Clunes is the important scene of Victoria's first "payable
goldfield", made famous by James Esmond when he worked an auriferous
quartz vein here using a cradle in July 1851.
Esmond was not the first discoverer of gold at Clunes, but he was
the first to profitably work it! The gold-bearing quartz was found a year earlier here on Donald Cameron's
sheep run, which was named Clunes.
This gold discovery monument at Clunes sits atop a hill alongside
the Port Phillip mine site. This is not the spot where gold was
discovered, but it isn't far away. The gold was first found in quartz reefs on the hill nearby.
The monument has a plaque which displays the following text:
Borough of Clunes
The first gold discovered in Victoria was found near this spot on July 1st 1851 by James William Esmond
Erected by the Clunes in Melbourne Club
Actual gold discovery site at Clunes
If you look closely, you will see the site of the actual discovery marked by another monument on the hillside. You can just see a rusty old chimney sticking out from the prickle bushes. This chimney has a cairn of quartz at its base.
The Port Phillip & Colonial Gold Mining Company
The Port Phillip and Colonial Gold Mining Company began operations here in 1857, and was one of the most advanced and innovating mining ventures of its time.
A sheltered sign board displays a photo of the North Shaft, and displays the following text:
The North Shaft of the Port Phillip Mine in 1865. The picture shows the changing of the three p.m. shift. The timber on the ground is for the boilers, which required vast amounts to fuel them. This constant demand resulted in the complete removal of trees from Clunes and the surrounding district.
There were two shafts, known as the North, the oldest in the Clunes field, 525m (1,745 feet) deep and the South, 271m (890 feet). They connected to several kilometers of tunnels.
The poppet head for the North Shaft, was approximately 50m directly ahead. The poppet head for the South Shaft, 20m right.
The mine plant, one of the largest in the world, comprised, four multitubular boilers, supplying steam to a pumping engine, a winding engine and one capstan engine, that was used to drive a 'Roots Blower'.
A leader in technical innovation, this mine was the first to ventilate their workings with fresh air, using the 'Roots Blower'.
The trucks on the elevated rail, were used to dispose of the unwanted rock onto the mullock heaps.
All work was done using manual labour. Har rock, water and foul air, made work on the deep quartz reefs extremely hazardous.
More information about this and other mines in Clunes can be obtained from the Clunes Museum.
A model of the mine, made in 1858 at Clunes, in on display in the Science Works Museum, Melbourne.
- Erected by Clunes Tourist & Development Association Inc., 1995. Supported by the Shire Of Hepburn.
Note - the model mentioned (a beautiful 1850s model by Carl Nordstrom) is no longer on display at Scienceworks.
Also of interest
PROSPECTORS AND MINERS ASSOCIATION VICTORIA
Established
in 1980, the Prospectors and Miners Association of Victoria is a
voluntary body created to protect the rights and opportunities of those
who wish to prospect, fossick or mine in the State of Victoria,
Australia.
You can support the PMAV in their fight to uphold these rights by
becoming a member. You'll also gain access to exclusive publications, field days, prospecting tips, discounts and competitions.
BBQ
Clunes
