Volume 01: Production and resources of the northern and western districts of New South Wales, 1854 [ca. 1850-1857] - Page 513
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304
NEW SOUTH WALES
NORTHERN DISTRICT
LIVERPOOL PLAINS GOLD FIELD DISCOVERED
Mr Commissioner Durbin having furnished to the Government through the Chief Commission of Crown lands a series of reports relative to the Liverpool Plains gold fields and the various diggings established in the Northern districts - I am enabled from these reports which extend over a period from 20th October 1851 to the 14th May 1852. to supply an authentic narrative of the discovery of the LIverpool Plains gold fields -
LETTER No.1 - dated 20th October 1851 States
that two parties had been prospecting at Swamp Oak Creek or Cookburn River & that one of the parties the Messrs Buchannan the discoverers of the field had been digging two days & had obtained four ounces of gold and that the other Mr Zuils party had also obtained gold. Swamp Oak Creek is a tributary of Peel River & is distant from Tamworth about 15 miles.
LETTER No. 2 is dated 6th January 1852. & in
this letter a statement is made
from 20th October to 12th
December that as many as twenty one men have
been digging gold at Swamp Oak Creek at different intervals the greater proportion of them remaining 2 or three days and then proceeding to the Turon or elsewhere, their places being taken up by others who have remained for a similar period and then left up to this time gold being obtained in small quantities.
Gold obtained at Swamp Oak Creek 1st from 15th to 31 Oct 7 men engaged in digging obtained 4 ounces - From 1st to 30th Nov ten men obtained ten ounces.
From 1st to 10th December 4 men obtained two ouncs of gold
Average of men, digging from 15th Oct to 10th Decr 1851 say six men quantity of gold produced twelve ounces -
Information is Conveyed to the Cheif [chief] Commissioner that subsequent to the 6th gold had been found at the source of Oakey Creek in the main dividing range this Creek is also a tributary of the Peel Commonly known as the hanging rock creek, the water is permanent on this Creek & is distant from Tamworth about thirty miles - and that gold had been found at Dungowan Creek another of the tributaries of the Peel the gold found there has been in small quantities also that gold had been found in small quantities from Oakey Creek to Armadale to the northward in Distance