One of the smaller stone monuments displays the following text:SITE OF FIRST LOCAL GOLD DISCOVERY
August 1851
In this area Thomas Hiscock, the Buninyong blacksmith, and his companions discovered gold in August 1851. Two plaques mark the historic moment which led to the opening of the Ballarat goldfield.
19 year old John Stoker Thomas was with Thomas Hiscock, the Buninyong village blacksmith, when he discovered gold, as was his brother Edward and Thomas Hiscock's son Thomas, all looking for a stray cow. The actual date is somewhat confused. John Stoker Thomas claimed it was Saturday 2 August 1851; the gold monument erected in 1897 states 3 August, and the Select Committee inquiring into who should be rewarded for gold discoveries in Victoria decreed in 1854 that Thomas Hiscock be rewarded for his discovery "on 8 August 1851".
Imperial Quartz Mine
From 1857 until about 1914, the Imperial Quartz Mine operated an underground gold mine here.
Gold Obelisk, Hiscocks, Midland Highway
On 21 June 1897, on Queen Victoria's 60th Jubilee, a monument was unveiled at Hiscocks, which gives the date of discovery as 3 August 1851, and incorrectly states that Buninyong as the first place where gold was discovered in Victoria! The memorial was sited at Hiscocks because it was the boundary of the old Shire and the Borough of Buninyong.
The other stone monument displays the following text:THOMAS HISCOCK
Discovered gold in this location on 8th August 1851
With the later development of deep lead mining the "Imperial Mine" ca. 1857 - 1915 was established on the ridge to the west of this site.
The mining village of "Hiscocks" stretched along the present Hiscock Gully Road.
Buninyong & District Historical Society
5th August 2001
After the discovery of gold at Buninyong in August 1851 the government announced that the diggers would be charged a large licence fee. The injustice of that decision sparked a public protest here at the diggings.
"Buningyong 26 August
Tonight for the first time since Australia rose from the bosum of the ocean, were men strong enough in their sense of right, lifting up a protest against an impending wrong, and protesting against the Government.
Melbourne Argus, 30 August 1851"
This was the first of many protests leading to the Eureka Rebellion of 1854.
This plaque was placed in August 2005 by the Ballarat Reform League Inc with the assistance of the Vera Moore Foundation.
Geological map of the Ballarat gold field which shows historical features in superb detail, including mine shafts/companies, reefs, leads, gullies/flats, and gold nugget discovery sites. High quality, durable A1 print in a satin finish. Large, 594 x 891 mm. Go to online shop.
BBQ
Buninyong
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