Branching out - scratching the surface

In my last post I looked at a gold mine along the banks of Woodbourne Creek near Bamganie, however this was not the only gold prospecting which went on along the creek. A little further upstream of the mine, along a small spring-fed creek which runs into Woodbourne Creek there is clear evidence of surface working.

A gully leading to the creek showing signs of digging

A number of small gullies show signs of excavation (and subsequent erosion) and the remains of structures used in the extraction of gold can also be seen. The first thing to note however, are a number of shallow dips in the landscape adjacent to the little creek where prospectors have removed surface soil to a depth of only a few feet, looking for those tell-tale signs which would indicate the presence of gold.

A small hollow (centre and below the skyline) indicates test digging

If none were found, they would move on, trying their luck in another spot. Other signs of activity can be seen in some of the gullies where the remains of walls are evident, built as part of the digging process.


A worked gully with the remains of a wall just visible in the middle distance

Remains of a cement wall

Remains of wall

Another obvious construction is the remains of a shallow water channel which presumably ran from further up the creek, diverting water off to the various gullies being worked.

Water channel running beside the gullies

Another less obvious sign of the mining process was pointed out by our guide. Walking up a gully we arrived at a large, levelled off area which was circular and slightly raised with a hole in the centre. After explaining the that tailings from the local mining activities had been used in later years to form road base, he then suggested that this was not the case here and I could see what he meant.

The hole in the centre of the mound

 

Remains of a puddling machine

These surely were the remains of a puddling machine used to crush the rock which was brought up from the gullies below. The circular area would have formed the base whilst the central hole would have contained the shaft around which the wheel turned. There was no obvious depression in which the wheel which crushed the rock would have turned, but perhaps that had been filled in.
An excellent example of a puddling machine still in operation today is that at Sovereign Hill, however the general workings can be seen in this illustration from 1855 by Samuel Thomas Gill:

1855 depiction of a puddling machine by ST Gill, image held by the National
Library of Australia

The machine was used to break up lumps of clay and gravel, before it was transferred for washing to remove the gold from the soil. This could be done using a hand-operated cradle, by panning or by running the crushed dirt through a sluice which could be a small box similar to a cradle or a larger structure running down a creek or gully. I do not know which of the various processes were used at this site but perhaps the presence of the channel leading across the top of the gullies suggests sluicing was employed. This was certainly the most efficient means of washing the dirt, but was reliant upon a good supply of water.
What I do know is that the workings along Woodbourne and Cargerie Creeks were never rich fields like nearby Steiglitz and the work there was probably hard and often unrewarding. These were small alluvial claims worked by hand and using small machinery, not the deep leads and heavy equipment of Steiglitz.

Branching out - mining on Woodbourne Creek

Recently I had the chance to examine a little more of the goldmining history of the Bamganie/Woodbourne Creek region with a trip to see a mine not too dissimilar to that at Mt Doran which I wrote about previously. Mining in this area dates back to the 1870s, with gold discoveries first at Bamganie in 1874 and then along Woodbourne and Cargerie Creeks in the following year as I have discussed in a previous post. Over the following decades, well into the 20th century, miners came to try their hand at striking gold in the area, working both on the surface (the subject of a my next post) and below ground.
This mine was not only interesting for the tunnel which, like the other mine, ran back into a hillside, but also for the vestiges of the mining process which could be seen scattered around the site. The first object pointed out was a metal boiler lying partway up the slope.

Discarded boiler

Lower down the slope, below both the boiler and the mine, there was also evidence that the creek had been dammed to provide water for various mining processes, whilst up the slope was a brick structure which our guide pointed out was constructed from Hoffman bricks.

Brick structure above the mine entrance

Hoffman brick

The Hoffman Brickworks was a Brunswick-based company established in 1870, which used various innovative brickmaking techniques over the years before finally closing its doors in 2005. These artefacts suggest that the site must have shown some potential and been backed by investors.
The interior of this mine was in many ways similar to that I viewed at Mount Doran and described in this post. It had timber support structures and according to our guide, showed evidence of some engineering skill in its construction.


Tunnel near the entrance

Tunnel with timber supports

To my inexperienced eye however, the composition of the rocks and soil seemed somewhat different and the presence of fine tree roots dangling through from the roof in this mine was also a point of difference.

Tree roots hanging from the roof of the tunnel

Commonly, gold-bearing quartz is found in the presence of iron ore. This was certainly the case across the goldfields of the Moorabool and Leigh Rivers. At the foot of Bungal Dam, not far from the mine I investigated near Mt Doran, commercial quantities of iron were mined during the late 1870s and early 1880s.
Likewise, the land around Bamganie and Woodbourne Creek contains iron. Geological survey maps from the 1860s show areas between Cargerie and Woodbourne Creeks where the soil is composed of  "ferruginous conglomerate containing [an] abundance of rounded quartz pebbles" and "thick beds of ironstone cement & quartz gravel the later containing rounded quartz boulders...where these occur payable gold has been obtained". The maps also indicate that "gold has been found in many places along Reid's [Woodbourne] Creek and in some spots payable". Unlike the gold, the iron ore was presumably not deemed payable however it was clearly present as evidenced by the rusted colour of some of the quartz.

Quartz showing rust stains caused by the presence of iron

A quartz vein showing staining

In addition to the tell-tale rust stains which would alert miners to the presence of iron and the potential for gold, another indicator was the appearance of a black line running through the rock. Such a line can also indicate the presence of iron and therefore gold. I am told that this is a result of the oxidation which can occur where soils of different mineral types come in contact and my research suggests that the black colouration may be haematite, a type of iron oxide.

Black oxide running along the rock face

An example of this was clearly present here (as can be seen in a number of the above pictures) where the line would have dictated the direction of excavation.
At the mouth of another nearby shaft, marks in the rock left by the miners' picks can still be seen as they explored what may have been another promising lead.


Pick marks still visible on the rock surface

A little further away still, the signs of surface prospecting are clearly evident also, but that will be discussed in my next post.

Branching out - Woodbourne No. 2: you learn something every day

In many parts of Victoria, the 1860s and 70s saw a significant change in the way land was distributed and used. On the heels of the departing squatters came the small selectors. Not everyone had struck it rich during the gold rush, most of the "easy" to find alluvial gold had been found and people were now looking for other ways to support themselves. Many had come from farming stock in their native countries, so it was natural that they would look to the land in their new country. What they saw however, was a large amount of land in the hands of a very few wealthy squatters, so pressure was brought to bear on the government for changes to the laws which would allow for smaller settlers to own their little piece of land, plant their crops, breed their livestock and raise their families.
And this was a plan that suited the government who were keen to establish a class of what they saw as "yeomen farmers" such as they had in the Old Country. Of course, smaller farms meant more intensive cultivation which meant higher productivity which meant a growing economy and more money for the government. The only people who didn't see things quite the same way were the squatters whose runs were being carved up by selectors.

Farm land on the Woodbourne Creek at Bamganie

The end result was the passing of laws in the early 1860s which allowed prospective farmers to purchase a few hundred acres of land from the crown, either outright or on easy terms which could be paid off over time. And if I read the parish maps correctly, this is exactly what happened on the Woodbourne No. 2 run.
This then was the backdrop to the land acquisitions which occurred in the latter half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century as smaller landholders moved in, fences were erected, crops were planted and families put down roots. Naturally enough, with the increase in population, the demand for education arose and eventually two schools were established on the old Woodbourne run.
The Woodburn Creek Primary School No. 1748 which first opened its doors on 3rd August, 1876 after three years of wrangling with the education department, was situated on land just west of the creek and north of the Meredith-Mt Mercer Road. Not surprisingly its roll read like a list of the local selectors.

The original Woodburn Creek school site. A post from the school grounds can
just be seen in the middle of the photograph

The school operated on this site until its closure in 1906. That building was eventually removed to Sheoaks where it was later destroyed by fire. The school reopened a second time in 1935, about a mile to the west at the intersection of the Meredith-Mt Mercer and Bamganie Roads in a building provided by Mr AG McNaughton on whose land it was built. This time it operated until 1946 when falling numbers again saw it close. In 1953 it reopened for the final time, taking in students (myself included) from properties in the surrounding district.


Woodburn Creek Primary School No. 1748. The second building on the new
site at the cross-roads c1978

In 1971, the old school building was replaced by a portable classroom (pictured above) which remained until the school's final closure which occurred in 1983 when enrolments fell to three students.

Geelong Advertiser article at the time of Woodburn
Creek's closure

As on previous occasions when the school closed, the local community were keen to make use of the building, however the Department of Education would not agree to such a scheme and the main building was moved to Tate Street Primary School in East Geelong. The small annex which had been built from funds raised by parents was moved to the Meredith Primary School and later demolished.

The second site of the Woodburn Creek Primary School today with memorial plaque

There were several reasons why the Woodburn school almost didn't eventuate, with disputes over where to locate the school, questions raised about student numbers and over funding, however one of the main reasons the education department questioned the need for a school on the Woodbourne Creek site was the recent opening in September, 1872 of Cargerie State School No. 1151, on land previously belonging to the Larundel Estate (originally Narmbool). It was argued that students could walk across country to Cargerie instead.

Map showing the sites (in green) of the Woodburn Creek Primary School. The
earlier site near the creek is on the right and the later site at the crossroads to the left

Then, in August, 1875 whilst negotiations over the Woodburn school were still in progress, a second school was opened, which would make Woodburn Creek Primary the second school on the old Woodbourne Creek run. This was Bamganie State School No. 1590.
The school was initially located on what became known as School Point, in the V of land formed by the confluence of the Woodbourne and Wilson Creeks. Like Woodburn Creek Primary, the school at Bamganie was moved from its original site and was plagued over the years by fluctuating student numbers.

Map showing the two sites (marked green) occupied by the Bamganie
State School. The lower site between the creeks was the original site

The original location overlooking the creeks, suited no-one as all students had to cross a creek to get to the school, making access difficult. The solution came in 1883 when it was decided to relocated to a new site on the west side of Bamganie Road about 2km from the southern end of Bamganie Road. Fulltime teaching commenced in that year and continued until 1890 when - with falling numbers at both schools - Bamganie operated together with Woodburn Creek, some 9km distant by road, on a half and half basis until the closure of Woodburn Creek in 1906. From this time, Bamganie and Cargerie (about 14km away by road) were operated together.
In 1923, to commemorate those students from the school who fought in the First World War, a pine tree was planted around the perimeter of the school for each of the servicemen and was accompanied by a plaque. Each of the fourteen current students planted a tree with the fifteenth planted by two students who were to start at the school the following year.



Some of the commemorative pines can be seen behind the more recent eucalypts

Like the Woodburn school, the Bamganie Primary School was the focus of many district activities being used for divine service by both the Presbyterians and the Methodists as well as for community events. The final closure for Bamganie State School No. 1590 came in 1933. The building remained on the site until being offered for auction as a hall in 1943.
In 1967 fire swept through the area, damaging some of the trees and, it was reported, burning four houses. I can attest that this was nearly five houses as the fire closely approached the property recently purchased by my parents, some 5.5km up the road. Through the efforts of my grandfather, it was stopped at the plantation which surrounds the house.


Bamganie World War 1 soldiers' memorial at the Bamganie State School site

Today, the school no longer stands however some of the pine trees which survived the fire do. The location is marked by the above sign which was erected in 2011 and was accompanied by a book about the servicemen and the school by local author Margaret Cooper. Her 2007 publication commemorates the Woodburn Creek Primary School.



Branching out - Woodbourne No. 2 - no rush!

In 1851, the history of Victoria changed forever when gold was discovered near Ballarat. It created a frenzy of activity which resulted in any likely quartz deposits being "prospected" in the hopes of finding gold. In 1855 the Stieglitz goldfields were discovered and the area found itself in the grip of a rush.
Like the creeks and gullies around Stieglitz, Woodbourne Creek harboured a number of gold deposits, however unlike Stieglitz which was "rushed", resulting in a huge population influx and extensive prospecting in the area, the history of gold discovery along Woodbourne Creek was more of a dawdle than a rush.
It was known that there were likely gold-bearing deposits along the creek and from the late 1850s periodic attempts were made to mine them.
In 1864, a field was opened at Woodbourne when alluvial gold was found by a German prospector in "Munroe's Gully" - a tributary of the Woodbourne. Gold was soon found along the creek itself which in various places still shows signs of mining activity.

This section of the state forest is scattered with old mounds. Often, as in this
case, trees have grown in them

A surveyor's map from 1867 at one point notes: "Gold has been found in many places along Reids [Woodbourne] creek and in some spots payable". The map also notes the presence of four gullies immediately east of Woodbourne Creek, the second being a "Quartz Reef Gully" (from position probably Wilson Creek) and the fourth is labelled "Digger's Gully" - towards the boundary of the Woodbourne and Golf Hill estates.
In 1888 a geologist's report published in the Argus described a quartz reef which runs along west bank of Woodbourne Creek near the Meredith-Mount Mercer Road. It described the reef as running south along the creek bank, in places some 80 feet (over 24m) above the creek's course at that time. To the north it also followed the creek, crossing underneath the streambed before being covered by geologically more recent basalt flows somewhere near the homestead.

Looking towards Woodbourne homestead. Woodbourne Creek lies to the right

The southern end of this reef was on the land of "Lingford and McCrae" both of whom made some attempts to mine the gold in the gullies which cut across the reef, however were not satisfied with the results achieved.
By contrast, in 1879 one article claimed that a "quartz reef of tolerable richness" had been found. It was described as being "on the crown lands adjoining Mr McAdam's property". Survey maps show that Robert McAdam held about 300 acres of land east and at the southern end of the current state forest and near the head of Wilson Creek from this same year. A newspaper report a couple of months later indicated a yield from the Bamganie Gold Mining Company (the same group of miners perhaps?) which was so promising they intended to erect a 5 head battery to process the quartz on site, rather than sending it to Ballarat for processing. Shares in the company were still being sold in 1891.

A five-head battery from Trunkey Creek, probably similar to that used on
Woodbourne Creek

Two years earlier another enterprise with the pragmatic name of Leidwill's New Find Gold-Mining Company was established to work a lead in a "small tributary running parallel to the creek" (Woodbourne Creek?).
In 1880 and 1883 further reefs were located and worked at Bamganie, then in 1891 it was reported further that "rich patches of alluvial and quartz have been found [on Woodbourne Creek], a deep alluvial lead has been discovered but has not yet been fully tested". Mining notes in the Argus of November, 1895 record the lowering of water levels in the South Day Dawn mine on Woodbourne Creek.
Attempts to find gold on what was originally the Woodbourne run continued over the years and another speculative venture was undertaken at Bamganie in 1901 when the Duke of Wellington Mine was opened.

Signs of the past close to the Woodbourne Creek bed

A 1901 map of the "goldfields" in the area shows mines with names such as the Duchess of Hamilton, Golden Fleece, Star of Bamganie, The King, Home Rule (presumably an Irish outfit), Day Dawn and Leap Year located along the reef running down from the homestead along the creek, on both crown and private property.
At one time, up to 50 leases were issued for the area. Of those along the creek,  several were held by Thomas Nichols, Arch. Campbell and Angus Grant. In 1902 Nichols was involved in a legal stoush over the incorrect staking of a claim for his Duchess of Cornwall Gold Mining Company whilst the 1932 Victoria Government Gazette lists Grant amongst others under "Applications for mining leases abandoned".
There is one other twist to the story of goldmining on Woodbourne Creek and that is Lewis Hubert (Harold Bell) Lasseter of "Lasseter's Lost Reef" fame. He was born Lewis Hubert Lasseter to parents William John Lasseter and Agnes Cruickshank at Bamganie in 1880. Lasseter only lived in the district until he was seven and I can see no sign of Lasseters on the survey maps however, in the year of his birth a John Cruickshank selected land on Woodbourne Creek just above the confluence with Wilson Creek. Presumably he and his family lived nearby.

Lewis Hubert (Harold Bell) Lasseter

Lasseter lived a colourful often controversial life and claimed to have found (but lost) a fabulous quartz reef in the interior of the country. It has never been found nor have I found any suggestion that he ever returned to his birth place. Perhaps he would have had more success had he tried his hand prospecting at Bamganie...

Branching out - Woodbourne No 2: where is it now?

Well this turned out to be a whole lot more complicated than I expected, so what was going to be one post will now be three of them. I initially set out to discover the history of Woodbourne No. 2 - one of the original squatting runs lying in part on the Leigh River, but covering the entire length of Woodbourne Creek, a tributary of the Leigh.

The Woodbourne Creek at the Meredith-Mt Mercer road crossing

The Woodbourne Creek at the Meredith-Mt Mercer road crossing

Woodbourne No. 2 is perhaps one of the lesser known squatting runs in the region of the three rivers. It is of particular interest to me however, as I grew up on a farm which formed part of the original run. I also attended the local Woodburn Creek Primary School - yes, the spelling is different.
The run itself covered the area bounded on the south east by Native Creek No. 1 run (then in the hands of the Learmonth brothers of the Derwent Company), to the south west by Golf Hill and the Upper Leigh runs of the Clyde Company, to the north and west by the Cargerie run of George FH Read Jnr and on its short north eastern boundary just above Meredith, by the Borhoneyghurk run of John Norman McLeod. In total, an area of about 14,000 acres.
Prior to European occupation, the land was of course home to the indigenous tribes of the Wathaurong and according to the Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales (1877-1884) there were obvious signs of Wathaurong habitation along the Woodbourne Creek in the form of oven mounds and trees stripped of their bark which had a variety of uses.
The Woodbourne No. 2 run was first occupied in 1844 by Alexander, Charles and John Wilson who formed a partnership known as Wilson Brothers. It was the smallest of three squatting runs held by the Wilsons, the other two being Kewell (117,760 acres) and Walmer (40,000 acres), both located in the Wimmera district.
Whilst it is reasonable to assume that the brothers spread themselves between their three runs, we know they spent enough time at Woodbourne to build a house.


Woodbourne homestead. Copyright Department of the Environment

The structure was a six room, timber homestead which records indicate had a central hallway and was constructed from pit-sawn stringybark or yellow box planks. The roof was covered by stringy bark shingles.

Original section of Woodbourne homestead showing timber walls and roof
battens. From the Bob Reid Collection, Copyright, Department of the Environment

The site of the house whose remains still stand, is close to the head of the Woodbourne Creek. The creek rises from a natural spring around 5.5km north west of the present day town of Meredith and would have provided a permanent water source for the settlers.
In November, 1847 the brothers placed an advert in the Geelong Advertiser seeking information on a bay mare branded with a W (presumably for Woodbourne) which had strayed from the property two months earlier.
About a month later the brothers applied to have the licences for their various properties renewed. They are listed as the landholder of Woodbourne No 2 in the Squatters' Directory of the Occupants of Crown Lands of Port Phillip 1849 indicating that their application was successful.
However, the partnership did not long survive this point and was dissolved at the behest of brother Alex when the following announcement appeared in The Argus of 1849:

Notice,

The partnership hitherto existing between John Wilson, Charles Wilson and Alexander Wilson, under the designation of Wilson Brothers, is this day dissolved as far as the said Alexander Wilson is concerned, he having withdrawn from the firm.

EALEX WILSON.

For WILSON BROTHERS,

                          CHARLES WILSON.

Witnesses   ANDREW LOVE Jun.

                         CHARLES MACKINNON

Woodbourne February 26th, 1849

The homestead and its surrounds today

Further testament to the Wilson's time in the area is a little creek (just over 10km in length) which bears their name and which is joined by Woodbourne Creek about 1.8km above their confluence with the Leigh River at Bamganie.
Whether the longer Woodbourne Creek (about 15km in length) takes its present name from the name given to the run by the Wilsons or the run was named for the creek, I do not know, however I have seen at least one survey map from the 1860s which gives the name of the creek as Reid's Creek.
This name reflects that of the person who took over the run after the departure of the Wilsons, in 1853 - William James Reid, an Irishman from Letterkenney in the north of Ireland.

William James Reid, squatter

Reid took possession on 2nd January, 1853 and a few months later in May of that year brought his new bride Elizabeth Elliott Armstrong to live on the property. Together, they raised a family of nine children and as the need arose they extended the original timber house with a bluestone extension consisting of three extra rooms and a passageway. The new section was situated in front of the original house and was roofed with slate and surrounded by a verandah of corrugated iron. At some point the shingle roof of the original building was also covered with iron. The ceilings were of pressed metal and - in the front rooms - lathen plaster whilst the floors were hardwood.

The homestead showing the old (rear) section and the newer (front) section.
From the Bob Reid Collection, Copyright, Department of the Environment

At the time of purchase from the Wilsons, the run carried 5,000 sheep. A geographical and topical map produced for the surveyor's office in 1867, indicates a brush fence separating the Woodbourne run from that of George Russell's to the south as well as a set of "brush yards" which if I calculate correctly would have been about 1km west and 3.5km south of Bamganie and the Meredith-Mt Mercer roads respectively.

Reid and his family remained at Woodbourne until 1872 at which point one source indicates that he forfeited the lease on the run. I suspect that the timing of his exit may have been no chance thing. In the early to mid-1860s, the Victorian government introduced new laws to encourage closer settlement, allowing small "selectors" to take up blocks of crown land on easy terms, including areas held under current squatters licences. The squatters complained vehemently to the government that the new laws discriminated against them, the very people who had opened up the countryside and brought about such improvement.
After all their effort, they were - they claimed - at risk of having their land snatched from beneath them by moneyed "land sharks". On the other hand, many squatters themselves attempted to rort this new system by having "mediums" purchase the rights to the land on their runs which in turn would immediately be leased back to the squatter - in return for a fee of course!

Wilson Creek below its confluence with Woodbourne Creek looking across land
which was selected from the original Woodbourne run in 1872 by P O'Donnell

His obituary claims that William Reid argued long and hard against the land sharks and his refusal to pay "tribute" to them cost him dearly. Newspaper reports of the day indicate that Reid did in fact fight against the resumption of "his" land and looking at the surveyor's maps of the era, there were several blocks of Woodbourne land selected during the 1860s and possibly further blocks sold outright to selectors. Much of it seems to have been to the east of the railway line with some to the north of the homestead site. This may well account for statements indicating that the size of the run had been reduced to 10,000 acres by 1865.
By 1869 and during the 1870s however, the uptake of land seems to have gathered considerable pace. Much of the land to the west of the homestead and down to about 1.5km south of the Meredith-Mt Mercer Road was taken up. A number of blocks towards the most southerly part of the run along Wilson's Creek were also selected.

Henderson's Road which crosses Wilson Creek at "Tayolor's Bridge" was named
for a later selector from the 1880s who took up land to the west of this site on the
Leigh River - probably on Golf Hill land. This road may have formed part of the
boundary between the two properties. Edwin Taylor selected the land which can
be seen immediately the bridge in 1880.
behind the bridge

At this point, Reid probably saw the writing on the wall for his run and in 1872 chose to forfeit his lease and sold the remaining 3,000 acres and homestead to John Matheson of Moranghurk.
 This enabled him to pursue his squatting ambitions on the Darling River. From there, he went on to purchase a number of stations in New South Wales and one as far north as Cloncurry in Queensland as detailed in his 1914 obituary. In later life, he retired to Geelong and is buried at the Eastern Cemetery with his wife and several other family members.


Views fit for a squatter. The Reid family grave at the Eastern Cemetery

From 1872 onwards, the homestead was used as staff housing by the Mathesons, remaining in good condition until the 1950s. The land along with the neighbouring Native Creek No. 1 run - also acquired by Matheson - was absorbed into the Moranghurk Estate, remaining intact until soldier settlement arrived in 1953.
At that time, the block containing the homestead passed to Mr George Morris Lloyd and his wife Olive. The Lloyds and their children farmed the block until 1973, despite having suffered heavy losses in a fire in 1967. In that year, they sold the farm to Alan and Margaret Parkinson, who are still the owners of the farm they called Woodbourne.

The remains of the homestead today. The walls of the bluestone section
remain standing however the roof appears to have completely collapsed. The
stables (right) built in the 1870s appear to be mostly intact.

The rest of the Woodbourne No. 2 run - mostly the southern section - seems to have reverted to crown land which was taken up by selectors during the 1880s, 1890s and into the early 20th century. The only part to remain in government hands today is the land along the lower section of Woodbourne Creek which now forms the Bamganie State Forest.

Inside the state forest, looking across Woodbourne Creek

The creek at this point is steep and quite heavily wooded and would not have been appropriate for either grazing or cultivation which may in part explain its continued reservation as crown land.


One of the many gullies running down to Woodbourne Creek near the state forest

There is however another possibility which will be the subject of my next post - GOLD!