller or gold-seeker emerges from the Upper
to the Lower Turon district, and here the features of the country undergo a marked,
change. Behind him gloomy precipices and overhanging rocks, flinging their dark
shadows over the rushing waters -- towering mountains, in every variety of contour,
their base strewn with fragments of fossiliferous calcareous rocks, rich in marine shells,
with tremendous blocks of the old red sandstone conglomerate, blackened by a contest
with the elements for ages, and thrown about in the utmost confusion; while masses of
trap rocks crown their summits, -- and miserable gums, or mountain wattles, may be
seen few and far between, taking roots in the clefts and struggling for existence. Before
him are verdant dome-shaped hills, covered with the richest grasses, and insensibly
sinking in long unbroken slopes until they are lost in the narrow flats through which the
river takes its winding way, its channel marked by the sombre casuarina or the oak, ever
faithful to the stream, while the native box and apple, with majestic gums thinly scattered
over the green sward, contribute to the beauty of the prospect, which becomes enhanced
by contrast with the rugged barrier just passed through.
Here at Bingle Tree Flat, a solitary pair -- a digger and his wife -- have surrounded
themselves with the comforts of a bush home. They have not been successful in mining
operations, although numerous shafts attest the industry of the man, but the location is
against him. No quartz is to seen in the vicinity, and the bed of the river presents neither
bar nor elbow favourable to the miner.
The track now continues over a succession of flats and slopes, with a rich soil, offering
many situations suitable for villa residences, or small farms, -- the river making several
detours round low spurs, terminating in very rocky bluffs, and keeping close to the base
of the range of hills on the northern bank. Here is a farm in good cultivation, the crops of
corn and potatoes giving evidence of the capabilities of the soil. Further on is a small
auriferous creek, and beyond it is a rounded hill covered with yellow quartz pebbles. This
hill has not been prospected, although, from the indications, it is more than probable that
it would repay the labour of the digger; half-a-mile along the path brings you to an elbow
of the river, where it is driven by the opposite range to the southward for a short distance.
Here are twelve or fifteen diggers' tents, and several new enclosures; and in this spot, on
a large bar, are a number of men profitably employed. As you proceed the remains of
tents, huts, and stockyards, with numerous shafts, the edges of which are hidden in long
grass, with blackened stumps scattered over the flats, tell that the present solitude was
once broken by crowds of busy men, who, having rifled the river of a portion of its
treasures, have disappeared, and left no other trace behind them. Like a former generation,
they have passed away: pursuing the path sometimes along the banks of the river, and
sometimes over swelling knolls, you arrive at Arthur's station, in a situation of great
beauty. Here the river follows a straight canal-like course between sloping green banks
-- so regular as to appear to have been artificial, with extended falling flats on either side
-- the hills on the north bank receding to some distance from the stream. The gold digger
has done little, neither the straight Channel nor the formation of the banks offering much
inducement. Here races for conducting the waters of the river for a distance of nine miles
to the heights above Sofala have been commenced, the slight fall in the natural bed of the
stream rendering it necessary to go so far back, and from this point the races are carried
along high banks, scooped out of the side of hills and the round face of precipitous rocks
in flumes, with incredible labour. A rocky bluff, impinging upon the river, now checks its
course, and turns it northward, when it again takes a westerly bend, thus forming a large
point on the north bank. This point has been a favourite spot with miners for several years,
and it bears traces of an extensive population and heavy workings. Like most other
auriferous points, it is the termination of a long slope from the main range. A number of
diggers are still located upon it, some of them having been engaged working this point for
the last seven years. Gold is still steadily procured in remunerating quantities. The whole
surface is auriferous and would repay sluicing operations if water could be obtained. One
party has a machine for raising the water from the river, and finds that, although attended
with considerable expense, gold is still in sufficient abundance on the high flat to repay
the labour of some hundreds of men; in fact, all here are satisfied that what they require
to ensure a moderate degree of success is the command of water.
Crossing the high bluff, you descend upon Arthur's Oakey, at its junction with the main
stream of the Turon, below which is an extensive bar, which the Chinese are putting
through their cradles for the third or fourth time; they never bottom these bars, so that the
bed rock is still untouched. Arthur's Oakey is a large creek, having its source in the
broken descents from the table land near Wattle Flat. This stream passes through a rich
auriferous district of broken country, and receives the waters of Sailor's Gully and
Tobin's Oakey, both now celebrated for the richness of their deposits. It was from the
latter that 81 ounces of gold were taken in a few days, by three committee men, who, I
fear, in their excitement consequent upon their good fortune, have forgotten to repay the
loan from the committee. These repayments can alone enable that body to continue its
patriotic labours, and it is to be hoped that the diggers generally will bear in mind that
many of their fellows may still require the same assistance that they received in their hour
of need. No inconsiderable number of diggers, by means of the advances from the
committee, have made their way back to their old claims in this district, whom I
frequently fall in with in my rambles; they are slowly recovering from the effects of their
trip, and have learned, by sad experience, to entertain a greater respect for old Turon,
with his creeks and gullies.
There are several diggers at work on Arthur's Oakey, scattered along its banks in the most
favourable situations At the junction of this creek with the Turon a store and public-house
has recently been established, and the surrounding population seems to be thriving and
contented. There is one curious coincidence that holds good; on all the gold-fields, which
is, that the further removed is the digger's hut or tent from a public-house the greater the
appearance of comfort and industry surrounding it. You can always tell when you are
nearing a rum-shop by the state of the gardens and enclosures; and, I may add, of the few
women and children to be met with, they appear to be under some blighting and
withering influence: the women are haggard and care-worn, the children filthy and in rags,
the hut a tumbling pile of rotten bark and dirty canvas, and the garden a dense mass of
rank weeds and broken fences -- a snake's paradise; this, on the diggings, is a drunkard's
home.
The traveller now passes over a spur from Razor- back and two or three slight ridges,
when he has before him a beautiful slope of great extent from a cone- like summit, round
the base of which the river sweeps with a wide bend, the steep hill on the northern bank
rising from the edge of the stream. On this place about sixty Chinese were busily engaged
in sinking shafts, the whole of the lower part of the slope was pegged out in claims. Some
of the holes were bottomed at twenty five feet and from what I could learn, they were in
high spirits, and were doing well. It is said that they had struck a payable lead, which
might have been expected from the spirit of industry which pervaded the whole
party. It is impossible to find out exactly what the Chinese are doing; their unvarying
answer of "No savee,"
covering every proceeding with a cloak of mystery.
Further on is a Chinese store, and here isolated tents and huts begin to dot the green
slopes on the banks of the river. The path now leads over the stream to the north bank,
over which is the low rising spur of Heath's Hill, which, if we are to judge by the debris
of tents and shanties, and the manner in which it has been rooted up, and the number of
holes, has formerly given employment to a large population. It is now deserted. Below
this is Christmas Bar, lately turned over by the Chinese -- very extensive, and now also
deserted. Re-crossing the river at Green's Point, several neat tents and gardens, with three
or four more substantial buildings, are to be seen; and here are some immense blocks of
quartz, from a reef higher up the hill. The several races in progress cross this flat. The
path now becomes a road; and, ascending the hill, on the top, you find that there has been
some extensive surfacing or shallow sinking, now abandoned, although the flats and
slopes around held out fair inducements to the digger. Want of water is the drawback, the
river being upwards of a mile distant. You now ascend and descend two sharp ridges, and
find yourself in a pretty village, containing several cottages and some well-cultivated
gardens, with a large public house. This is Pennyweight Flat, through which the creek of
that name makes its way to the river opposite Alice's Point. I may here observe that the
richest part of, the main stream is always opposite the point where a creek disembogues
at a right angle with the current of the river. Alice's Point is consequently rich. A race is
now cutting to sluice the surface.
Pennyweight Creek gives employment to between thirty and forty European, and a
number of Chinese, whose tents are to be seen scattered up and down its steep declivities;
it is not rich, but affords steady wages in return for constant labour; it falls from the table
land near Bullock Flat. In former days some rich deposits were found near its mouth, but
it has always been overshadowed by its more wealthy neighbours.
The road now leads you to the top of a low irregular shaped hill, apparently formed by
the debris brought down by the immense ravines on either side and from the height in its
rear -- this is Ration Hill; the River nearly encircles its base, and separates it from
Alice's Point and Row's Hill on the north bank. Here every object proclaims that you are
on the verge of what was a first-class gold-field; the hills on either side are shorn of their
sylvan beauties to the water's edge, naked and bold they stand out in bold relief against
the sky and form a suitable back ground to the apparent surrounding desolation. You can,
by no great stretch of imagination, fancy yourself looking down upon the wreck of some
mighty city, after having been engulphed by an earthquake -- the ground uprooted in
every direction, and temporary shelters erected by the few surviving inhabitants here and
there, without order, amongst the piles of rubbish, interspersed with tents of all sizes and
shapes. The oak has disappeared with every particle of vegetation; the channel of the
stream has been out to four times its natural width, while the Turon goes struggling along
amongst heaps of detritus which mark where the gold digger has been at work; the green
slopes are pierced by a thousand shafts; the banks of the river, as far as the eye can reach
on both sides, are a succession of heaps of earth and stones; gullies by excavation have
become ravines, and of all that mass of humanity which for a time peopled these valleys,
but a small portion remains, and, with them are scattered the treasures that for ages have
rested undisturbed.
Standing on Ration Hill you have to your right, on the north bank, Alice's Point; below
that is Rowe's Hill -- there are some in Sydney can say how rich that was -- further on,
Mundy's Point, beyond that the far-famed Golden Point, and lower still Maitland Point;
the whole covered in by a high range verdant to the top, with a few short ravines leading
their waters to the river. On the left, three conical bald hills, of considerable elevation,
are to be seen somewhat alike in formation, forming the termination of ranges from the
tableland; the first is Red Hill, at its base Thompson's Hill, the other two are nameless.
Following the road from Ration Hill, and carefully treading your way amongst the many
dangerous shafts and holes on both sides, you find yourself at the confluence of Big
Oakey with the main river. Near Climor the miner, in former times, has obtained as much
as 105 ounces of gold in a single day with one cradle, and here many others have raised
themselves to competence by a few weeks' labour. It is this creek which has carried the
wealth of the table lands to Mundy's Point, and enriched Erskine Flat. Big Oakey is now
nearly exhausted; it has been worked over and over again, always repaying the labour
expended upon it. Now, but a few scattered old diggers are to be found wandering
amongst its gloomy rocks, like ghosts of the de- parted revisiting the scenes of their
former joys where they have taken pounds weight, they are now satisfied with
pennyweights. Proceeding over Erskine Flat, you see that the sinking has been deep,
through a reddish seam, from 30 to 40 feet, and the ground rotten and dangerous; added
to which, being in some pinces lower than the bed of the Turon, the water was difficult to
contend with; but if the danger and toil was great, the reward was in proportion. Much of
this flat is still payable, and there are many good pillars, but they are difficult to be got
at, although many tents and huts line the way side. Sinking on the flat is nearly abandoned,
and I can fancy an old digger accosting his mate in the words of Ben Bolt, with
Onward, still cautiously steering amongst the dangers that beset the path, you pass a
Chinese encampment; the tents are huddled together in filth and confusion. Here is the
mouth of Little Oakey, which is much cut up, has also been rich, and has strewed its gold,
between Erskine and Golden Points. These spots have yielded as much as sixty ounces of
gold daily from a single claim; they also are nearly abandoned, and, like the others, have
seen the best of their days. The Chinese continue to wash old headings and tailings, and
thereby earn small wages, but the Europeans at work here are few. The road now leads
you along the bank of the river, under a spur from Church Hill for a quarter of a mile,
when, suddenly rising, over a ridge, you are in the town of Sofala. The Parsonage and
English Church, with the Denominational School-house, are on a rising ground to the left,
presenting an appearance of order and neatness creditable to the town. Crossing Church
Creek, which has been turned topsy turvey by the diggers, you find you are in the main
street, which stretches along the banks of the river. It commences at Church Hill, and
terminates under the high ridge of rocks forming Lucky Point. The town is built in a
basin, formed by the high flats be- hind it and the steep range on the northern bank. At its
western extremity, a ridge infringing upon the river, and entering far into the opposing
range, causes the channel to make a sharp detour to the northward, when it is again driven
southward by the hills, until, resuming its westerly course, it forms Sheep-station Point.
Maitland Point is opposite the lower end of the town, formed by the angle of the river,
and has also been extremely rich. A large party of Chinese are here attempting, to divert
the channel so as to dry the present bed of the stream, under the rocks at the elbow. The
works are well executed, and they will, in all probability, be successful, if the season
proves propitious. They are their own engineers, and intend to use Chinese
pumps worked after the manner of a tread-mill. These pumps are said to be very effective.
A floating foot-bridge, built upon casks, connects the town with Maitland Point; on this
side is the commissioner's establishment with the police camp. It is in beautiful order,
with flourishing gardens -- quite a refreshing sight, after the negligence and contempt of
everything like regularity to be seen amongst the diggers round about the township; in
fact, when everything must sink before the pick and shovel, it cannot be otherwise.
Maitland Point is like the rest -- a tradition. With the exception of the Chinese enterprise,
few are at work; there the difficulty is, as elsewhere, want of water.
The chief establishments in Sofala are in the main street There are a few well-built
wooden houses, but the majority of the buildings are on the spot where the first tents
were pitched. They are of the simplest construction, and have been enlarged from time to
time to meet the necessities of the occupants, Thus, one edifice in itself will unite all the
orders of architecture known on the gold-fields, can- vas tent, bark gunyah, slab and
weatherboard: this may be accounted for by the fact that the town is not built where it
was laid out, but mainly on the Government reserve. Notwithstanding its ephemeral
aspect, it is a place of considerable trade, containing numerous well stocked stores,
mechanics of every description, two wholesale butchering establishments, l8 public-houses
of all grades, including two good hotels, Kearney's and Mendel's, with three or
four medical men. They had formerly an hospital, built at a cost of upwards of £300; for
some cause it fell into disuse, and was sold for £37 there is now on -- attempt to
re-establish it, which meets with the opposition of a small section of the inhabitants. There
are three places of worship -- Church of England, Roman Catholic, and Wesleyan, all
well attended, with two or three schools, at the head of which stands the Denominational,
attended by 75 boys, and 64 girls, of which 30 belong to the Roman Catholic Church, and
the remainder to various denominations of Christians. The children look clean, healthy,
and happy, and do credit both to the town and those under whose charge they are placed.
In a district where every boy can earn from 5s. to 7s. 6d. a day with his tin dish, it is
pleasing to see such an act of self-denial on the part of the poorest portion of the
inhabitants, and promises well for our rising generation.
Sofala contains about 750 inhabitants, and 350 within a circuit of four miles: of this
number about 300 are actually engaged in digging -- with a floating population of
Chinese, uncertain in their movements, and varying from 200 to 700.
A small number of miners are employed up and down the river, and in the neighbouring
creeks and gullies, while others are sinking in the slopes below the racecourse, behind the
town, with a fair prospect of making wages, the average earnings being about an ounce a
week to the hand; the remainder are engaged in cutting races to bring the water from the
River on the high lands, with the object of sluicing the old worked out claims, and such
portions of the ground as would not pay for transport to the river for cradling. From these
operations the miners are sanguine of success; a number of hired hands will be employed
in a few months, and the yield of gold in the district will be greatly increased. It is
expected, when the races are completed, that the ground to be sluiced will pay from £6 to
£15, a week to the hand. One company, now sluicing by means of boxes in the vicinity of,
Ration Hill, are clearing from £12 to £15 a week each on old ground.
The following are the principal races in progress: --
Crossman's party, from Heath's Hill, with various points on the line of the race, 4 acres.
Kearney's party, from the junction of Razorback Creek with the river to Heath's Point, 4
acres.
Purss and party, from Green Point to Erskine Flat.
Watts and party, from Golden Point to Sheepstation point, 6 acres.
Geach and party, to wash Alice's Point,
And three or four others of minor importance.
Wilds and party are cutting a tail race to work the bed of the Turon, from Erskine Island
to Mundy's Point, which is expected to be a paying speculation.
Although much of it has been previously worked ever, the bed of the river has never been
thoroughly tested, and some points are now believed to be extremely rich, particularly
under Alice's Point, Ration Hill, Rowe's Hill, and below Patterson's Point; in fact, the
river, with the exception of two miles above and below the town, is still untried, and has
yet to yield its riches to superior engineering enterprise, when an increased population
will facilitate more extensive operations. In the meantime the hills surrounding the town
have also to be prospected, it is unquestionable that some of them contain gold that will
remunerate the prospector; if not, rich quartz reefs that will yet afford employment to
large numbers of minors and others. Gold is as assuredly not of so easy attainment as in
former years, the alluvial deposits are nearly exhausted in the immediate neighbourhood
of the town; but, taking the Turon and its tributaries as a whole, they neither can, nor will
be worked out for a long period. On these gold-fields does Sofala depend for support; and
should they be abandoned at any future period, a few years will serve to sweep away
every trace of its existence.
The Chinese are a hard-working, industrious people on this river, but it is a question
worthy of deep consideration how far they benefit the colony by their labour -- they can
never amalgamate with the people. Chinese they come -- Chinese they live amongst us,
and Chinese they will leave us, carrying with them no mean portion of our mineral wealth,
to enrich the Chinese Empire. The ground that they exhaust would, in process of time,
employ our own people; it is a mistake to imagine that they confine themselves to claims
abandoned by the whites. A little time serves to make them good miners, although
unequal to Europeans. I have seen many claims on the Turon worked by them in the best
possible manner, and their industry and system of co-operative labour compensates for
their individual want of bodily strength. The strongest objection that can be urged against
them is, that they are not of us, 'or our race,'
and between them and ourselves
there is no common bond of sympathy.
I may be permitted to add, as I am on this subject, that, whilst we exhibit a laudable
anxiety for the salvation of the South Sea Islanders, and in sending missionaries amongst
them, we are losing an opportunity nearer home. To Australia might belong the honour of
being made the instrument for bringing one of the most populous nations of Pagans on
the face of the earth under the glorious banner of the Cross. If they are to carry a portion
of our earthly treasures back to their own land, let us endeavour to teach them also to lay
up for themselves treasures where the moth doth not corrupt, and where the thief doth not
break through and steal. It is in our power, if we will not tax them for permission to dig
gold, at least to make them pay the cost of their own improvement.