HEATHER. Old Jack McDonald, up there, he used to
work in the mines, when they had a candle
in their hat.
Yambulla?
HEATHER. Probably, it was out here. Couldn't tell
you for sure.
PETER. He mined all up through the hills around
here. I used to pick him up with his push
bike, in the bus and drop him off up near
Stoney Creek and he'd go up into the hills
and spend the day there and come back out.
So, that's gold. Fossiking for gold?
HEATHER. Yes.
PETER. He knew where all the old mines were and
he was an old prospector.
*** Excerpt from Heather and Peter Matthews'
interview in 'The Forgotten Corner Interviews'.
Men have been searching for gold in the Towamba district from the time of early settlement. Hills, creeks, rivers and suitable soils and rock combined in several places and small and sometimes, large deposits were discovered. In 1899, gold was discovered at Yambulla, south-west of Towamba, in amounts large enough to draw men and their families to the area. Mines opened up and a township grew but the gold petered out early in the new century. From time to time other mines have opened up in other locations in the district but not enough to bring lasting prosperity. However, hope is always there.
Excerpt from 'The Towamba District, It's
Resources and Capabilities'.
'Pambula Voice' November 3, 1893.
"A little inconvenience is caused in
times of flood when the river becomes very
swift and dangerous but as a rule it goes
down quickly. In addition to its vast and
almost unlimited dairy capabilities gold
has been found in payable quantities in various
parts of the Towamba district and a large
area of land is held by the government as
a gold field reserve."
Monday 15 April 1861
'The Sydney Morning Herald'
* We hear very conflicting accounts from
the Gulf Diggings. One man has returned with
a small parcel of beautiful gold, weighing
eight ounces, another man describes the place
as anything but promising.
'Australian Town and Country Journal'
1 August 1891
New Reef near Eden.
A RICH ASSAY.
The following assay has been made of some
quartz from the Mildred Key's Reef, Burragate,
in the Eden district: "Ferruginous quartz
showing free gold yielding 5bz 19dwt 18gr
gold per ton, and 1oz 6dwt 2gr of silver
per ton." Mildred Key's reef is on Mr.
Key's property, at Burragate, on the road
from Towamba to Wyndham, 8 or 10 miles, west
of any previous discovery. A large parcel,
some 20 tons, from which this assayed return
was obtained, is now in Sydney for treatment.
The reef was discovered and worked by Mr.
Fred Sylvester, an experienced miner, who
has had a large Australian experience.
'The Sydney Morning Herald'
2 June 1892
On the Jingera Silver-mining Company's eases
the new contractors have started to drive
the tunnel the remaining 250ft., to cut the
rich lode, the first 100ft having been completed.
As the country is hard granite, they have
probably fully six months' work before them.
A syndicate formed by the Sydney Mining Bank
started work this week on a 40 acre mineral
lease almost adjoining the Whipstick township.
From the assays made public of ore from the
two lodes discovered it would seem that the
property is likely to prove a valuable one.
One lode, the formation of which is between
4ft and 5ft. in width, assayed 418oz of silver
and Over 3oz. of gold, with 6½ per cent.
of bismuth per ton, while the other, a, lode
capped with manganese and felspar, has given
even higher returns of gold. Mr. Bennett
is in charge, and having completed the surface
works and cut down the shaft, intends to
begin breaking out ore this week
Aug 23, 1895
Wyndham
Topic of conversation for the past few days
has been the local diggings, viz. New Station
and Whipstick.... Robertson and party, of
Whipstick, are excavating another lot of
stone.
June 26, 1896
Burragate
...now the query is "when will it stop
raining?" Owing to so much wet weather,
work at Mr. J. H. Martin's silver mine has
been temporarily suspended.
November 30, 1896
'Evening News'
* Thomas Hite, storekeeper, of Towamba, recently
purchased a big interest in Mr. A. Brown
and Son's mine at Timbilica, near Nangutta.
Several tons of the ore have been sent to
Sydney. If the yield turns out profitably
it is intended to float the mine into a company.
Dec 24, 1896
Wyndham
Mining around here is almost at a standstill.
The Jingera Mining Proprietary is now only
employing three or four men.
'Pambula Voice' January 14, 1898
ROCKY HALL
There has been no sensation or developments
out at the " Klondyke the second".
Several of the leading claims have suspended
work pending the arrival of foreign capitalists.
It's a wonder that "Mr. Tomahawk"
or " Chips" has not visited the
field ere this as if bent upon speculation.
I know of some splendid investments where
£10,000 could be expended less advantageously.
Monday 29 January, 1900
'The Sydney Morning Herald'
EDEN
Favourable reports concerning new finds at
Timbillica goldfields continue to come to
hand. Samples of very rich stone, discovered
this week by S. Parker, of Towamba, were
exhibited in town. The finds are in good
reefing country, and the sinking is soft.
'Evening News'
10 February 1900
BOMBALA, Wednesday. - Favourable reports concerning
the Timbilica Gold Fields continue to arrive.
Several new discoveries have recently been
made, and quartz taken from some of them
shows gold in profusion. Two or three miners
have for some time past been on payable stone,
and it is anticipated that the field will
now receive a thorough test. In one of the
mines the gold-bearing reef is reported to
be 5ft wide at a depth of 30ft. A local mine
manager of experience is of opinion that
if the gold goes down the field will prove
to be a second Wyalong. The auriferous country
has been found to extend over an area of
twelve miles square. The sinking is soft.
The field is situated 38 miles west from
Eden, via Towamba, and 38 miles south of
the road connecting Southern Monaro via Bondi,
with Twofold Bay. A Mr. Rockclifie is bringing
down from Sydney a five-head battery and
engine capable of driving 25 head of stampers
for erection on the field.
Wednesday, 28 November 1900
'The Sydney Morning Herald'
TOWAMBA.
Whilst drilling a hole in the Yambulla Company's
mine on Saturday a portion of a charge which
had remained in the hole from a previous
shot exploded, blowing two men a considerable
distance and inflicting serious injury.
'Evening News'
28 May 1901
GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.
The offices of warden's clerk, mining registrar,
officer authorised to issue miners' rights,
and business and mineral licences, and bailiff
of the warden's court, at Towamba has been
abolished.
'The Sydney Morning Herald'
5 August 1901
SOUTH COAST MINING.
* The Pambula Mines Company cleaned up from
a fortnight's crushing of its own ore for
102 oz. Robinson and party report the discovery
of a silver lode at Jingera assaying 1500oz.
per ton. Several leases are being taken up,
and the Pambula syndicate has two men engaged
in prospecting,
TOWAMBA. Saturday.
* Yambulla Gold-mining Company cleaned up
on Wednesday a fortnight's run of the battery
for 100 oz. of smelted gold. Roberts and
party crushed seven tons at Haugh's battery
for 21 oz. The Sydney syndicate are putting
through a parcel of about 200 tons at Gough's
battery.
Aug 29, 1902
Grant & Robertson's claim at Whipstick
is yielding very rich stone, which is being
treated at the Treasury Mines battery.
Mar 13, 1903
Mining ..... we are informed that the Treasury
Mines battery near Wyndham has been secured
by Messrs. Grant and Robertson for erection
at their Jingera mine, which continues to
yield good stone. So there does not appear
to be much hope of work being resumed again
at the Treasury mines - for the present at
any rate.
Mar 27, 1903
Wyndham
The crushing machinery erected at the Treasury
Mines (formerly known as the Devil's Hole,
near Wyndham) some 12 months ago is being
taken down and removed for re-erection at
the old poppet heads, Whipstick. It will
here be utilised for treating the ore from
Messrs. Grant and Robertson's claim on the
top of the Jingera Range.
Jan 8, 1904
Wyndham
Mr. W. Scanes has gone into partnership with
our local blacksmith Mr. John Watson... the
Finn has just turned out a new wagonette
to the order of Mr. S. Goldberg. The Whipstick
mines have started work again and quite a
number of miners have visited the field on
the lookout for employment. Whipstick now
has two accommodation houses and a third
one is talked of. Several other buildings
are also in the course of erection including
one intended for a grocery store.... Our
local butcher, Mr. W. Collins, is doing a
good business at present.
Mar 9, 1906
Wyndham
A farewell social is to be tendered Mr. &
Mrs. John Robinson and family in the School
of Arts tonight prior to their departure
for N.Z. Mr. Robinson has been a resident
of Whipstick for some years, being one of
the foremost miners in the Jingera mines.
He has sold out his interests at Whipstick.
"Jack" will be very much missed
both here and at Whipstick as he always took
an active part in all public movements. It
will be remembered that it was Mr. Robinson
who so gallantly saved the life of Thomas
Collins in an accident at the Jingera mines
at so great a risk of losing his own life,
and for which he was awarded the Clarke Medal.
Apr 12, 1907
Burragate
On Friday 5th inst. Mr. Davies took a party
of school children to the Jingera bismuth
mine..
Feb 22, 1909
Twofold Bay Magnet
Mr. Jackson, just returned from a visit to
Burragate, reports that the True Fisher Lode
at that place is one of the best gold bearing
reefs he has ever seen.
Newspaper Unknown. March 19, 1913
Our gold mine is at present quiescent, as
timbering and general fitting up are going
on. Certainly some splendid specimens have
been taken out of the solid. I should say,
from what I have seen, the reef is certainly
worth trying. But development work is monstrously
expensive.
Newspaper unknown
April 7, 1913
TOWAMBA
The mine on the ridge above Ferny Flat is
making decided progress. The shaft is now
timbered, a windlass erected, fall, etc.,
for making work convenient. The further they
go down the better the gold is showing in
the stone and is quite promising enough to
be given a trial.
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'The Southern Record and Advertiser'
12 May 1923
Gold Find.
Eden 'Magnet' reports: A good deal of interest
has been occasioned throughout the district
by the discovery by Mr J. T. Dickie, and
his son, Mr. G. T Dickie, of a well-defined
auriferous reef on the mountain side about
two miles from the Towamba-Eden road, near
Towamba. The reef, about 18 inches wide,
is of a honeycomb quartz, in which gold estimated
to yield at the rate of 10 or 12 ounces to
the ton shows freely. It is as yet too early
to determine the extent and value of the
find, but prospects are such as to encourage
the hope that a highly remunerative mine
will be the result and reward of the lucky
prospectors. A disposition to 'rush' the
field was excited by the report that an assay
of a sample of ore taken from across the
full face of the reef gave sensational results,
but experienced miners who have visited the
scene of operations state that the reef has
not yet been sufficiently opened out and
tested to warrant expectations of an extra
vagant nature. Nevertheless, apart from the
immediate locality of the find, there is
a great scope of mountainous and metalliferous
country extending from Towamba to Wyndham
that it is considered should well repay investigation.
'Magnet' August 23, 1930
* Silver lead ore at New Station, near Wyndham.
'Magnet' March 28, 1931
Honeysuckle Flat - reference made by Rev.
W. B. Clark in 1852 that gold existed there
- is believed to be near Wyndham - gold was
obtained on this flat which was on the old
teamster's route between Eden and Monaro.
'Magnet' January 23, 1932
Molybdenite re discovered at Wangrabelle,
2 miles from Mr. W. Stevens's residence.
Discovered first in 1912 but war stopped
it because men went to war. Same happened
to Yambulla.
'Magnet' July 2, 1932
* Bimbaya Goldfield - (Mr. Frank Ramsey's
battery)
'Magnet' September 3, 1932
LOCAL MINES:
Yowaka field. Gahan.
Brass Knocker Mine. Falkner.
Sugarloaf Field. Nethercote.
'Magnet' March 1933
Mr. Dickie and Mr. McLeod discovered the
Sugarloaf gold mine at Nethercote about 10
- 12 miles from Eden, 40 oz. of gold to the
ton. Recently Mr. C. Wiles bought the mine
with others. The company will be known as
the 'Towamba Goldmining Company Ltd.' The
mine has high potential. A road will be made
from Nethercote Creek. A battery is to be
erected on Spear's Creek. Such are prospects
that £20,000 has been spent on equipment
'Magnet' December 9, 1933
PERICOE
* Gold already discovered at Letts Mountain.
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'Magnet' January 6, 1934
NEW GOLD FIND
Considerable interest has been created by
the discovery recently made near the Letts
Mountain to Wog Wog road of a gold bearing
reef of exceptional richness. The find was
made by Messers Ken and Les Quigg with whom
Messers Harry Tasker and Jas. Laing are associated
as applicants for the prospectors gold mining
lease. The Quigg brothers who are experienced
miners say that they have never seen a more
promising discovery. The gold is found in
a seam about twelve inches in width, is coarse
and of first class quality. The country carries
a number of other reefs and there are indications
that several at least are auriferous. The
prospectors' claim is within a stone's throw
from the road which is accessible by car
and is within two hundred or three hundred
yards off the Wog Wog River.
Adjoining the prospector's lease is a lease
of similar area applied for by Pambula's
indefatigable mines developer Mr. James Robertson.
Next is an area applied for by Messers Alf
Tasker Jnr., and Tom Legge who have discovered
gold bearing stone of a richness equal to
that first found by the fortunate prospectors.
Another area applied for as a gold mining
lease is held by Messers Alf Tasker Snr.,
and Alf Tasker Jnr., who are hopeful that
they will find on it an extension of the
nearby reefs that have been proved to be
gold bearing.
The ridge as above as indicated is easily
accessible by car is in quite new country
so far as reefing is concerned and appears
to be well worth the attention of bonifide
gold seekers. A former resident of the district
states that 40 years or so ago numerous Chinese
made a living by washing gold from the bed
of the Wog Wog river and that many Australian
miners prospected the neighbourhood in their
search for the parent reef but without success.
Apparently it has been the good fortune of
the present prospectors to make a discovery
of potential far reaching importance and
they are the recipients of innumerable good
wishes for their unbounded success.
'Magnet' November 17, 1934
DISTRICT MINING
New Hopes of Revival
Mr. Bedford, one of the best known geologists
in Australia, is busy making a report on
the whole Pambula Goldfield and as far as
is known at present, his report is most favourable,
says "The Voice". Mr James Robertson,
whose connection with mining has hitherto
not been as profitable as his enterprise
deserves, is responsible for securing Mr.
Bedford's services and both the general public
and the many mining enthusiasts throughout
the district would join him in wishing for
a successful outcome.
Mr. Robertson has also induced the Reverend
Father O'Reilly and party to visit the district
with the result that they have taken up several
leases at Yambulla, have applied for several
new leases at Pambula, and have also taken
an option over the Wolumla Goldfield. Amongst
those interested with Fr. O'Reilly are Sir
Walter Kingsmill an Engineer Commander Hogan. As the result of these visits there is every
likelihood of a big company being formed
to work the fields on a large scale.
We are informed (as our contemporary) that
the owners of the Brass Knocker mine are
now working night shift.
'Magnet' November 24, 1934
Messers Squire, Robertson and H. A. Kraanstuyver
are opening up the old Jingera Gold Mine
and have two or three men at work there.
'Magnet' March 9, 1935
* Certain Melbourne visitors are displaying
unusual interest in the idle silver mines
at Letts Creek (near Pericoe). The mines
were in activity about forty years ago. Investigations
and tests are still being made at Yambulla
Goldfields also.
'Magnet' June 29, 1935
* Mr. Fred Clements, a Bombala district mining
man of wide experience and Mr. John McLeod
of Mila have applied for a mining prospecting
area in the Parish of Nungatta.
'Magnet' September 21, 1935
*Much interest is being taken in the Whipstick
mines. A meeting of the board of directors
was held last week.
'Magnet' November 23, 1935
*Messers Percy Maxwell and Jack Slattery
(not 'Towamba Jack') are engaged in prospecting
for gold in country at the head of Maxwell's
Swamp where some gold bearing stone was found
several years ago.
Dan Crawley discovered gold at Whipstick
in 1891 and the Great Jingera Pty. Silver
Mining Co. took out lease on the area until
1893, when mining ceased. In 1892 Whipstick
was a mass of tents, surrounding two bush
houses, two stores, a bi-weekly butcher shop
and a barber shop.
The early mining did not come up to expectations,
but mining resumed in 1895 when a Sydney
drug company, Elliot Bros., mined molybdenum
and bismuth until 1904, when the mines were
at their peak of production. Elliot Bros.
merged with the International Mines Ltd.
with a capital of 1_10,000. Bismuth and molybdenum
were sent to Sydney where the molybdenum
was exported to Germany until WW I began.
Lack of ore had caused the mining of bismuth
in 1909. From 1904-1920 two of the prominent
investors and organisers were Tom Schafer
and Herbert Robertson. Tom acted as manager,
Jack Monck was in charge of carpentry and
repairs, Power was boiler operator and Beech
installed new machinery. Fifteen stamper
batteries crushed the ore, which was brought
in railway trucks running on tracks from
Jingera Mine, picking up ore also brought
to the tracks by dray from those mines on
the other side of the ridge. After 1913,
sixty men worked at Whipstick when Whipstick
Mines Ltd. issued 24,000 shares at 10/- each.
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A horse at the Whipstick mine adit (entrance). |
Whipstick Mines - Official photograph c.1906 |
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'Jingera Mines' Photo courtesy Mal Dibden |
On the eastern side of the ridge, the mines
known as Mt. Metallic, the Pheasant's Nest
and Turbets', produced gold and molybdenum.
A road was blasted out of rock and this zig-zagged
down the steep hillsides past the entrances
to each mine shaft. Ore in the horizontal
shafts was brought out by railway trucks
to the road where the drays took over the
ore being loaded by ramp. Logs tied to the
drays prevented them from rolling down the
incline to the railway tracks from Jingera
Mine where they unloaded into the skiffs
for the stampers. After the stampers, the
three products, gold, molybdenum and bismuth,
were separated on concentrating tables and
the tailings formed large heaps about the
site and for many years were used for concrete-making
around Wyndham. The labour involved in setting
charges, drilling shot holes, blasting shafts
and tunnels, can only be realised by a visit
to the site.
Most of the mines ceased operating in 1920
due to the low world prices, so from 1922-1927
the Australian Tanning Extract and Bismuth
Co. produced
a bark tanning extract for leather - the
soakage tanks are still visible. In 1928
the settlement was wiped out by fire,
apart from one house which was later taken
and erected by Tom Schafer at a site behind
Bar Beach at Merimbula. The Mercedes car
owned by the family and burnt in the fire
rusted under the trees until some time during
the eighties.
After the fire, Walter Turbet and Herbert
Robertson prospected for many years with
the hope of finding additional deposits of
ore, until World War II when the mines were
re-opened in 1941 by B.H.P. due to a world
shortage of molybdenum. The B.H.P. operation
was managed by Ern Willoughby and he and
his family lived in the hotel. Dr. Jack,
an assayist, frequently visited to determine
the value of the ore samples, and due to
low yields, the mines again closed in 1943
and the operation moved to the Cawarra Gold
Mines near Bredbo. At Whipstick, the ore
bodies ran in pipes which, being more or
less vertical, were difficult to mine.
In 1988, much evidence remains of a busy
mining scene. Concrete works, the soaking
pits, the powder magazine, railway tracks,
the Pheasant Nest road and numerous shafts
can be seen. A few garden flowers struggling
in the undergrowth reveal the sites where
the homesteads stood. Across the road the
chimney remains of the School built in 1897
determine its site. The School was open full-time
until 1912 when it became half-time with
Stoney Batter until 1918, when it re-opened
in its own right until 1922 - reopening in
1924, it was destroyed in the fire.
The mines peaked around 1906 when 3000 tons
of ore were treated. However, for a long
period employment opportunities were provided
for many of Wyndham's people. Two of the
children who were born and grew up on the
site around the turn of the century are still
living - Jack Monck's daughter Rita and Tom
Schafer's daughter Venn. Jack had seventeen
children, most of them excellent tennis players
who learnt their skills on the Whipstick
court, while the tame kangaroos picked the
green shoots around the court boundaries.
Venn tells of the practice of having annual
Christmas holidays at Bar Beach when many
of the workers from Whipstick took the opportunity
to exchange their tents for other tents at
the beach. In those days, fish of large size
were plentiful and the holidaymakers ate
well.
After the fire, the Schafers moved to Merimbula,
the school pupils went into Wyndham, Hickeys
closed their store at Honeysuckle and George
Grant, whose home was destroyed, moved into
town. The site has mostly been overgrown
with scrub and is the home of lyre birds
and the occasional tiger snake.
Compiled by B. Cornell
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"Woolingubrah" is an Aboriginal
word for "Windy Place". This is
aptly named as the homestead block is situated
on a rather exposed flat peak of the Big
Jack range of mountains. About 200 yards
from the homestead you can gaze down on the
Rocky Hall area and see the Pacific Ocean
through a break in the mountain range. The
house was built as an Inn at the time of
the Kiandra Gold Rush of the 1860's. Mr.
Nicholson built what was called the Mountain
Hut Hotel and sometimes called the Half Way
Hotel at "Woolingubrah" in 1860.
It consisted of a bar, dining room, kitchen
and 6 bedrooms. The original section which
is still well preserved was imported in pre-fabricated
sections from America, transported from Eden
and erected on the site.
(It arrived at Eden by coastal steamer in
October 1860 and transported by bullock wagon
to the existing site and by November that
same year, it was operating as an Inn. K.Clery)
"Woolingubrah" was on the only
track from the coast (Tathra, Merimbula and
Eden ports) to Monaro and beyond for emigrants
exploring and scrutinising the land, or on
their way to the Kiandra gold rush, foreign
to anything that they had experienced before
in their mother country. The Big Jack Mountain
Bridle Track, came up through "Hillview"
with the road branching near "Woolingubrah",
one going via Archer's Flat to Bombala, the
other going to Taylor's Flat, Bibbenluke,
etc. It was more than 30 years later that
the Tantawanglo Mountain Road was constructed.
The timber in the building has been identified
as American in origin and from markings on
the wall studs it is clear that it was prefabricated.
It is probably only one of three such buildings
still in existence in Australia.
Source: State Forests "Woolingubrah Inn"
pamphlet.