Mining

Written by Graham Wilson

Australian Theme- developing local, regional and national economies.

NSW Theme- mining.

Local Themes- Water race, mining site or landscape, mining equipment and mineral deposits.

It is not the purpose of this thematic study to write a detailed history of mining in the Shire.  John A. Hume has published a history of mining at Bingara and much of the information outlined below comes from the publication: Bingara’s Golden Past.  A brief history of gold mining in Bingara.

The first official report of gold in the area was made to the Maitland Gold Committee in August 1851 by the squatter Ebenezer Hall who claimed to have found a nugget on Cobidah (Cobbadah) Creek.  Richard Bligh, the Commissioner of Crown Lands, based at Warialda, investigated the discovery.  Initially he investigated the wrong creek that month but in June 1852 he made a further investigation of the site.  He found nineteen at work and stated ‘the most productive field will be found to exist above Keera on the Gwydir River, which is only separated from the Bingera Creek by a single range’.

In response to this letter, the chief Commissioner of Crown Lands instructed the Colonial Storekeeper to provide Bligh with a Gold License Book and a set of scales and weights for weighing gold.  Further correspondence reveals development of gold field at Courongoura Creek (Gouron Gouron) and Bingera, which later became Upper Bingera.

William Geddes, a Warialda storekeeper, wrote a personal account of the mining areas and of ‘hundreds coming to Bingera’.  This information was discovered by Merv Williamson and published in 1977 by the Bingara Historical Society.

The Bingara Goldfield was proclaimed on 2 February 1853 and it was in that year that the Reverend W.B. Clarke visited the area and published a report dated 7 May 1853, Report No. viii in Geological Surveys.

Whilst Hume acknowledges that Ebenezer Hall reported gold, it was ‘Paddy Read and Bob Davy who were the first to actually find and work a payable patch in the immediate vicinity of Upper Bingara’.

The 1861 census noted that in Upper Bingera there was a population of 1905 people.  The area had a Post Office, a Police Barracks and Lock-up and a racecourse.  Barrack Creek received its name from the Police Barracks situated some distance from Upper Bingera settlement.  Five years later, the NSW Gazette (1866) published that Upper Bingera had two hotels: the ‘Gold Diggers Arms’ and the ‘Royal’.  At that stage, the population was 250 and was mainly Chinese. 

Photo: Mining Fields at Upper Bingara showing early water races, Blake & Wilson 2006

The Town and Country Journal early in February 1873 gave a detailed account of mining in the area.  The correspondent listed: the ‘All Nations Mine’ about half a mile from Bingera; the ‘Star of Bingera’ situated some miles from the township in a south-easterly direction, at the head of Baldwin’s Gully; the ‘Doctor’s Reef’ (named after Dr Thompson) about three miles from the township, at the head of Spring Creek; the ‘Golden Gate’ situated about 11 miles from Bingera, on the western slope of the main Bingera Range; The ‘Golden Key’ adjoining the ‘Golden Gate’ in a northward direction; the Caledonian Reef situated on the north side of the Big River and other alluvial diggings.

The Town and Country Journal in March 1873 reported a ‘fresh outbreak on the Bobby Whitlow ground’.  By November 1873 there was little to report in gold mining at Bingera.  Six men had arrived from Inverell and commenced prospecting at Bingera Flat.  Their object was to attempt deep sinking to about 100 feet and at that stage had reached 60 feet by working day and night shifts.

At ‘Bobby Whitlow’, prospecting was underway for copper and the Town and Country correspondent claimed that ‘ore has been found in large quantities showing 72% of metal’.  Gibson of Reedy Creek also proposed ‘putting a dozen men onto his 100 acres to really try the strength of the ground’.  Although diamonds were quiet, it was hoped that the Gwydir Company would soon recommence work. 

After that date, official yearly reports were available from Michael Doyle, Bingara’s first Mining Registrar and Chief Constable and Patrick Brougham, Bingara’s first Police magistrate and Mining Warden.  The reports published in the 1870s reveal that the main rush was over and the mining in the district was only spasmodic.  In 1879 Michael Doyle showed that the number of miner’s rights issued were: 52 in 1875; 53 in 1876; 63 in 1877; 107 in 1878 and 131 in 1879.

As shown by Hume 1881 was a year of great significance as this year saw the opening up of Upper Bingera’s most productive reef mine, ‘The Ballarat’.  The Ballarat was really a ridge and supported two other rich mines, ‘Neals’ and ‘Hantons’.  These two mines had a short productive life mainly in the years 1882 to 1883 although Jack Anderson and Bill Power, occasionally with additional partners held and worked claims at Old Ballarat that provided them with a living for many years.  It was in 1948 that Jack Anderson died. 

John Hume provides a detailed history of the ‘All Nations Mines’ that demonstrates the fluctuating fortunes of the many owners.  Early mining operations were commenced at the ‘All Nations Gold Mine’ about 1860 and then later abandoned.  It appears that the mine may have then recommenced twenty years later and was also worked in the 1930s and 1940s.  

In April 1900, the Bingara Telegraph reported that a local mining syndicate had decided to give the mine another trial.  The syndicate installed a ‘very expensive and powerful pumping plant, and winding gear…’

Today, the remains of the ten head stamper battery, situated to the south of the town, is the only evidence that the All Nations Gold Mine ever existed and is an important part of the cultural landscape.  The stamper battery was installed c1888 and the name comes from the numerous nationalities of the mineworkers.

The Bingara Telegraph, 18 April 1900 states that the stamper battery was brought by horse drawn wagon from Victoria in 1896.

Photo: Remains of the All Nations Gold Mine Stamper Battery on the outskirts of Bingara, Blake & Wilson 2006

William Anderson’s 1888 report, The Geology of the Bingera and Barraba Goldfield describes in detail other payable reefs: ‘Spring Creek’ at the head of Spring Gully about three miles to the south east of Bingera; ‘Spring Gully’ is the northern limit of the serpentine belt; ‘Bobby Whitlow’ lies to a few miles to the north-east of Bingera; ‘Mountain Maid’ is on a spur to the left of Surveyors Creek and ‘Lady Mary’ situated some distance up the Bobby Whitlow Creek. 

In 1898 the Bingara Telegraph published an over-view of the reef workings in progress at that time.  Miners listed included: T. Reading and party, Bobby Whitlow; McDonald and Hartog’s mine in the same place; Riley and party at Oakey Creek; Jennings and party; ‘Perservance Gold Mining Company’, a syndicate of Warialda residents; Fletcher’s battery at Barrack Creek; ‘Mountain Maid’ held by Hartog and McDonald situated some six miles from town, on the north side of Whitlow Creek and the ‘Lady Mary Prospecting Syndicate’ about a mile east of the ‘Mountain Maid’.

By the period 1897 to 1898, difficulties arose on the gold field from water problems in the shafts.  The correspondent writing for the Bingara Telegraph, believed that the claims offered much and reported ‘it may be fairly expected that by the introduction of capital, good machinery, and competent management these mines will in the near future come to the front again’.

The Warialda Standard, 29 August 1899 reported that a mining registrar’s office was to be opened at Warialda.

With the onset of the Great Depression throughout Australia, many workers turned to mining.  By September 1930 gold mining at Bingara was renewed and some thirty miners had been engaged for the past three months.  They were working the alluvial flats in the vicinity of the old Bingara diamond mines.  A promising reef was also reported at the Cooringoora side of Bingara.  A dredge was in use at Whitlow near Bingara and preparatory work completed for the construction of concrete dams.  A local syndicate to treat stone had erected a battery and stampers.

Photo: Camp at the Diamond Mine, Bingara Museum Photograph Collection

In January 1940 the Warialda Standard reported that the ‘New Bingara Gold Mine Ltd.’ was registered with a capital of ₤25,000 in 100,000 shares at 5s each to acquire certain mineral leases and to carry on the business of mining.  Directors of the company were Hugh R. Munro, Horace W. Buck and Frederick H. Tetley.

 ‘The Early Bingara Album’, CD Rom published by the Bingara Historical Society lists a number of mining sites located in the district including:

•  Monte Christo Diamond Mine.  This mine was located in the Doctors Creek area about twelve kilometres from Bingara on the Narrabri Road.  Monte Christo was the most successful of the mines in the Bingara Diamond Field at Eaglehawk and Doctors Creek.  Both small syndicates and large companies with only moderate results worked the field.  In later years, most activity centred on the Monte Christo Mine owned until 1899 by Captain Rogers.  In 1993 Sir Henry and Lady Parkes visited the mine and Captain Rogers presented six large rough diamonds to Lady Parkes. 
  
• Craddock’s Mine at Doctor’s Creek.  Craddock and party worked a diamond mine here by 1884.
  
• The Lone Hand Gold Mine at Bora Creek.  This mine was worked from 1906 by Morris and Party and then by Henry Miller from 1910.  In 1911 the mine was floated as the ‘Lone Hand Gold Mining Company’ with a capital of ₤4000.
  
• John T. Fletcher worked a gold stamper battery along Barrack Creek about 1905.  The foundations of the plant can still be seen near the road to Upper Bingara.
  
• William (Bill) and John (Jack) Reading operated a gold mine at Spring Creek, Bingara in the mid 1930s.  Jack worked the mine whilst Bill probably financed the undertaking. 
  
• Remains of gold mining are still evident along Spring Creek including: mullock heaps showing the result of alluvial mining and a gold miner’s hut. 
  
• Workings at Ballarat Ridge.  In the area John Hanton and James Neal worked mines.  These mines were the richest mines on the Upper Bingara field.  In 1882 and 1883 the peak years for Bingara’s gold production, the official gold returns indicated 9,000 ounces and most came from the Hanton and Neal mines.  The Neal and Hanton mines adjoined, with Neal to the south and Hanton to the north on the Ballarat Ridge.  In this area, Powers and Anderson also worked an open cut mine for many years followed by Jack Anderson until about 1948.
  
• Black Knob workings were located along the Ballarat Ridge further up from the Neal and Hanton Mines.
  
• A horse-operated puddler was located beside the Gourgon Creek at Upper Bingara and at Craddock’s Diamond Mine at Doctor’s Creek.
  

There are other reports of mining in the district.  M.W. Hardy, a Narrabri stonemason, used Warialda marble.  The main hall steps, hearths and fireplaces at ‘Glendon Station’ were constructed of Warialda marble.  A monument erected in Warialda cemetery in memory of Daniel Conway is another example.  Conway died on 3 October 1908 and is buried in Church of England, row 2, plot 65.

In May 1983, Narrabri Shire Engineer S. Madden was asked to provide information on the location of Warialda pink marble.

By December 1920, seven men worked for a company mining magnesite, a mineral used in iron and steel works and in the manufacture of various medicines.

At that stage, sufficient of the lode had not been opened to really determine the value or otherwise of the deposit there.  The lode was situated over the Ti-Tree Creek on a side of a hill on Fromelles on Bingara Road.  R Moore also reported that there was a smaller digging for magnesite near the Warialda Inverell rail line on either Motts ‘Milton’ or Maher’s places.  Access to these places was through ‘Belmont’, reached by taking the first turn left after crossing Kelly’s Gully B ridge on the highway from Warialda.