Armstrong Gully Alluvial Sinkings SITE NO. & NAME
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Armstrong Gully alluvial sinkings SITE NO. & NAME: 45 ARMSTRONG GULLY ALLUVIAL SINKINGS LOCATION: Armstrong Gully, Muckleford HI NO: H7723-0139 DIRECTIONS: Gully crosses the Red White and Blue Track 1 km from the junction with Golf Links Track, and runs south-east onto private property. MUNICIPALITY: Mount Alexander Shire LAND STATUS: State Forest HISTORY: September 1864 Miners distributed thus: Pickpocket 89 Green Valley 35 Newstead 114 Long Gully Md. 18 Back Creek 44 Peg Leg Gully 67 Frenchman’s Gully 42 Porcupine Flat 176 Gardner’s Gully 32 Eaglehawk 150 Sandy Creek 250 Bradford 16 Nuggetty Flat 149 Mount Tarrangower 190 Beehive Hill 110 Ironbark 14 Armstrong’s 4 Hard Hills 20 1 Hunter’s Rush 27 Fryingpan 8 September 1865 Miners distributed thus: Pickpocket 546 Growler’s Gully 55 Newstead 36 Long Gully 48 Green Valley 38 Peg Leg Gully 78 Fryingpan Gully 21 Porcupine Flat 86 Gardner’s Gully 19 Eaglehawk 176 Sandy Creek 212 Long Gully, Muckleford 39 Nuggetty 65 Mount Tarrangower 226 Beehive Hill 152 Ironbark Gully 33 Armstrong’s 7 Hard Hills 25 Hunter’s Rush 31 Back Creek 23 2 Frenchman’s Gully 2 December 1866 Miners distributed thus: Pickpocket 1,200 Growler’s Gully 31 Newstead 15 Long Gully 46 Green Valley 45 Peg Leg Gully 65 Fryingpan Gully 3 Porcupine 50 Gardner’s Gully 12 Eaglehawk 187 Sandy Creek 205 Long Gully, Muckleford 33 Nuggety 75 Mount Tarrangower 195 Beehive Hill 111 Ironbark Gully 23 Armstrong’s Gully 9 Hard Hills 22 Hunter’s Rush 17 Back Creek 18 3 Frenchman’s 7 March 1867 Miners distributed thus: Pickpocket 650 Growler’s Gully 25 Newstead 65 Long Gully, Maldon 65 Green Valley 59 Peg Leg Gully 76 Fryingpan Gully 19 Porcupine 60 Gardner’s Gully 12 Eaglehawk 190 Sandy Creek 180 Long Gully, Muckleford 35 173 Armstrong Gully alluvial sinkings Nuggety 85 Mount Tarrangower 195 Beehive Hill 98 Ironbark Gully 25 Armstrong’s Gully 11 Hard Hills 22 4 Hunter’s Rush 18 Back Creek 21 174 Armstrong Gully alluvial sinkings DESCRIPTION & INTERPRETATION: Alluvial workings (19th century) Narrow band of poorly defined and fairly dispersed shallow sinkings. East of the Red White and Blue Track the sinkings are obscured by undergrowth; west side they are very visible due to an absence of understorey. Reef workings (19th century) There is a small patch of reef workings on the north side of the gully (west side of Red White and Blue Track) which include two open shafts with wooden collars. INTEGRITY/CONDITION: Sinkings poorly defined. CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: The site has little historical importance and its integrity has been diminished to such an extent that it has little cultural significance. SIGNIFICANCE RANKING: Site Listed Heritage Inventory. Assessor: David Bannear Date: November 1992. 1 Mining Surveyors’ Reports, September 1864 2 Mining Surveyors' Reports, September 1865 3 Mining Surveyors’ Reports, December 1866 4 Mining Surveyors’ Reports, March 1867 175 Bacon Gully/Back Creek puddlers SITE NO. & NAME: 46 PUDDLERS LOCATION: Bacon Gully, Back Creek HI NO: H7723-0040 DIRECTIONS: Twin puddlers in Bacon Gully, tributary of Back Creek 450 m south along Talbots Track from its junction with Maldon Road. MUNICIPALITY: Mount Alexander Shire LAND STATUS: State Forest HISTORY: No references found for Bacon Gully (name appears on 1860s Parish Plan)--part of Back Creek Diggings. Back Creek Diggings 1854-55. Muckleford. On about 27 February 1854, a gold commissioner went there, to what was then termed Wattle Flat, “give miles from Castlemaine, just after crossing the Back Creek at Muckleford Flat, where the roads to Bryant and Menzies separates” [Commissioners’ and Wardens’ Reports, 28 February 1854]. The spot was an old diggings, and there were then 300 diggers, sinking deep. He said that Middleton had reported sixty- seventy men there twelve months before. The neighbourhood of “Wattle Flat” led to Bryant’s Ranges, where there were fifty men working, also. Tarrangower rush was then at its height, with 20,000 on the field. On 11 March 1854 the diggers at Wattle Flat had dispersed into the ranges. In 1855 gold was again discovered at Muckleford, and the main lead was worked along what was then the Adelaide Road (the main road today). The spot was east of the first rush. In June 1855 Gardiners Gully and Green Gully, about four miles south of this rush, with Bosworva Hill and Gully, where a reef was known, were opened up [Mt Alexander Mail, 22 June 1855. Age, 18 July 1855]. 1 After the first rush about 700 men settled into these places. September 1864 Miners distributed thus: Pickpocket 89 Green Valley 35 Newstead 114 Long Gully Md. 18 Back Creek 44 Peg Leg Gully 67 Frenchman’s Gully 42 Porcupine Flat 176 Gardner’s Gully 32 Eaglehawk 150 Sandy Creek 250 Bradford 16 Nuggetty Flat 149 Mount Tarrangower 190 Beehive Hill 110 Ironbark 14 Armstrong’s 4 Hard Hills 20 2 Hunter’s Rush 27 Fryingpan 8 September 1865 Miners distributed thus: Pickpocket 546 Growler’s Gully 55 Newstead 36 Long Gully 48 Green Valley 38 Peg Leg Gully 78 Fryingpan Gully 21 Porcupine Flat 86 Gardner’s Gully 19 Eaglehawk 176 Sandy Creek 212 Long Gully, Muckleford 39 Nuggetty 65 Mount Tarrangower 226 Beehive Hill 152 Ironbark Gully 33 Armstrong’s 7 Hard Hills 25 Hunter’s Rush 31 Back Creek 23 3 Frenchman’s Gully 2 December 1866 Miners distributed thus: Pickpocket 1,200 Growler’s Gully 31 Newstead 15 Long Gully 46 Green Valley 45 Peg Leg Gully 65 Fryingpan Gully 3 Porcupine 50 Gardner’s Gully 12 Eaglehawk 187 176 Bacon Gully/Back Creek puddlers Sandy Creek 205 Long Gully, Muckleford 33 Nuggety 75 Mount Tarrangower 195 Beehive Hill 111 Ironbark Gully 23 Armstrong’s Gully 9 Hard Hills 22 Hunter’s Rush 17 Back Creek 18 4 Frenchman’s 7 March 1867 Miners distributed thus: Pickpocket 650 Growler’s Gully 25 Newstead 65 Long Gully, Maldon 65 Green Valley 59 Peg Leg Gully 76 Fryingpan Gully 19 Porcupine 60 Gardner’s Gully 12 Eaglehawk 190 Sandy Creek 180 Long Gully, Muckleford 35 Nuggety 85 Mount Tarrangower 195 Beehive Hill 98 Ironbark Gully 25 Armstrong’s Gully 11 Hard Hills 22 5 Hunter’s Rush 18 Back Creek 21 DESCRIPTION & INTERPRETATION: Two puddlers (19th century). On the west side of Talbot’s Track are two full water dams. The largest dam is on Crown Land; the other is on Freehold. Between the two dams is an extensive bank of washed gravel. The bank covers an area of approx. 50 m square and stands 1 m high. The bank has been partly quarried on its western side. On the bank of wash are two poorly defined puddlers. One of the puddlers is on Crown Land, the other on Freehold. Both puddlers have a diameter of 22 ft (6.7 m), and are set 15 m apart. In the gully below the puddlers is a poorly defined band of alluvial sinkings; and the hill-slope above has been extensively surfaced. INTEGRITY/CONDITION: Puddlers still retain portions of their banks of wash. Site therefore has good integrity. CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: The site has: • Historical Significance, because it is part of the Back Creek Diggings which appear to have been linked to the first discovery of gold in the Maldon Mining Division. • Scientific Significance, because of the well-preserved puddlers and the rare survival of the puddlers’ bank of wash. Site has high educational value. SIGNIFICANCE RANKING: Site Listed Heritage Inventory. Assessor: David Bannear Date: November 1992. 1 Flett, pp. 201-202 2 Mining Surveyors’ Reports, September 1864 3 Mining Surveyors' Reports, September 1865 4 Mining Surveyors’ Reports, December 1866 5 Mining Surveyors’ Reports, March 1867 177 Back Creek workings SITE NO. & NAME: 47 BACK CREEK ALLUVIAL WORKINGS LOCATION: Back Creek, Muckleford HI NO: H7723-0141 DIRECTIONS: Shallow alluvial sinkings. On south side of Pullens Road, 500 m west of its junction with Maldon Road. MUNICIPALITY: Mount Alexander Shire LAND STATUS: State Forest HISTORY: 1854-55. Muckleford. On about 27 February 1854, a gold commissioner went there, to what was then termed Wattle Flat, “give miles from Castlemaine, just after crossing the Back Creek at Muckleford Flat, where the roads to Bryant and Menzies separates” [Commissioners’ and Wardens’ Reports, 28 February 1854]. The spot was an old diggings, and there were then 300 diggers, sinking deep. He said that Middleton had reported sixty- seventy men there twelve months before. The neighbourhood of “Wattle Flat” led to Bryant’s Ranges, where there were fifty men working, also. Tarrangower rush was then at its height, with 20,000 on the field. On 11 March 1854 the diggers at Wattle Flat had dispersed into the ranges. In 1855 gold was again discovered at Muckleford, and the main lead was worked along what was then the Adelaide Road (the main road today). The spot was east of the first rush. In June 1855 Gardiners Gully and Green Gully, about four miles south of this rush, with Bosworva Hill and Gully, where a reef was known, were opened up [Mt Alexander Mail, 22 June 1855. Age, 18 July 1855]. 1 After the first rush about 700 men settled into these places… September 1864 Miners distributed thus: Pickpocket 89 Green Valley 35 Newstead 114 Long Gully Md. 18 Back Creek 44 Peg Leg Gully 67 Frenchman’s Gully 42 Porcupine Flat 176 Gardner’s Gully 32 Eaglehawk 150 Sandy Creek 250 Bradford 16 Nuggetty Flat 149 Mount Tarrangower 190 Beehive Hill 110 Ironbark 14 Armstrong’s 4 Hard Hills 20 2 Hunter’s Rush 27 Fryingpan 8 September 1865 Miners distributed thus: Pickpocket 546 Growler’s Gully 55 Newstead 36 Long Gully 48 Green Valley 38 Peg Leg Gully 78 Fryingpan Gully 21 Porcupine Flat 86 Gardner’s Gully 19 Eaglehawk 176 Sandy Creek 212 Long Gully, Muckleford 39 Nuggetty 65 Mount