Reproduced from an article published in the Mount Lyell Standard and Strahan Gazette (Queenstown, Tas. : 1896 – 1902), Saturday 28 November 1896, and detailing the story of the original discovery of the Mount Lyell Mine, and gold around Queenstown in general.
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Tasmanian Prospecting Maps
A video on how to use two free, Tasmanian online mapping engines to research places to go prospecting. MRTmap and LISTmap can be used to prepare very useful prospecting maps with information on tenements, land tenure, reservation status, etc.
Continue readingThe Ring River Goldfield
The Rosebery – Zeehan – Dundas area is renowned mainly for its silver-lead, zinc and tin deposits. However, some decent finds of gold were also made. The main gold workings in this part of the west coast were in the Ring River area and Melba Flats. Both of these produced some sizeable nuggets in their day. The Ring River goldfield was home to one of Tasmania’s gold rushes, in 1891.
Continue readingThe Lefroy and Back Creek goldfields
Lefroy was one of Tasmania’s most important and profitable goldfields. Originally discovered as an alluvial field, it went on to become one of the main hard-rock quartz mining fields and hosted several of Tasmania’s relatively few dividend-paying gold mines.
Back Creek, immediately to the east, is often treated in the same publications, and is arguably an extension of the Lefroy goldfield. In contrast to Lefroy’s hard-rock focus, Back Creek was overwhelmingly an alluvial field.
The Corinna Goldfields
Gold was known in the northwest of Tasmania since at least James (Philosopher) Smith’s discovery in the Forth Valley near the modern-day Lake Cethana dam. None of the workings were on a large scale. It wasn’t until Harry Middleton’s discovery in Corinna in 1879 that the gold rush to the Pieman kicked off. It would eventually lead to the largest gold nugget ever found in Tasmania. Much of the area is still accessible to gold fossickers today.
Continue readingThe Jane River Goldfield
The Jane River goldfield, which came to prominence at the time of the 1930s depression, was Tasmania’s last gold rush.
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