Albert Goldfield Ruins facts for kids

The Albert Goldfield Ruins are a heritage-listed area in New South Wales, Australia, where people used to mine for gold. These ruins are what's left of the bigger Albert Goldfield. They are located on the Silver City Highway, near Milparinka, about 25 km south of Tibooburra. Miners started building here in 1880. This important historical site was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on April 2, 1999.

Discovering Gold

Gold was first found in this area in October 1880. John Thompson and a friend discovered gold at Mt Poole. About five months later, James Evans found about 14 ounces of alluvial gold at Mount Brown. Alluvial gold is gold found in riverbeds or old streambeds.

News of these finds caused a huge rush to this remote location. As more land was explored, gold was found in many other spots. These included Easter Monday, Good Friday, Nuggety Hill, and The Granites. Gold-rich veins, called reefs, were also found. Examples include the Pioneer and Warratta Creek reefs. Soon, a gold-rich area about 50 miles long and 10 miles wide was opened up.

This large area became known as the Albert Goldfield. Milparinka became the main town. Milparinka is an Aboriginal word meaning "water can be found here." Since there was no water at Mt Browne, miners chose to camp at Evelyn Creek. This place later became known as Milparinka.

The discovery of gold at Mt Browne was announced in February 1881. This site was about twenty miles south of Mt Poole. Many newspapers were doubtful and warned people about the dangers. They reminded everyone of the deaths from thirst and heat that happened during a similar gold rush. Despite these warnings, over a thousand men quickly came to the new discovery site. The Albert or Mt Browne gold rush had begun.

Life on the Goldfield

The Albert Goldfield was officially declared in early 1881. By the end of that year, several gold claims near Warratta Creek became public companies. These companies were based in Melbourne and Adelaide. Gold was clearly visible in the quartz veins. However, the Mining Warden warned that it would be expensive to get the gold out. This was because timber and firewood were scarce. Also, transporting materials and equipment cost a lot.

Conditions were very harsh. Miners often gathered where there was water, even if it was just a small amount. These water supplies quickly ran out. Because of water shortages, miners sometimes had to carry excavated soil from Mt Browne to Milparinka just to wash it. Other miners used a method called "dry-blowing" to get the gold. This method used wind to separate gold from dry dirt.

Sometimes, neither bullock teams nor horses could bring supplies to the goldfield. Miners reported going for days without flour. They survived on mutton and "wild spinach" that grew near the creeks. To help with transport, camel trains were introduced. These camels traveled overland from Beltana in South Australia.

Miners also faced many health problems. In 1882, temporary hospitals were set up in Milparinka and Tibooburra. Diseases like scurvy (from lack of fresh food) and eye infections were common. Many also got sick from dysentery and a fever similar to typhoid.

Albert Town and Mining Methods

Albert Town was established in 1882. It is located between two parts of Warratta Creek. Warratta Reef, later called The Reefs, was discovered in 1881. It was part of the first explorations of the Albert Goldfield. This reef was mined continuously from that time. It is immediately to the west of Albert Town. Other reefs like the Pioneer, Elizabeth, Phoenix, and Rosemount are to the east of the creek.

Miners worked Warratta Reef by digging trenches that followed visible quartz seams. They also dug other trenches across the reefs to find buried ones. Many shafts and shallow holes were dug. Because the area was so dry, dry-blowing was a main way to get gold. At first, miners used dishes to winnow the dirt. Later, special machines were developed for dry-blowing.

Impact and Decline

The goldfield had a big impact on this remote region. It brought many resources, like goods, workers, and money. It also made people across Australia aware of the "Corner Country." For a year or two, the area even competed with Silverton as an important center in western New South Wales.

By the end of 1882, the goldfield had settled into a pattern. Milparinka and Tibooburra became the main towns. Mt Browne was a struggling community with occasional bursts of alluvial mining. Albert Town also struggled and was abandoned before the year 1900.

In 1881, the goldfield produced 11,900 ounces of gold. However, gold production dropped a lot after that. In 1906, only 387 ounces were produced. Both a severe drought and the economic depression of the 1890s greatly affected the Albert Goldfield. These events led to the decline in gold production.

What You Can See Today

The Albert Goldfield and Albert Town are about 25 kilometers south of Tibooburra. You can find them along the Silver City Highway. Today, you can see nine structures made of local stone still standing. Another three stone structures are very close to the ground. These remains are spread over an area of about 50 meters north-south and 150 meters east-west.

The stone structures mostly include fireplaces and parts of walls. They are built from angular pieces of slate rock. There is not much evidence of what the roofs or upper parts of the buildings looked like.

These ruins are in very good condition. Their original shape, purpose, and how they fit together can still be easily understood. The archaeological remains show us a lot about the geology and mining methods of that time. They can also help us learn more about how miners lived in this remote, dry area. They show how miners dealt with being far from towns and services, the dry climate, and the geology of the area.

Why Albert Goldfield is Special

The Albert Goldfield is very important to the history of New South Wales. It completely changed the northwest part of the state, making it regionally significant.

• First in the Arid Lands: It was the first mining area to explore the dry mineral fields of Australia. Because of this, it helped open the way for mineral exploration in the Australian interior.
• New Mining Techniques: The Albert Goldfield saw the start of new technologies for gold mining in dry areas. These methods, like dry-blowing, were later used successfully in the Northern Territory, Queensland, and especially Western Australia. It was like a starting point for Australia's desert goldfields.
• Aesthetic Beauty: The setting of the Albert Goldfield and Albert Town is beautiful, showing an arid (dry) landscape. The remains of buildings, ash heaps, and mining trenches create a feeling of the exciting gold mining past.
• Social Significance: The Albert Goldfield is important for understanding society. Albert Town and the goldfield show how miners reacted to their surroundings. This includes being far from towns, the dry climate, the area's geology, and the uneven number of men and women.
• Research Potential: The unique Australian way of finding gold in dry conditions, called dry-blowing, started here. Some of the archaeological remains teach us a lot about mining techniques of that time. Other remains can give useful information about the lives of miners. This helps us understand history and how people lived.
• Rare Example: The Albert Goldfield is the oldest Australian example of how people adapted to gold prospecting in dry conditions, especially with dry-blowing.
• Representative Site: It is a great example of how people uniquely responded to mining in a very dry environment.