Hanging Rock, New South Wales facts for kids
Hanging Rock is a small village and a famous rock face in New South Wales, Australia. It's known for its history as a gold mining town. You can find it about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southeast of Nundle. Hanging Rock is part of the Tamworth Regional Council area. Because it's high up, about 1100 meters (3600 feet) above sea level, it sometimes gets snow in winter! In 2021, only 98 people lived there.
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History of Hanging Rock
How Hanging Rock Got Its Name
The area around Hanging Rock was first used for grazing cattle in 1848 by a man named Nathan Burrows. His land was huge, about 15,360 acres! The place got its name from a giant cliff that looked down over the valley.
The Gold Rush Begins
In August 1851, Nathan Burrows was riding around his land when he saw a stockman looking for gold in Swamp Creek. The stockman had found some shiny bits while washing his cup after a meal! Burrows quickly told William Cohen, a store owner in Tamworth. A few days later, Cohen, along with Charles Parsons and William Blackborn, rode to Hanging Rock and found even more gold. This discovery started a big gold rush! By February 1852, about 200 gold miners were already working there, hoping to strike it rich.
Building Water Systems for Gold Mining
To find more gold, miners needed a lot of water. In 1853, American miners dug a long water channel, about 23 kilometers (14 miles) long, from Callaghans Swamp to under the Hanging Rock cliff. Another channel was dug from a swamp to Nuggety Gully. Later, in 1882, it took about a year to dig a 13-kilometer (8-mile) water channel from the Barnard River, across the mountains, to the gold fields.
Just south of Hanging Rock village, you'll find the Sheba Dams. These dams, which cover about 3.6 hectares (9 acres), were built by hand in just three weeks in 1888! They were made to help miners wash the gold from the earth. Other water channels were also built to supply water to different mines around Hanging Rock.
Joseph Ruzicka's Amazing Gold Finds
In 1879, a man named Joseph Ruzicka arrived in Hanging Rock. Even though he didn't know much about finding gold, he soon discovered one of the richest spots in the area at Harden's Hill. Here, Joe found an incredible amount of gold – about 30 ounces for every 26 centimeters (10 inches) he dug! He earned about £3,000 in just one day.
Ruzicka later found another great spot where someone else had only found a small amount of gold years before. But Ruzicka found 10 to 12 pounds of gold just a few inches below the surface! Within ten days of this discovery, he had 344.5 ounces of gold. He was even escorted to the bank in Tamworth by a police officer! For ten days of work, Ruzicka was paid £1,300. He kept finding more gold and even some silver. In 1883, he sold his mining spot, and the new owner found 15 ounces of gold, but no more big discoveries.
Hanging Rock Then and Now
At its busiest, Hanging Rock was home to thousands of people! It was made up of several smaller communities, each with its own churches, schools, shops, and hotels. Today, Hanging Rock is much quieter. It has a community hall, a fire station, and a few homes. The main activities now are farming and tourism.
Fun Things to Do in Hanging Rock
Exploring the Area
The Lookout, which is about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) off the Nundle Road, gives you an amazing view of the Nundle valley below. It's a great spot for taking photos!
Sheba Dams, located south of the village, is a lovely place for a day out. You can have a picnic or barbecue in a beautiful bush setting. You might see lots of trees, birds, lizards, wallabies, and even small pademelons there. There's also a 1.2-kilometer (0.75-mile) bush walk you can enjoy. This area is also known for "fossicking," which means looking for semi-precious stones like zircons and sapphires.
Local Events and Activities
Hanging Rock is a friendly community that holds several special events each year. One popular event is the 'Tour de Rocque'. This bike ride helps raise money for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. It happens on the first Sunday of November. Riders start at the Peel River bridge at Bowling Alley Point and cycle up to Sheba Dam, climbing 600 meters (1970 feet) over 22 kilometers (13.7 miles)!
There's also the 'King of the Rock' fun-run. This race starts at the Nundle Recreation Ground and also finishes at Sheba Dam. It's a great way to enjoy the outdoors and challenge yourself!
Images for kids
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Sheba Dam No. 1, Hanging Rock, NSW
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Hanging Rock Historic Cemetery
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Ashton Memorial, Hanging Rock Cemetery, NSW
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Hanging Rock area in winter.
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View at Hanging Rock diggings, New South Wales in 1857
