May 2002 | ||||||||||||||||
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Contents
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1. EDITORIAL So much has been happening of late it is hard to keep track of all events within the Gold fossicking industry.
I can confirm that a patch of 600 ounces of gold has been recovered from the Emerald gold field in recent weeks. It is pleasing to see that in Victoria the opposition parties have come out strongly against the Brack's Governments policy in closing OUR forests. See the BUG press release in Flecks this month. The exodus to the gold fields of the Golden West is certainly under way. We wish those who are making the trek good fortune, and safe travelling. I would like to be there myself - but work pressures here keep me grounded. This month we begin a series on Australia and Australians. For others from around the world this will give you some background to this wonderful and unique country. We are sure you will appreciate the simple short history lesson - along with the personal reflections of the inhabitants of this fabulous country. Editor Email: [email protected]
All material in this magazine is copyright and may not be reproduced in any part or form whatsoever without written permission from the publisher.
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2. COOL COOLGARDIE
by Brad Williams
Coolgardie stands at the gateway to the great gold fields of what is known in Australia as the Golden West. The origins of Coolgardie lie in the discovery of gold here in September 1892, when Arthur Bayley and his partner William Ford found over 500 ounces of gold here. Within a few months the entire population of Western Australia had exploded by a massive 400%. Considering the fact that Western Australia covers more than 1/3rd of this massive continent and is a sparsely populated region to this day - the strains on government infrastructure were enormous. The population of Coolgardie grew to a massive 16,000 within a decade, but as the surface gold ran out many left this barren and forsaken area for ever. As was the case in most gold fields - only a few ever made it rich, and most left with very little to show for their efforts and many were left penniless. Some moved to Kalgoorlie and took up work with Mining companies for as little as $6 a week.
With the onset of the Great War in 1914, many diggers left to serve their country, and couple with depressed gold prices many diggers abandoned their claims and moved on. So began the decline of Coolgardie. Although the area still produces gold, tourists now make up a great deal of the towns industry. As the main route east from Perth - known as the most isolated capital on earth, passes through Coolgardie the tourist potential here is unlimited, and the locals have grasped this opportunity with zeal. Throughout the area there are a series of 150 markers that display and document the history of the old gold fields. Many of the markers give a graphic illustration of the site as it was 100 years ago - along with a photograph. Accommodation in the town is well catered for with several motels and two caravan parks. Accommodation needs to be booked ahead - as many of the motels are often fully booked by companies who use the facilities to house employees who work on the open cut mines. However - with enough planning good accommodation is available. Among the historical attractions in the town is the cemetery, which is well worth a visit with many of the head stones revealing the harsh times of the miners a century ago. The Goldfields Exhibition is a delightful old historic two story building build in 1898. This museum displays many old photographs of the gold era and is a must to see in Coolgardie. Ben Prior's Open Air Museum in Bailey Street is dedicated to the early explorers and miners of the goldfields era. It features a great deal of old machinery and mining equipment of the era. Well worth a visit.
I always enjoy a lookout and the Coolgardie Lindsay Pit Lookout overlooking a modern open cut mine is no exception. Excellent photo opportunities are here - provided the light is right and there is some movement in the pit.
A good historical record of the history of the mine is displayed at the lookout.
There are many other historical sites to be seen in this rather spread out town.
One of the most novel, is the "gaol tree". One asks, "How could a tree be a gaol"? For further information regarding tourist activities contact the Coolgardie Tourist Bureau on 08 90266090.
Well to say that Coolgardie is Cool - is rather a play on words. It sure is a Cool place to visit - but the weather here is very hot in summer, reaching temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius - or in Fahrenheit, 114 degrees.
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3. WHAT'S A BANJO by J. Bowman I guess the best way to tell you what a Banjo is to start at the beginning. It was back in 1992 I was working a rather good creek near Turnkey, NSW the gold I was getting you would not believe. This creek was the only spot that I have ever actually panned an ounce of gold in one day. Now the problem was with this creek it had no flowing water only puddles, so my river sluice was of no use to me and I knew if I could come up with an idea to move a lot of dirt quickly I would make a lot of money out of this spot. Time of course was against me! For once people knew I was doing rather well at this spot, the creek would be quickly worked out which it was but not before I got more than my fair share of gold! I remembered my granddad talking about how they used bush Banjo's when working such spots, but they were very labor intensive and you very quickly became tired. I pondered this problem until I mentioned it to an uncle who said what you need my boy is a Wet- Jig. Now a Wet-Jigger was used in mining gravel and sand containing gold. My uncle told me you can make them quite portable, they can concentrate the gold far better than a sluice or cradle, and being well raised from the ground, I would have no problems with the tailings from the top hopper. A Wet-Jig is made by placing a hopper or box on top of a body box or sluice box, and legs that fit the apparatus see. This is what I had been looking for, I constructed one in no time flat. How I worked the wet jig was by lifting water from a puddle with a ladle and washing the dirt I had placed in the top hopper. I operated this device for 3 years while I worked that creek. It was very efficient and fast for the type of work I was doing but all things must come to an end as did the gold. A new area to work was my next quest, and it was the Shoalhaven River that drew my attention. Seeing that my Father and Grandfather had passed away it was with my uncle that I sort advice on how to work a river to it's greatest advantage! What he told me I will relate to you in another article at a latter date. Coming from a long line of prospectors the knowledge that I had to draw upon was incredible and I hope to pass some on to you, over the coming months, but back to the banjo. I had been working the Shoalhaven for around 5 months and in that time I saw how I could modernise the apparatus I was using even more, mainly because I was working a different type of ground. Using the bush banjo and the wet-jig as a guide a new version of the old banjo was born. It is light to carry easy to use can handle more sand than two men can shovel, you don't have to clean rocks by hand from the hopper it is self cleaning and it will classify the wash two times all this is done in a blink of an eye. And the best part of the Banjo is it will not cost you an arm and a leg to get one if so desired. Believe me there is nothing that can match it on the market today when it comes to working sand banks and river gravels. I have worked the banjo next to the best which cost well over $1000 and I ran rings around it, by the way there were two men working the best and only me on the banjo. Enough hype about the device, now it's down to business. I will now try and explain how to build one, they are not hard to build, but they do take some time to build. Tools that you are going to need will be, a drill and bits, tinsnips, hacksaw, pop-rivet gun, 3/16 rivets drill diameter 5/32", 3/1" nuts and bolts, 2mm drill bit, a clamp of two. Silicone and Silicon gun.
Next you will need one sheet of aluminum 92 cm long and 42 cm wide for the bottom, and one 90 cm long and 57 cm wide for the top. And one 68 cm long by 37.5 cm wide.
When you have that done you now need to mark out the top hopper. You do this in the same way as you did the bottom hopper. The sides need to be around 20 cm high and 17 cm across the floor of the top hoper. Ounce you have it bent in a {U} shape and the back riveted in place. You will need to drill as many � inch holes in it as you can along the entire length of the floor. Once you have that done you will need to make a skid plate which fits under the top hopper. The skid plate needs to be 17.5 cm wide and fixed to the top end of the top hopper with a 10 cm gap finishing 12 cm from the discharge end. Now that you have that done you will need to make two brackets from a bit of scrap aluminium that you have laying around. They need to be at least 5 cm wide and 10 cm long. On the bottom hopper right at the very end which you bent up. The brackets need to be fixed in place with a 6 cm over hang. Place the top hopper on the bottom hopper, the end of the top hopper should fit inside the bottom hopper? Now lift the top hopper up so that the two ends match now drill through the brackets and top hopper then place a 3/16 bolt through each hole leave some play in them but not to much. Move the top hopper up and down a few times to settle it in. It is very important that the top hoper opens just past the end of the bottom one.
The next step is to fit the legs, I use aluminium tube for the legs. Measure 10 cm from the end on the bottom hopper and fit two legs 30 cm long angling towards the back of the hopper.
You now have two choices about the banjo, if you are working a very sandy area I would fit a � inch mesh screen in the top hopper 10 cm down. If you are working a clay area I would leave the mesh off and work the banjo in a rather flat position.
You will need to fine turn the banjo out in the field, the type of ripples and matting I will let you decide on that. A little tip if you use carpet a lot of fine gold will get trapped and it will not come out no matter how hard you try.
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4. EL DORADO COUNTRY by Brad Williams
Visiting El Dorado in north western Victoria is always a pleasure.
It is a delightfully pleasant spot at the base of the Great Dividing Range, not far from Beechworth, and Yackandandah. As you travel towards El Dorado from the Hume Highway, it is easy to miss the great monolith that lies in shallow water just off the main road. It is often mistaken for an old shed as you drive along - but closer inspection reveals a huge shed like structure that once was the pride of the region from 1936's until 1954.
The Cock's El Dorado Company was formed to construct a large dredge for use on Reid's Creek to dredge the tin and gold from the creek. The creek adjacent to the township is shallow but broad, and stretches for some distance to the east and west of the township.
The design was rather unique and the base for the dredge was a pontoon style structure. On the front of this massive rectangular pontoon the dredge ladder and buckets were attached, that appear like a giant chain saw, and at the rear the waste chutes were constructed. In the body of the structure screens and extracting machinery were constructed to remove the gold and tin. Upon completion of the structure it looked more like a floating factory than a barge as the outer walls were constructed of galvanized iron. It was of monolithic proportions. It was locally known as "The Tin Shed". Weighing 2,500 tons, and with a length overall of 328 feet, it was an enormous structure. Width at the stern was 65 feet and at the bow 50 feet. The pontoon was 210 feet in length with the bucket ladder measuring 160 feet. Attached to this ladder were up to 118 buckets each weighing 1.6 tons each. The bucket ladder took some 5.5 minutes to complete a full revolution. The cost of the dredge was £83,000.
The structure was operated by quite unconventional means. It was in fact tethered to large trees on either side of the broad creek - which was more like a shallow lake, and shifted by winding up one side and unwinding the other, using a system of levers. 24 hours a day - the dredge operated in this manner for 20 years. In those days Sundays was a true Sabbath and so the dredge was not operated, but maintenance was carried out on Sundays and on Thursdays. Only one fatality occurred during the entire operation and this was not associated directly with the operation of the dredge.
The company tried to sell the dredge but a dredge of this size has little potential anywhere else - other than as a tourist facility. Although there was some interest in 1984 the dredge passed into the hands of the Government. Since that time several propositions have been put forward to make this monolithic structure into an exciting tourist attraction for the El Dorado region.
At present the dredge is considered unsafe to be used as a tourist attraction. It is likely that the dredge will be rested on a purpose built platform in the creek and although it will appear as though it is in fact floating - it will be stable enough for tourists to go on board and inspect the working structure. At this time there is a pleasant 15 minute walk that provides an outstanding view of the structure and with a wide angle lens on a camera, it is possible to take some outstanding photos of the dredge.
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5. WE ARE AUSTRALIA - PART 1 by Laurelle Murphy
Australia is a unique land. Not just because there is nothing like it on earth, but because is it truly a land of wonder - the land down under. The origins of discovery of the great south land - lie with the English explorer Captain James Cook - who was responsible for many discoveries throughout the Pacific Ocean. In 1770 Captain Cook in his ship the Endeavour discovered the east coast of Terra Australis and made many maps of the area. Ironically, he did not recommend that the country would be suitable for European settlement, although the ships botanist Joseph Banks did consider it suitable.
The English had lost their convict settlements in North America when the United States of America became an independent nation in 1776, so there was a necessity to find somewhere else to "transport" their convicts.
In 1788 Captain Arthur Phillip in his small ship the HMS Supply landed at Botany Bay, on 18th January. Within the next two days the other 10 ships that were part of the first fleet arrived. The land here was not good - so Capt Phillip explored further north, finding Port Jackson, (now Sydney Harbour) Life was harsh. If convicts escaped they were either killed by local aborigines, or starved to death. Many returned to captivity voluntarily in emaciated condition. The first three years of settlement were plagued with drought and famine. Slowly but surely conditions improved, and food became more plentiful.
The local aboriginals did not understand the concept of ownership of land and they believed that the visitors would eventually move on. When this did not happen some resentment was obvious and attacks were frequent. However spears and nulla nullas (clubs) were no match for muskets, and soon the British were in complete control.
By 1810 the population had grown to an impressive 22,000. Free grants of land were made to free settlers and convict labour provided, under licence.
In 1798 George Bass and Matthew Flinders circumnavigated Van Diemens Land (now Tasmania) and discovered that this land was in fact an island. In 1802 Captain Matthew Flinders sailed all the way around the continent making maps as he went. It took him a full year to complete this task. In 1802 Lieutenant John Murray sailed into Port Phillip Bay, and claimed the area for Britain. The great city of Melbourne now stands on Port Phillip Bay. In 1806 Captain William Bligh (of Mutiny on the Bounty Fame) arrived to take up the position of Governor of the colony. He found that senior officers of the New South Wales Corps had taken control of the trade in Rum. This was the main currency of the colony. Bligh threatened to charge the officers with treason. His reward was to be kept prisoner for a year. Ironically he was cleared of any wrong doing during the "Rum Rebellion", and was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral.
With the arrival of Governor Lachlan MacQuarie to replace Bligh, changes were made immediately. The New South Wales Corps was disbanded and senior officers were returned to England in disgrace.
Under MacQuarie - the colony prospered. Buildings became more prolific and food production rose dramatically.
The free colonies struggled to find their own way until 1851, when the first gold was discovered along the Fish River in New South Wales. They came from all corners of the world. They came from the United States and Canada. From all over Europe and from Asia they came. It is estimated that over 50,000 Chinese arrived in the Australian Gold fields in the two decades following discovery of the great gold mountains in the great southern land.
Australia was at last beginning to find the great mineral wealth that lies in the soils of this land. The road toward nationhood was beginning to take shape as the separate colonies struggled with the massive increases of population that flowed into the colonies.
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6. THE DEATH OF LICOLA - PART 2 by Ralph Barraclough Erosion and river pollution Massive erosion from a thunder storm (this put the fire out) in the Caledonia Valley on January 12, deposited alluvial boulder fans the likes of which none from our community has seen before. These will be around for hundreds possibly thousands of years. The Geology text book "Holmes" describes boulder fans as a product of new mountain chains such as the Andes and Himalayas. Ours is the oldest surviving mountain chain in the world.
Parks described this as an entirely natural process. The Government is showing no concern for a similar disaster in the Melbourne water catchments with over 60 years fuel build-up managed by Parks Victoria.
William Francis Lovick, of Mansfield, who held a Crown Forest Lease from 1910 had the following to say to the Royal Commission: "We burned for 25 to 30 years. We were told by the Forests Commission that we were ruining the forests, but this year three mills have been put into the country that was said to be ruined, and they have 50 years timber to cut ... The fires that have gone through he forests this year have ruined more timber in two hours than all the cattle men of the east ruined in 50 years." WATER POLLUTION
The water that came out of the park after the fire was very toxic. Over 50 tonnes of Phos-Chek, a highly corrosive phosphorous based fire retardant, was used in the Caledonia Valley. This was the first time in living memory, the Macalister River was undrinkable.
On Jan 16, 1998, in the Macalister, iron was measured at 2333 times over WHO guidelines for drinking water, with Manganese 350 times over and lead 15 times over. There is every reason to believe that considerably higher results were recorded, but not released. When she became Minister, she claimed land managers and water authorities over the last three decades, in relation to retardant use, had recorded no demonstrable impacts on water quality or the environment. CALEDONIA TRACK
Tracks to the Caledonia Valley did not re-open after the fire. Huge excavations were dug to stop vehicle access. Parks stated: "The Caledonia River track was partly washed away by the Caledonia River and adjacent creeks, ie. Stirrup Iron Creek, following the heavy rain after the fire.
Stirrup Iron Ck. was not washed away, just covered by a boulder fan. The erosion to the track Parks were claiming may not be feasible to repair, was made safe and useable with 10 minutes pick and shovel work and an hour and a half throwing rocks into holes. |
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7. FLECKS ! - Glints from here and there
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Bush Users support the condemnation of the Government's Public Land Policies by the National & Liberal Parties. Parliament saw an emotional debate regarding the Bracks' Labor Government's public land and waters policies. Peter Hall, Leader of the National Party in the Legislative Council, moved a motion that 'this house condemns the government for its policies and actions that have restricted recreational and commercial activity on Victoria's public lands and waters'. The catalyst for the motion was the Government's intention to create marine parks, vastly extend land based national parks and the subsequent loud public outcry against these proposals. The recent Bush Users rally in Bendigo, the four wheel drivers rally, the timber protests, fishing protests and the mountain cattlemen's rally are clearly showing that all is not well in country Victoria for the Bracks' Government. Victoria has 7 million hectares of public land of which more than half is already covered by parks and reserves. All activities on any classification of public land are regulated. When the land category is park or reserve those regulations are often unworkable or the activity is simply prohibited. This is what the Bush Users are angry about. RobinTaylor, State President of the Bush Users Group, said 'is it any wonder that the bush is angry? The public is being locked out of public land for no valid reason. Many of our activities have been occurring for 200 years and now, when they are at their most regulated, Government is set to prohibit them - it simply doesn't make sense!
In a recent radio interview Minister Sherryl Garbutt was asked why the creation of new parks in the box and ironbark region is necessary - what are the threats? Her parroted response was 'we want to save the forest for future generations'. I ask the Minister - save it from what? Forest was cleared years ago on what is now private land. Public land has not been cleared. The forest on public land is still there and not under threat.
Members of the Liberal Party joined with the Nationals in the debate to condemn the Government's policies. Mr. Taylor concluded 'given that the Bracks' Government holds power by the grace of 3 country based independents and several very marginal country seats it would do well to review its current stance on both the marine and box ironbark parks and start listening to the people who vote in country Victoria instead of the minority green groups in Melbourne'.
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8. STRIKES Recent Finds
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9. THE NEW LODE - Next Month's Issue
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