Site 18: Gold Mining

PREV NEXT

 

In March 1870, prospector John Sinclair recovered twelve ounces of gold in two weeks from the
beaches at the mouth of the Richmond River at Ballina. News of his “ounce per day” discovery soon
spread and by September gold had been found on Seven Mile and Tallow Beaches, south of Cape Byron
and on Main Beach. The entire coastal strip, except for a reserve between Belongil Creek and Tallow
Creek was pronounced a goldfield. Gold occurred as small grains in black sand “leads” on the beach and
in the dunes behind the beach.

The “black-sanders” working in groups of thThe “black-sanders” usually working in groups of three, skimmed or dug black sand from the “leads” until enough was stock-piled for processing. One then shovelled the black sand into a hopper, one pumped water to wash the sand over mercury-coated, copper plates and down a sluice box, and one removed the black sand “tailings”. It was hard, monotonous, unrelenting, physical work. Beach.
The fine gold amalgamated with the mercury on the copper plates to form “amalgam” a putty-like alloy which was
scraped from the copper plates. The “amalgam” was placed inside a pumpkin or potato, which was then placed on a shovel and roasted in a fire. The mercury vapour condensed in the outer layers of the burnt vegetable. This was crushed and panned to recover the mercury for re-use. The gold would remain on the shovel as grains or as a “button” if the fire had been hot enough to melt gold.

 

 

By 1890 the richer deposits had been worked out. Only a few prospectors stayed seeking their fortune. This gold-field was known as the “poor man’s diggings.” Everybody found some gold but no one made a fortune. The yield for a successful miner was between a half and one ounce of gold per week. Total production is estimated at 20-30,000 ounces. In later difficult economic times and the 1930’s depression the unemployed and desperate returned to earn a meagre living from the beaches again.

PREV NEXT