Volume 01: Production and resources of the northern and western districts of New South Wales, 1854 [ca. 1850-1857] - Page 580
You are here
Primary tabs
Transcription
28
PRODUCTION OF THE VICTORIAN AND NEW SOUTH WALES MINES 20 OCT 1851 TO 30TH JUNE 1852
The exports of gold from the Colony of Victoria from the 20th of October 1851 to the 30th June 1852 amounted to 943.020 ounces which at £3. 5/- gave a Value of £3,064:815. A similar return relative to New South Wales showed the quantity of gold shipped from Sydney to be 615,769 ounces Valued at £2.004:147. from which deducting 169,232 ounces exported from Victoria to Sydney
Valued at £555.006 would leave the net export from New South Wales £1,451:136 which added to the export of Victoria gave a grand total of 1,389:656 ounces or in sterling money £4,516.001.
In October 1851 there were seven thousand gold diggers in Victoria.
On the 1st of April 1853 it was estimated that there were no fewer than fifty thousand people [?] at Mt Alexander
engaged in gold digging.
The exports of the Victorian gold fields had Caused an extrordinary [extraordinary] influx of people from the adjacent Colonies Computed [?] to average eight thousand persons per month.
The population of Victoria on the 1st of April 1832 was computed to be One[?] hundred and fifteen thousand persons and at this date the estimated number of ounces of gold obtained from the Victorian mines 653:270 which at £3 per ounce amounted to £1.954:810
produced in little more than four months. Thus it early became evident that the Victorian gold fields would entirely eclipse in richness and productiveness those of New South Wales.
The intelligence of the immense productiveness of the
Bunningyong [Buningyong} gold field from which in September 1857 a daily yield was Calculated to amount to £6000 and from which twelve thousand pounds worth of gold had been gathered together by five hundred & sixty seven men in the space of a few days produced great affect upon the miners in New South Wales hundreds of whom left their claims for the gold fields in he South, While the comparative Vicinity of the gold mines in the Colony of Victoria being less than Seventy
miles from a Sea port induced thousands to leave Melbourne the Capital for the gold mines at Mount Alexander, and from the Sea port of Geelong for the Bunningyong [Buninyong] gold mines which are situated
seven miles from Balaarat [Ballarat].
The working of the Bunningyong [Buningyong] gold mines led to the great discovery of gold at Balaarat [Ballarat].
CASTLEMAINE AND TARRENGOWER GOLD MINES
At Castlemaine new patches of ground have been opened in the back gullies in which are rich deposits of gold and the use of puddling machines are increasing. On the summit of Mount Tarrengower a very rich and apparently lasting reef has been opened extending north
across the adjoining range. A large body of miners are now at work. Machinery 20 steam Engines, 100 puddling machines, 54 Sluices, 29 hand machines. Estimated population ten thousand. A solid lump of gold weighing 54 lbs ( 544 ounces 3 dwts) was found near Castlemain [Castlemaine] in the back creek Tarradale.[Taradale]. This is the largest lump of pure gold, with one exception ever discovered in the Colony of Victoria. About eighty ounces of small gold was found near the nugget. The site of this precious deposit was in the centre of the creek, about twelve feet from the surface.