The Buckland Valley Gold Fields History

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Gravity said:
Aussiedigs said:
Gravity said:
Thought to share this book with you, great if you get a chance to pick it up a great read and how gold in the area was discovered. :Y:

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/5190/1557906969_img_0534.jpg

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/5190/1557906998_img_0535.jpg

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/5190/1557907024_img_0536.jpg
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Beeen out of print for quite some time apparently. Second hand ones have been going for up to $130. Ill look after mine a little better i reckon!
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The lady at the camp site got her copy from the local flee market $5.00 I did see a copy in the local book shop there @ $40

Cheers
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Geez mate jump on it.

We visited the museum at Bright where they hold copies of particular books. It was there that they told us the $130 worth.

Whoever sold theirs for $5 would be slightly disappointed to hear of their value.
 
As a kid (mid to late 1940's), my old teacher came from Porepunkah and he had his own little gold mine up the Buckland valley somewhere. He would occasionally bring in some quartz chunks to school with his mortar and pestle, and have us kids have a go at smashing up the quartz.

He would take the crushed results home with him to pan in the Ovens river behind his house. He stayed at our place during the week and went home to his place at the weekends.

He was always short of a quid, so I don't think that he made his fortune from gold mining and I can't say that I saw any specs in the crushings, but I was looking for big nuggets, not fines.

Rob P.
 
Hi Guy's Dose anyone know the whereabouts of the old gold mine in the buckland valley down stream from the junction. i know there is on the side of the hill near Camp Flat. Went to it about 40 years ago and now we can't find it, my partners Grand father worked it and we would like to go back and check it out one more.
Thnkyou
Poz
 
Occasional_panner said:
Alright!
I was camped along the buckland on one of the many flats there on a nice still summer night but there was plenty of moonlight so you could still see really well.
I was sitting by the fire in my chair having a beer and this old timer fella came past with this old antique wheel barrow with a wooden wheel. He went straight past my camp without looking at me, then he went straight through the trunk of this big tree and carried on his way.
Like I said I'm not a believer but I just can't explain that. :|
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the explanation .... maybe Dr Penfolds celebrated Port Wine
 
Pozz said:
Hi Guy's Dose anyone know the whereabouts of the old gold mine in the buckland valley down stream from the junction. i know there is on the side of the hill near Camp Flat. Went to it about 40 years ago and now we can't find it, my partners Grand father worked it and we would like to go back and check it out one more.
Thnkyou
Poz
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Possibly it is the Welcome Reef
Working Method: Shaft
Type: Worked Vein
Gold Ore: 1491t
Gold: 32313gms
Lat:-36.85283
Long: 146.86339
 
Just a little more history I found whilst searching.
"An estimated 6,000 diggers were swarming up the Buckland River valley by January 1854.1 Soon after, though, the rush was abruptly halted by an outbreak of 'colonial fever'. Within a few days, most of the diggers were either dead or had fled. For years thereafter, the Buckland was known as 'The Valley of the Shadow of Death' and was largely shunned by diggers until early in 1857 when there came a great number of Chinese."
 
There were a few hundred diggers there in the intervening years to 1857 when the Chinese moved in. The "Colonial Fever" was typhoid in Victoria, typhus in northern Australia (two different things). I am doubtful that typhoid was the reason that it was shunned for years - more likely rich alluvial gold returns had diminished. The reason for rejuvenation in 1857 was probably because the influx was Chinese, and they were very efficient miners who would re-work low-grade gold left by earlier European diggers. In 1857 they greatly outnumbered the Europeans, but 100 miners attacked their camp and burnt it to the ground and they fled to the hills. Three Chinese died (they were ill when they fled and it was very cold).
 
Occasional_panner said:
Mate, I think you'll find that area is fine to detect, as you just need to stay away from nat parks, NCR, Ref area.
A big portion of that area is state forest.
Have a look here http://nremap-sc.nre.vic.gov.au/MapShare.v2/imf.jsp?site=forestexplorer
Click on legend to see what type of land it is that you are interested in.

Have another read through here to refresh the memory http://earthresources.vic.gov.au/ea...-prospecting-and-fossicking/land-access-rules

Alluvial is totally different, a off limits steam/river can go through an area that you can detect on(state forest), ie no panning sluicing in the water, but detect on the dry land is fine.

So yes go detecting there and find those hidden stashes, plenty of chinese coins to be found there apparently.
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Hi ..the link with the map you put up, I don't seem to be able to bring up,, I am looking at going up there for a week and detecting where I can, also would like to take my dog with me, but worried about the snakes,, any info you could give me about the area would be great,, thanks Mark
 

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