This monument on the corner of the Midland Highway and Hiscock Gully Road in Buninyong commemorates the gold discovery at Hiscocks, which soon sparked the beginnings of the Ballarat goldfield!
Thomas Hiscock and his companions discovered gold in this area in August, 1851. This stone monument is across from the site of the Imperial Quartz Mine which operated here from 1857.
Thomas Hiscock had spent some time searching for gold before finally making his discovery, and his companion, John Stoker Thomas, later pinpointed the exact discovery site as the spot where the Imperial stamp battery stood.
Thomas Hiscock sadly passed away in Buninyong just a few years after his monumental discovery. He is buried in the Buninyong Cemetery, which is situated directly across the highway from the spot where he found gold.
Hiscock's discovery played an important part in the beginnings of the Ballarat goldfield.
John Dunlop and James Regan had been in a party of five who were digging at Hiscocks for a few weeks - with little luck. Regan headed to Clunes for a few days where James Esmond was working, before heading back towards Hiscocks where Dunlop had stayed with their equipment.
With the small amount of experience he had gained over these few weeks, Regan found a likely spot to try for gold on his way back, finding gold on Yuille's Ballarat Station!
Hurrying to fetch Dunlop, the pair returned with their equipment and got to work at
Poverty Point.
Incorrect information displayed on the monument
This stone monument on the corner of Hiscock Gully Road and the Midland Highway gives an incorrect date of discovery as well as a false claim that this was the first spot where gold discovered in Victoria.
The monument displays the following text:
Erected by the Borough and Shire of Buninyong to indicate the spot where gold was first discovered in Victoria by Mr T. Hiscocks August 3rd 1851.
Davin Kerr M. P. Mayor
Jas A. Jordon Town Clerk
F. E. Sides J. P President
G. A Hale Secretary
June 21st 1897
Queen's Diamond Jubilee Year.
A
more recent set of monuments lies further along Hiscocks Gully Road, which features plaques set in stone and a beautifully presented information sign.
Also of interest
BBQ
Buninyong
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