My gg-grandfather was the first man to select land in the Kiandra area, and his son Charles James Mason thomas was the last. My home page at the following address: http://www.uftree.com/UFT/WebPages/cassidy/default/d0/i0000035.htm#i35 includes some interesting information about the area and methods of mining at the time. I hope that some of it is relevent to others. Regards Trish Cassidy Jennifer Lambert Tracey wrote: > In reply to Dennis Strangman and to others with an interest in goldfields > ... > > Thank you, I do have the Historic Kiandra book. > > Many of those diggers disillusioned with their finds on the Victorian > goldfields took off for Kiandra, in south western New South Wales, over > extremely rugged mountain country, to reach the new 'Kiandra' rush. Out of > necessity, a surveyor named Ligar devised a route via the Upper Murray and > Happy Jack into Kiandra. The track was named Ligar's Route. In the Alpine > Pioneer 27 November 1860 advertisements were run by the Australasian Steam > Navigation Company for passages from Sydney to Eden (Twofold Bay) twice > weekly for a fare with provisions was 35/-. Merimbula was also a port of > call for miners arriving by sea on "SS The Hunter" and houses of > accommodation were advertised "en route to the [Kiandra]diggings". > > I am currently completing a paper on the mining operations on New Chum Hill > which examines methods of mining used on the on the Kiandra Goldfield, > particularly those used on the Kiandra Deep Lead, New Chum Hill, during the > period 1860 - 1883. These included various applications of tunnelling and > finally hydraulic sluicing. Further, it investigates a stamper battery, > officially reported to be 'forty-head', erected to crush the auriferous > conglomerate alluvium extracted from the Great Emperor Tunnel. > > Reports of this battery's operation are scarce and anomalies in the > description of the battery exist in the historical record. The extent of the > hydraulic sluicing claims has eradicated much of the archaeological evidence > of the earlier workings and the battery site. The battery operated for only > four years before being sold to the Perseverance Gold Mining Company. It was > transported by bullock teams over the mountains to the Adelong Goldfield > [near Tumut, NSW] where it was re-erected on the banks of Adelong Creek. > There it was used to crush auriferous quartz from the reef mines on Victoria > Hill. > > If there is anyone on the list with an interest in mining in southern NSW, > north eastern Victoria, or the mining fields of North Queensland, I would > appreciate discussion with you. > > Best Wishes for 1999! > Jennifer > *********************************************************************** > Jennifer Lambert Tracey > Historical Archaeologist > Cultural Heritage Research Centre > UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA > Tel. / Fax (02) 6295 6795 > Mobile Tel. 0419 011 860 > e-mail: jtracey@ozemail.com.au > http://www.ozemail.com.au/~jtracey/ > *********************************************************************** > > -----Original Message----- > From: Strangman family [mailto:string@canberra.starway.net.au] > Sent: Thursday, 31 December 1998 15:57 > To: Jennifer Lambert Tracey > Subject: Goldfields > You might like to file in your memory banks the fact that the Kiandra rush > came about the time that the Lamplough (Vic) rush was winding down. I have > a theory that a number of miners went from Vic to Kiandra. Have you > retained many documents relating to the Kiandra rush? I have a publication > put out by the Cooma Historical people. > > ==== AUS-NSW-SE Mailing List ==== > AUS-NSW-SE pages - http://www.zip.com.au/~viv/aus-nsw-se.htm