Barossa Goldfields
| Place type: | Locality |
|---|---|
| Town or Locality: | Yattalunga |
Alluvial gold was discovered by Job Harris in 1868 in Spike Gully 1.5 kilometres north of
the present park boundary.
About 25 000 ounces (778 kg) were produced from the goldfield, between 1868 and 1871 mainly from alluvial workings. The goldfield extends northward for a distance of 4 kilometres from the South Para River and is now located partly on private property and partly on Para Wirra Recreation Park. The trail is within the park, which is managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and was established in conjunction with the Department of Mines and Energy.
Within a week of the first discoveries in early October 1868, about 2 000 people had rushed the area, a block of unsold Crown Land was proclaimed an official goldfield, and a Warden of Goldfields and police trooper were dispatched to issue gold licences and settle disputes. At its height within the first few weeks, the rush attracted up to 4 000 people. The township of Barossa was soon established and consisted of a narrow lane of stores and hotels. An institute and school were added later and the township survived until the 1950s.
By late 1870, only 100 miners remained working old claims, many having moved to the newly discovered fields at Mount Pleasant and Birdwood. New discoveries brought diggers back to the field at Sims Rush in 1887 and Yatta Hill Rush in 1889 near the northern end. Between 1887 and 1891, several companies were formed to explore and test the deep alluvial ground at the northern extremity of the field. The principal mines were the Barossa Enterprise and Barossa Deep Lead, but the operations were unsuccessful. During the 1890s, companies were formed to work quartz reefs between Victoria Hill and the South Para River. In 1894, the Comet Syndicate started driving into a reef on the side of the South Para River but, lacking finance, was reformed into the Lady Pearce Syndicate. In 1895, the Royal Phoenix Syndicate took up a lease on the northern side of the Lady Pearce Mine and commenced tunnelling. In 1896, an American mining authority. Mr Menzies, acquired these leases and formed the Menzies Barossa Gold Mining Company. A tramway linking the various tunnels and shafts to a 40-head battery was constructed. and extensive machinery was installed. Menzies planned to make the mine the largest in Australia and, in 1898, 100 men were employed. The first crushing of ore in early 1898 was, however, an economic disaster followed and operations were suspended immediately.
The alluvial deposits on the field were reworked during the 1930s depression years.
The initial diggings were in the modern alluvium in Spike Gully at depths of 2 to 6 metres but, by early 1869, prospecting syndicates were formed and more than 20 individual rushes took place in neighbouring gullies and hillsides during 1869. These later rushes won gold from ancient river channels (leads) buried by up to 30 metres of sand and gravel. The most prominent of these later rushes were located on Goddards Hill and Victoria Hill where a second township, Victoria, was established in 1869.
Please <click here> to view articles regarding the Barossa Goldfields, as printed in The Bunyip Newspaper.
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