It seems likely that the first person to find gold at Ophir was a Sydney jeweller who, discovering gold in in the district, tried to persuade the New South Wales government but was met with disinterest. The gold was poor quality and Hargraves temporarily abandoned the search. It was near the junction of the two creeks. At the time Tom was accompanied by his brother, James, and a friend, John Lister.
Lister and James started fossicking in a nearby creek and in three days had discovered grams of gold including a gram nugget. They then made a terrible mistake.
They informed Edward Hargraves who took the samples to Sydney, showed them to the Colonial Secretary and revealed the location of the finds. The New South Wales Government, quite incorrectly, recognised Hargraves as the "first discoverer of gold in Australia".
Hargraves travelled to England in where he was presented to Queen Victoria and he published a book entitled Australia and Its Goldfields in It is a cruel irony that he enjoyed so much fame and fortune when, with panning expertise he had gained on the Californian goldfields, he had been unable to find gold at Ophir. Ophir was not the first gold. It was the first payable gold and within weeks the gully was overrun by at least eager prospectors.
With the miners came pubs, blacksmiths, general stores selling wood and canvas, a police station made from rough hewn logs, sly grog shops and a Commissioner's Camp which comprised tents and a slab-and-bark cookhouse. Further down the creek, at Tinkers Point on a bend in the river, a second settlement named Newtown grew. It is claimed that at its peak Newtown was home to 2, prospectors by the winter of This was early days and the rules were chaotic.
Only licenses were issued in July, Many prospectors were fossicking illegally and fleeing at the approach of the Commissioner's men. Then, as was to become a pattern on all the goldfields, word spread that there was easier gold to be had on the Turon fields and many of the prospectors, confronted with a wet and bitterly cold winter and poor returns, left Ophir for easier pickings.
There were only 84 licenses issued in August, The gold rush had lasted a little over a year. Ironically tenacity was rewarded. A few miners stayed on and had some success and by the highly organised Chinese had moved in and were reworking many of the old mines.
They camped on the flats below Murray's Hill and their earthen water races can still be seen in the hills. The Belmore Reef was discovered in and reef mining was still producing profitable returns as late as the s.
The veins were rich in gold but often short-lived. In the s Doctors Hill became an important mine and a small settlement grew up there, although flooding of the shafts proved a major problem. Today gold is still mined in the area but the returns are so marginal that when the price of gold falls the commercial operations stop. The Ophir Reserve and the Walking Tracks The main attraction at Ophir is the ha Historic Ophir Reserve which comprises camping and picnic facilities; the junction of the Summer Hill and Lewis Ponds Creeks which flow into the Ophir Creek; two pleasant walking trails which include the site of the original gold strike and of the Belmore Reef find; earthen water races, a rare stone gravity-fed water race c.
One tombstone identifies Charlie Corse who received a bullet in the head when he dared Richard Spencer to shoot him in a dispute over a saddle. Spencer was gaoled in Bathurst prison. On the northern side of the causeway is an obelisk to commemorate the historical importance of the site which was built in Walking Tracks No. Walking Track No.
This is said to mean 'many snakes' as the creatures were apparently attracted to what was a very reliable water source. The find was of little value so Hargraves temporarily abandoned the search. Three days later, with his brother James and John Lister, he had found grams including a gram nugget. They camped on the flats below Murray's Hill and their earthen water races can still be seen. As recently as the late s a 5. One tombstone identifies Charlie Corse who received a bullet in the head when he dared Richard Spencer to shoot him in a dispute over a saddle Spencer received a short sentence in Bathurst prison.
There is also an obelisk to commemorate the historical importance of the site, built in You can also fossick for gold or fish for trout. Home Destinations. Search Site. Previous slide Next slide. Onsens: The most civilised place to get naked with strangers Contains:. How a small NZ town's burgers became world famous Contains:. World's largest reflective building not your typical bucket-list destination Contains:.
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Sign In Not a member? Join now! Click here to search picture captions and descriptions. Position within Australia. Your location. Places last visited. Your screen size. Care should be taken around the old open mine shafts. Hire a gold pan from the Orange Visitor Information Centre and try your luck in Summer Hill Creek just as the early settlers did during the gold rush of the s.
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