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.
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The Jane River Goldfield
The Jane River goldfield, which came to prominence at the time of the 1930s depression, was Tasmania’s last gold rush.
Continue readingGold nugget database
Many people think that Tasmania only has fine gold, and no nuggets are found down here. This is actually very far from the truth, so I’ve started a database of historical Tasmanian gold nuggets.
Continue readingTasmanian diamonds
When thinking Tasmanian diamonds, most people have heard of Killiecrankie diamonds, which are really topaz (and very good topaz at that). However, several real, verified diamonds have also been found in Tasmania.
Continue readingThe Mathinna goldfield
The Mathinna goldfield started, like many others, with the discovery of alluvial gold, this time in Black Horse Gully. The area contains one of Tasmania’s largest gold mines, the New Golden Gate, which had a total (historical) production of over 260,000 ounces (~8 tons) of gold. The whole area is riddled with mines, prospects and old workings, and is fairly easy access with light bush.
Continue readingThe Mount Huxley swindle
In the heady gold-rush days of the 1890s, one particular discovery promised to be the biggest gold mine ever found: Mount Huxley, southeast of Queenstown, between Mount Owen and Mount Jukes. The show was reported as being so good as to threaten to depreciate the value of gold. Within a few short weeks, the Mount Huxley mine was exposed as a massive fraud.
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