Saturday 13 August 2022

Photos courtesy of Rob

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Seven walkers, including two entertaining visitors, braved an uncertain weather forecast for what turned out to a lovely day of walking around three historic gold and silver mines close to the township of Moruya.

Silver and gold was first reported in the area in 1839 however it was not made public for fear of sparking a gold rush. Word did eventually get out in the 1860’s and the first silver mine was opened. This mine yielded not only silver but also gold to a lesser extent. The ore was heavily impregnated with sulfides so it was sent overseas for both sale and processing. In later years the ore was able to be treated at a smelter in South Australia and an unsuccessful attempt was even made to treat it locally in Moruya. A concrete smelter was built for this purpose but abandoned soon after, in 1914. This roaster was our first stop and it was amazing that it was still in a remarkably good condition, having stood there for just over a hundred years. Although vines and fallen trees have now made their mark upon it.

We then visited another mine site where a ten head stamper, various sheds and a miners cottage were all located in reasonably good condition. Extensive mullock heaps and large holes reminded us of just what a thriving area it would have been in the day. It was great to see that the 2019/2020 fires had stopped just shy of this area, thus saving the wooden and iron constructions from becoming a pile of rubble like so much other mining infrastructure has sadly become after burning to the ground in the surrounding districts.

Following morning tea at the site, we commenced a walk along the nearby creek. The Myrtle trees and moss covered logs provided a lovely backdrop and almost made up for the treacherous creek crossing that consisted of slippery slimy rocks. One wet shoe was, thankfully, the only casualty. After leaving the creek we followed a ridge where we arrived at our third site. This site contained further artifacts and infrastructure from the mining era. Of particular interest was a boiler that had been part of HMAS Sydney (WW1) which was decommissioned in 1928 and scrapped the following year.

After spending some time investigating the area it was time to head back down the ridge to the creek where a pretty lunch spot was waiting. After lunch we followed the creek where further diggings were spotted. Then it was time to walk up the inevitable hill and back to the cars to complete a nice days walk.

Donna