AUSTRALASIANHISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY. 16. 1998
Thewelsh village, nearcastlemaine, victoria: A ,l studyof peoplein rrt the landscape !r i! ln VALERIEHILL & al r r Thepresence of people within the landscape is a stimulusfor change and the marks le/i by human activity can fr reveal the relationship that existedbetween people and their surroundings. Thispaper examineshistorical and archaeological evidencefrom The WelshWtlage, an abandonedgotd mining settlementin central Wctoria, to goin an understanding of human perceptions of the tandscape and the ways in which the landscape influenced u and restricted its human occupqntsduring the time of the Australian gold rush last century. I
The discovery ofgold last century encouraged large numbersof settlementsduring the nineteenthcenhrry is generallya reflection Europeanimmigrants to occupy the Austalian landscape.Many of the relationship that existed between people and their oftheseearly gold seekersbecame part t ofa tansient population sunoundings at this time. The signs ofhuman intervention are ;- that moved on when mineral resources dwindled, but in locations encompassedwithin 'the cultural landscape'. From this where gold deposits offered the potential rt for long-term eviderrce,important inferences can be drawn about the way in exploitation, relatively permanent E settlementswere established whichpeople adaptedto an unfamiliar landscape,tle resources 1978:59-63). .o"i @lainey that they valued and the changes that took place within the landscape The developmentof settlementswas an intrusion that altered during their presence(McCann 1992:l2l). ir the intrinsic appearanceofthe land and, in an erathat encowaged The merit of studying the landscape as an archaeological m exploitative colonisation, the use of natural resourceswas artefactis widely acknowledged.Early archaeologicallandscape condonedwith little regardfor the consequencesofthis usefor studiesin Austalia include Graham Connah,sresearch into the ; the landscape(Sauer 1981:355). Thus the dramaticimpression landscapeof SaumarezStation in the New England Tablelands, U left by the exploitation of mineral resolucesand the associated which recordsthe way in which changesin Australia's early :tr 3t
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ffi 3-!, iE *c Fig. l: Location of The Welsh Village (adapted/rom Geological Survey of Victoria Map Castlemaine-Chewton 1994). Lb 3e 60 ein wool industy are reflected in the relocation of activity centres remains are made appeaxsto have come from subterranean within the landscape(Connah 1977). DennisJeans has made a mining, so their constructionwould probably coincide with tlese considerable contribution through publications such as operations. A relative date of 1850 to the mid-1880swas Austral ian Hist oric al Landscapes ( I 984) demonstrating the assiped to the structu.esin a survey conductedon behalf ofthe knowledge gained to be through the study of historical ruins as Deparhent of Conservation and Natural Resources@annear part ofthe landscape.Expansive landscape research includes 1993:34) and this is consistent with the deerrmeltzry 41d DavidCarment's study (1991) of a largearea in Cental Australia physicalevidence. with evidence from both the Aboriginal and the European Mineral extaction was cented on the Nimrod anticline, from presence,as well as Winston-Gregson's study in the Riverina which very rich, shallow alluvial deposits and quartz reefgold area(1984), which interpretsa wider landscapeof settlement were worked from 1854 (Dickinson l94l:225). An 1859 that includedpastoral and mining interests. Deparhent of Mines map showsthat anumber of claimswere The cultural landscaperesulting from mineral extraction last included within twenty acresheld by the Nimrod Reef Mining century has been a significant focus for archaeologicalresearch Company in Golden Gully and the structural remains of the into the conceptof people within the landscape. An example is village are located within this area. a survey of mineral extraction in Tasmania'snortheast, The early claim holdersmade a largeopen cut nearthe crestof undertaken by Denise Gaughwin, in which the generalcharacter Nimrod Hill to work the shallow bodiesof quartz (Dickinson of an extensive region of transformed landscape is analysed 194l:225-227). From I 86l, when thesedeposits were thoughtto dection 11992:59). Work conducted by Kate Holmes at Arltunga havebeen exhausted, a numberof small companiesformed by the d their goldfields in Cenfral Australia reveals the extent to which local claim holdersbegan to work the deeperlodes on the reef but met ion are resoruces,such as stoneand the coolingproperties ofprevailing with only moderatesuccess. As deepershafts were sunk, water m this rvinds,were utilised and demonstates the need for food storage becamea major problem. Falling retums and expenditureon w"y in to facilitate survival in a remote and arid landscape(1989:43- drainagemachinery eventually took their toll andwork on the main Ixrrces -19). SusanLawrence Cheney'sanalysis of the Dolly's Creek shaft becameincreasingly intermittent (BaragwanathI 903: 8-9). rin the community in Victoria's goldfields cental examines evidence kt 1888,the CrownNimrod, which hadoperated as a co-operative for comnunity ties that can be observed in the positioning of companysince 1875,was purchasedby a Melboumesyndicate bcd buildings and the utilisation of features within the landscape (CrownNimrodQuartz Mining CompanyLease23 February1888; dscape ( 1992 : 40), while Neville Ritchie's ( I 9 8 I ) researchat the Cental VictorianGovernment Gazette 24 February1888). Tonentialrains mo the Otagogoldfield details wide a range of data provided by the at the startof 1889added to the sub-surfaceproblems and mining :lands, interpretationof alluvial gold pattems. tailing An extensivestudy virtually ceased(Mining Surveyors'Report 3l December1889). ; early of the Shoalhavenand Mongarlowe Goldfields conducted by Subsequentefforts to operatethe mine were not economicallyviable Barry McGowan (1996) described the exploitationof mineral andby 1896all mining activity at the main shaftwas abandoned resources,with an emphasis on the landscapedegradation (Dickinson 194l:225-227). Spasmodicmining along the reef resulting from these activities. Theseand similar studiesofthe continuedintothe twentieth century andAnnear 1989:13) cultural landscape @annear of mining can provide a diversity of but the boom era of mining at the Nimrod had ended. information that contributes much to our understandingof the relationship between people and the landscapethey inhabit. The Cultural Landscape
CASE STTIDY:THE WELSH VILLAGE As a resultof settlementand mining, most ofthe topsoilthat once coveredthe location has given way to a bare, rocky surfacethat The Welsh Village is an abandonedmining settlement located supportsan openeucalypt woodland with a sparseundergowth of eastof the city of Castlemaine,about 115kilometes northwest nativegrasses and smallshrubs, such as acacias. A smallwater of Melboume (Fig. l). The location is distinctive becauseof courseknown as Golden Creek winds along the gully floor butthe the high concentrationof evidenceofgoldmining and settlement flow ofwater is negligible. Thevestiges ofthe settlementare mainly from the middle to late nineteenth cenfirry within a relatively locatedon the lower levelsofthe gully, althoughremnants ofmining compactgeographical area. Factorssuch as the secludedlocation activities can be encounteredalong the tracks that descendinto (the majority of the structural remains are on private property), Golden Gully. Remnantsof an earthenroad passingthrough the the geomorphology and the use of stone in its structureshave northernend of the settlementallows accessfrom the eastand ensureda reasonablestate of preservationfor the remains at the west, but the mostcommon means of entty is a small track leading site,thus providing tangible evidenceof the relationshipbetween from the open-cutmining area. people and the landscapeduring the time of the nineteenth- Archaeological c€ntury gold rush in Australia. Evidence of Settlement History of The Welsh Village The archaeologicalremains of the settlementare primarily stone footingsand remnants of walls. The conditionofthe structuresis TheWelsh Village is locatedin GoldenGully, which is one of a deterioratingrapidly and some of the walls are in dangerof seriesof small gullies near Castlemainethat yielded large collapsing,emphasising the urgency for a recordto be madeofthe quantities of gold during the Austalian gold rush. The region settlement.ln 1997,as part of an Honoursproject at La Trobe in which the settlement was establishedwas originally known University, the author conductedan archaeologicalsuwey of the asthe Mount Alexander Goldfields but from 1852it was referred settlementand mining remains.A compass,tape and a handheld to as the ForestCreek Goldfields @aragwanath1903:8). The GPS were usedto producea map showingthe distributionof WelshVillage appearsto be a recenttitle given to the settlement, featuresand the use of spacewithin the sfudy area,as well as although the Welsh nationality of its early inhabitants is individualplans of the structuresit contained.Few topographical zupportedby contemporary documentation(Mount Alexander featureswere availablewith which to determinethe study -ly'ailI October1858). boundaries,so arbitraryboundaries were set to encompassthe The history of the settlement is inextricably linked to the greatestdensity ofphy'sical features (Fig. 2). nearby mining activities but, without conclusive documentary The majority of the buildings are distancedto somedegree evidence,it is difficult to place a precisedate on the origins of from the more drasticeffects ofmining, which aremainly focused the settlement.Early mapsgive little indicationof dwellingsin on the Nimrod reef on the westem side of the settlement, and the area. However, the 1864 rate book for the Borough of this has probably contributedto their preservation. Table I Chewtoncontains 17 entriesfor Golden Gully, indicatingthat contains a surnmary of the structural remains, the locations of the gully was inhabited at this time. The stone from which the which are shownin Fig. 2.
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Darn K Study Area Bounriary w t.xOilcI recs V/alls c:;::::l Mullocl Fig. 2: Plan of The Welsh I/illoge (takenftom Hill 1997:33). 62 Table1: summaryof strucfuralremains recorded at rhe welsh village Site Material Buildirgmethod Description Highestuall lrlAlltrickness Sandstore Randomrubble Sirglecell 0.55m 46 cm Mud mortar Sandstone 1. Randomrubble Doublecell 1.5m 38 cm Mud mortar 2. Drystone walli1rg Sandstone Rardomrubble Doublecell 1.4m 35-43cm Mud mortar Sandstone Randomrubble Multi-cell,large complex 1.27m 30-43crn Some'blr.re'stone Mud mortar Sandstone Randomrubble Twomain cells 1.3m 30-33cm Mud morbr Onesmall cell Sandstone Randomrudcble Sirglecell 2.25m 46 cm Mud mortar Sandstone Randomnbble wifr areas Multicell,hrge complex 1.1m 35 crn Mud morbr of cowsedrubble Sandstone Randomrubble Twolevels 1.4m 43 cm Brick (fireplace) Cement mortar Corrcretefloors 'Blue' stone Randomrubble Twomain cells, possible 1.0m 46 crn Mud mortar smallcell on westemside 10 Sandstone Randomrubble Threelerels at thenortr end 1.0m 35 crn Mud mortar Drystone retainirB walls of mullockspu Sandstone Randomrubble Multi-cell 1.6m 38-48crn Mud morhr Doublewall 12 Sandstone Randomnbble Excalatedhowe pad 1.8m 46 cm Mud mortar Drystore retainirgualls The predominantmaterial in the archaeologicalremains is a the lessdurable qualities ofwood but it is alsoprobable that as sandstone,a rock 1.'ellow that is not obvious on the land surface the settlementbecnme established, some of the rudimentary otherthan asa resultofmining. A variationin rock colourcan structureswere replaced with buildings made of a more beseen in someofthe structures,where grey, ,blue', a or colorued substantialmaterial. The availability of sandstoneincreased as rock hasbeen used. This is rock that hascome from below the mining progressedand its use was a practicalway to utilise a rvatertable and has not been subjectedto the sameweathering plentiful, and perhaps familiar, resoluce from the sunounding effectsthat haveinfluenced the oxidisedcharacter ofthe yellow landscape.A flrther possibilityis that in someofthe structures, sandstone(Cochrane et.al. 1995:10). Mining below the water rock was used primarily for foundations and for storageareas tablebegan on the Nimrod Reef about t 868 (Mining Surveyors' where weather-and pest-resistantmaterial was needed. The Report30 June1868), thus the 'blue' rock would not havebeen stonefootings that make up the multi-cell complexesin the study availableprior to this time. It can, therefore,be assumedthat areamay be representativeof thesefeatures. Site 4 demonstrates structuralelements where 'blue' rock hasbeen used were built the mannerin which building materialswere combined,as the after this date. Support is given to this assumptionby the use of stone remains of the northern section of the complex appearto 'blue' colouredrock in the footings associatedwith the Lady haveacted as a foundationfor walls of anothermiteriat @ig. l;. Turnermine, which is locatedon the northem side of Golden Random rubble is the most common construction method, Creekand operated late lastcentury @. Jamesundated manuscript). although there are minor occurrencesof coursed rubble work. 'Blue' rock is alsoapparent in the structwalelements ofthe northem The rubble is bondedwith mud mortar that hasbeen stengthened sectionof Sitea €ig. 3) suggestingthat these have been added at by the addition of small stones, and this further a latertime to the yellow sandstonestructure. demonstates the extentto which local landscaperesources were recognised Other building materials from the surroundinglandscape andutilised. Dry stonewalling hasalso been used extenlively would also have been utilised, althoughthese are not obvious but this technique is confined to retaining walls, which were an rlthin the archaeological remains.Entries in the 1864Borough expeditiousand economicalmethod to confrol the spreadof of Chewton Rate Book list timber, bark and canvasstrucftres in mullock. the gully and,in fact, 53 per cent ofthe structuresshown to be Instancesof the introductionof building materialsinto the in GoldenGully at this time utilised timber in someform (Table landscapeare few and appearto be mainly associatedwith a 2). Someof this timber,particularly bark and slabs,would also later period in the settlement'sdevelopment. The use of brick havebeen obtained from the surroundingarea. was not extensive,for example,but a small numberof coarsely The discrepancy between the rate book entries and the texhued,hand-made bricks scatteredon the surfaceofSites 7 archaeological evidencewould, in someinstances, be a resultof and I I indicate that they were utilised. This material may 63 possibly have been added at a more recent time, as these inhabited Table2: Buildingmaterials used in the study structureswere for a longer period than the other areaas shown in 1864Ghewton Rab Book buildings at the site (Jamesn.d.). The only in sfiz exampleof Materialused in brickwork is ffus innel wall of a fireplace associatedwith the Number Percentage enginehousing at Site 8. The useofcement mortar and a concrete construclion floor in this structuresuggest a constructiondate some time after Stone 17.6 1880@annear 1993:33). This lateruseof infioducedmaterials would seemto indicate that local building resorucesbecame \rlbatherboard less important with the passingof time, due to the increased 29.4' availability ofoutside resources. A firther considerationis that * as the interests of the original gold-seekersdiminished within Slab 5.9 the gully, people with different values and perceptions exerted influenceupon the landscape. Paling 11.9* Other introduced materials, which could be the remnantsof roofing, include a small number of sheetsofcomrgated iron and Bark and calico 1 5.9* fragments of slate scatteredon the land surface, although the lattermay derivefrom later slate-miningnear the settlement.A Tent 3 17.6 combination of rubble and vegetationlimits the visibility within the structures. Thesemainly appearto have earthenfloors, but Urspecified 2 1't.8 materials such as wooden boards may not have survived. Although topography has been a factor in the placement of the structures,the majority of which are located on the less Totalnumber ofsfuctures 17 steeplysloping ground,there hasbeen no submissiveacceptance ofthe natwal tenain. Modification ofthe landscapehas occurred * Denotesthe rce of timberin stnptures in the form offlat areasthat have been excavatedfor buildings and terracing for gardens, thereby controlling erosion and increasingthe amount of useableland within the gully (Fig. 4). the focus for its establishment. As was typical of mining Remnantsof introduced vegetationstill survive in someof these settlementsofthis era,living and working were intertrvinedboth garden areas,where stone borders and dry stone walling have spatially and temporally in order to minimise accesstime and beenused to segregatethem from the surroundinglandscape. the costof transportingmaterials (Aston 1985:94).The intense Archaeological Evidence of Mining mining activity incorporateda range of techniquesand these have left a markedimpression both on the surfaceand beneath The location of the settlementindicates that mining hasprovided the ground. Mining featureson the surfaceof the landscapeare ri :'-) I I lr.v I n I I -'tl Lireir, StoneWall Rr-tbbir,t StcneFcundations I N 0 i"- I metres Fig. 3: Site 4, located in southeastern section ofstudy area (takenftom Hill 1997:ix). 64 I Crosssestion terracec Site 7 (south side) efitage Fig. 4: Cross section of 17.6 terraced hill Site 7, northvesl section of study area (taken n4' fron Hill 1997:44). 5.9. 15 20 25 metres '11.9* lo* painly confined to earthworks,as other structural elementsand usually refers to an access passage excavated entirely machinery are no longer present. underground(Idriess l93l :292). Two main adits areevide,lrt near 17.6 A seriesof open-cutmines located immediately south of The The Welsh Village, but both have been sealedby eroding soil Welsh Village (Fig. 2) are the most dominant features in the and mullock. These workings provided reliable returns 11.8 wider landscape.Open-cutting (or surfacemining) was the most throughoutthe late nineteenthcentury, even when nearbymining efficient method for working shallow bodies of ore. These are ventures were in a depressedstate (Mining Surveyors' Report some of the earliest mining ventures associatedwith the 30 Septemberl88l). settlement.The main open-cut on the Nimrod Reef was Dumping of mullock is responsible for extensive successfullyworked for a prolonged period (Dickinson modification of the land surface,particularly on the westemverge 1941:225-227)while spasmodicexploitation has continueduntil of the settlement. Although the mullock appearsto be the present time (Hill 1997:47-49). The composite nature of predominantly the 'blue' coloured rock that has resulted from the landscapehas evolved from these episodesof human later mining operationsbelow the water table (Hill 1997:34),it doing intervention and is reflected in the detrital characterof the is probablethat this hasbeen dumpedover the debris from early dboth modified land surfaceand the scarredquarry walls resulting from mining episodes. p a combination of gold and slate mining over many ye.us. and Mullock has also been dumped to form a laxge,flat-topped Itense The human intrusion has extended below the land surface elongatedspur (Site 14)that dominatesthe settlementJandscape. these so that the landscapeof the study areais pitted with mine shafts, The spurruns from the entance ofthe southemadit to the battery aeath the majorify of which are confined to the line of the Nimrod (Site l0) on the southside of the water course. Quartzappears Peare Reefwest of the main settlementarea (Fig. 2). Theseinclude to have been brought from tle adit to the battery in ore skips shaftsfor hard rock mining, which are generally located on the running on a self-acting incline along the spur crest. A tamway gentleslopes in proximity to the reef, and shaftsnear the floor on which the skips tavelled has not survived but the remnants of the gully that have been sunk to exfract alluvial deposits. of a substantialwooden structure,probably involved in the The shaftsare mainly devoid of structural featuresand in many transfer of the quartz from the tramway to the battery still casesthe displacementof overburdenand subsequefimining protrude frorn the northem end ofthe spur. activity has alteredtheir context and form. Woodenframework, In 1861, two quartz-crushingmachines were located in concrete, and dry stonewalling havebeen used in a few instances Golden Gully @annear& Annear 1989:ll) and the site of a to stabilisethe openingsbut there is an absenceofreinforcement crushing battery (Site 10) is evident at the northern end of the at most shaft enfiancesand their preservationtestifies to the largemullock spw @ig. 2). Modification of the landscapehas sub-srufacestability ofthe landscape.Many ofthe shaftsare in producedthree levels at this site @ig. 5), which were constructed clustersincluding ventilation shafts that supplied air to the to enhancethe efficiency of the battery by using gravity to move undergroundworkings. Evidenceofsurface structuresis limited the ore betweeneach process. to the stone, brick and concretemachinery foundations located Further change has been intoduced into the landscapein at Site 8, which appearsto be a more recent mining venture the form of two dam walls that once spannedthe water cowse (Hill 1997:39). along the northern boundary of the study area. The walls were Other subterraneanmodihcations include a network of breachedearlier this century by a local resident @. James undergroundworkings excavatedalong the Nimrod Reef, pers.com.),resulting in the draining away of the accumulated evidencedon the surface by adits or tunnels excavatedinto the water. The dams would have been a source of water for the hillside. 'Tunnel' and 'adit' are often interchangedin settlement,the battery and most probably, in later years,for documentationrelating to the study area, although an adit sluicing operations. The most westerly dam wall is a substantial commonly includes a trench at the entance, while a tunnel earthenstructure 5.2 metes high, with a crest4.0 metes wide. Fig. 5: Cross section of battery site, Site I0 (taken from Hill 1997:xxii). N-+ creck \\ 1 I metrcs 65 Another wall, located to the east along the water course, has a These people entered the landscapewith preconceived height of about 2.4 metresand a crestwidth of 1.6 metes. A conceptsand ethics derived from long establishedcultural rock core has been exposed in this second wall, although no traditions that influenced their attitude towards their evidenceof rock is visible in the westerly d"m wall. Refuse surroundings. Defining the influence of culturally rooted from the crushing processwas often emptied into adjaceut preconceptionsis difficult, due to the restaints imposed by the watercourses@olton 1992:69) and this practice has probably landscapeand availableresources. The complexity ofthis issue contibuted to a substantial build-up of sediment against the limits its full considerationwithin the confinesofthis paperand larger dam wall. The reduced current velocities within a dam the capacity for accurately assigning cultural indicators within encouragethe settlingofsuspended particles (Allan 1996:310). the landscapehas been discussed elsewhere (Hill 1997:74-81). The ridgesof sedimentevident on the wall representsedimentaqr The following aspectsare briefly presented because of their pulsesthat may be relatedto episodesof batterywaste disposal possible influence upon the cultural landscapeof The Welsh and erosion as vegetationwas cleared from the surrounding Village. landscape. The inhabitants oftle settlementcame from a county with Mining activity has also altered the land surface on the a heritagesteeped in mining. Coal had beenmined in southern northeastemslopes of Golden Gully about 80 metres from the Wales since the thirteenth century and during the nineteenth settlement(Site l3). The rocky surfacehere is consistentwith century amajor expansionofmining operationsbegan (Williams the removal of overburdenas a result of either 'ground sluicing' & Jones1990:ll). There is, however,no evidenceto suggest or 'surfacing'. Ground sluicing involved the directing of water that the gold seekersof The Welsh Village were experiencedin over a section of ground to assist in breaking down the large-scalemining and, in fact, most appearedto have come overburdenand gold bearinggravels (Idriess 193l:26). At the from a farming background (V. Thomas pers. comm.). In their beginningofthis century,sluicing was carriedout alongthe cteek homeland the mineral wealth lay just below the surface and bed(Bannear pers.com.) and this may haveincorporated ground this encouragedsmall-scale extaction ofcoal and stoneby Welsh sluicing on the gully slopes, although the water racesgenerally farmers, either for their own use or as a profit-making venture associatedwith ground sluicing are not apparent. Sufacing, or (Tucker l99l:229). There are similalilie5 in the methods used the removal an6yyashing ofthe auriferoussurface soil, was often to extact coal and gold (Davey 1996:60),so that eventhough usedto work depositsthat were too elevatedfor ground sluicing. thesesettlers may havelacked experience in large-scalemining, Loose stoneswere usually cleared in preparation for this work it is possiblethat somefundamental knowledge gained from these (Idriess l93l:137), which would also explain the presenceof domestic operationsmay have assistedin this new mining stonemounds or vertical packingsat this site. The extensive environment. useofthis techniquewas recordedby Brough Smyth last cenhry The Welshlandscape in the middle of last centurywas still at Dfiy Dick's Gully (1869:104),about two kilometes west of relatively unaffectedby industrialisation, as large-scalemining the WelshVillage, thus its use in GoldenGully is probable. was confined to valleys, such asthe Taffand the RhonddaFawr. Gold mining createdan insatiable demaudfor timber for use In 1850,noted British topographer,Charles Cliffe, extolledthe in building, aswell as for power, and the vast forestsencountered beauty of 'the emerald greennessof the meadows' of southem by Europeansettlers within the Austalian landscapemust have Wales(Williams and Jones1990:8) in a similar mannerto the given the impression of an inexhaustible supply of timber to favourable description of the Victorian region given by Major meet these needs (Bolton 1992:69\. The devastationof ThomasMitchell, whenhis party passedclose to the sitein 1836 vegetation near mining operations in the Castlemaine area is (Mitchell 1839:280).Small villagesdotted the rural landscape obviousfrom a 1903Department of Mines reporton the region: of Wales,encouraging a close-knitspirit of community(Tucker Of the original forest growth very few fiees remain to 1991:16). This way of life was echoedin the separateethnic enclaves, show what speciesformerly coveredthe ranges. At such as The Welsh Village, which were cornmon on goldfields present, however, a vigorous growth of saplings, the of Australia (McCann 1992:130)and provided countymen protected by the Forestry Branch of the Lands with a link to their homeland. Departrnent,covers the greaterportion of the field, and The useofstone for building was alsoa prevalentfeature of will in a shorttime suffice fortimber and fuelrequirement the nineteenth-centuryWelsh landscape. Dry stone walls were of a largemining centre@aragwanath 1903:7). conventionally built by Welsh farmers for retaining walls and field boundaries.Traditional pattems Knowledge of natural material resorucesgenerally develops stonework were often used but random rubble construction was cornmon when quantities as people assimilatewithin the landscape.By the time of the of large stoneswere available Stone gold rush, the stringy-bark eucalypt, a speciesthat grows @ry Walling Association of Britain, n.d.). The assignmentofthis building technique naturally in the landscapeassociated with The Welsh Village, asa definite indicator of Welshculture is restricted,however, hadbeen adopted in Ausfralia asa major sourceof timber (Walker because ofits wide usethroughout the British Isles. Similarly, the cottages 1978:34).Much of this vegetationwas cleareddwing the gold of Welsh rural workers (Fig. 6) were often single and double rush period 1987:72-73)and the coppiceforest obvious QltlI cell rubblestructures (Lowe 1993:5-6),a descriptionthat could today has resulted from the influence of this clearing (Leonard fit anumberofthe buildings representedby footingsat The Welsh and Hammond 1984:28). In addition, exotic species,including Village (Fig. 7), but this type ofbuilding is alsonot dissimilarto pines,briar rosesand cypress,have become established within cottagesbuilt by other nationalities throughout the Austalian the landscape. goldfields@oyd 1952:4). Cultural Identity and the Landscape In addition,it is possiblethat geologicalsimilarities in this new landscapeand that of their homelandmay haveencouraged :t The Welsh settlerswho establishedthis settlementanived in the first inhabitantsof The WelshVillage to establishtheir mining T Australia from southem Wales in the early years of the gold operationsin GoldenGully. Parallelsin the geolory ofthe region : rush (Hill 1987:74-76). Glorified reports of 'easily gained andthat of Walesare quite markedand were notedby govemment ; eamings'were featured in the Welshpress and these encouraged geologistAlfred Selwyn last century (Selwyn 1854:9). Both & significantnumbers of Welsh peopleto cometo Australia last Walesand centralVictoria are mainly composedof Palaeozoic century @loyd 1988:159). The Welsh-bornpopulation of rocksthat originatedfrom sedimentsdeposited in amajorbasin. 3 Victori4whichin l85l was3TT,peakedby1871 at66l4. Many TheseLower Palaeozoicrocks have been folded into anticlines T were escapingthe hardshipsofupland fanning, or the degradation and synclines,and broken by faulting. Many of the fossils in of industriallife, and gold seemedto offer suddenwealth and a the Lower Palaeozoicrocks of Walesare similar to thosefound - quickretum home (Jupp 1988:842). in the samerocks in the study region, for exampletrilobites, -; 66 c€ived dtural their rooted by the s issue er and within +81). f their Welsh !rwith ilhem tEenth lliarrrs Bgest cedin qome r their e and Velsh trtwe ; used pugh ining, frese ining s srill ining iawr. d the ftem o the lajor t836 ;qipe rcker thnis oon ided re of w€re and used ities cion asa arse ages uble ruld :elsh Ito Fig.6: AnexampleofaWelshcountryworkerbcottagebuiltintheearlynineteenthcentury(takenv)ithpermissionfromLowelgg3:6) rlian fris €ed b'rachiopodsand graptolites. Graptolites,in particular,have been CONCLUSIONS riDC important for the understandingof the statigraphy of rocks in pon the Castlemainearea and with somegeological knowledge,the This study ofthe cultural landscapehas provided an opportunity rent Welshminers would havebeen able to usethe fossils to correlate to examine the physical remains of mining and associated brh and place rock units in a stratigraphic order. This correlation settlementat the time of the nineteenth-cenhrryAustralian gold zoic rvas well-known in the British Isles by at least the end of the rush. Changesoccurred within the landscapeas a resultoftfiese sin. eighteenthcentury, due to the foundation work of geologist activities and from their analysisan understandingcan be gained mes William Smith (George 1970:152). The topographyin both of the effect that the presenceof people can have upon the sin regionsreflects this geologicalstructure and lithology and the landscape'sform. The history of The WelshVillage is one of und recognitionof this fact would signifi the fansfer of knowledge fluctuating mining interests and transitions in the characterof res. from one landscapeto another. the settlement. Change,both underground and on the surface, 67 Village gold-seekers,both in Australia and in Wales, were remarkablygenerous in sharingtheir heritage,while discussions yift payid lennear from the Deparhent of Natural Resources andEnvironmentand adviceongeology from SteveHillofANU/ University of Canberrawere invaluable. The useofthe resources of organisationssuch as Heritage Victori4 the Public Records Office at Laverton, The StateLibrary of Victori4 The National t Trust, the Land Titles Office, Minerals and Petoleum Victori4 N The Dry StoneWalling Associationof GreatBritain, the Welsh Schoolof Architecture,Cente for Australian Studiesin Wales. English Heritage and CADW (Welsh Historic Monuments) is alsogreatly appreciated. BIBLIOGRAPI{Y ALLAN, J. D. 1996.Stream Ecologt: Structureand Function of Running Water,Chapman and Hall, London. ASTON, M. 1985.Interpreting the Landscape:Landscape Archaeologt in Local Studies,B.T. Batsford,London. BANNEAR, D. 1993. Historical Mining Sites in the Castlemaine/FryersCreek Mining Divisions, Departmentof Conservationand Natural Resowces.Melbourne. BANNEAR, D. & ANNEAR, R. 1989.Historical Mining Sites in the Castlemaineand Fryers CreekMining Division, Part Two : SiteGazetteeti Departnent of Conservationand Natural yillage Fig. 7: Floor plan of structure at Site 6, The Welsh (taken flom Resources.Melboume. Hill 1997:xiii). BNL{GWA}IAIH,W. 1903.Memoirs of the GeologicalSurvey of hctoria, GovernmentPrinter, Melboume. was on-goingand this provides a clearview ofthe evolutionary BLAINEY G. 1978.The Rush that Never Ended:A History of natureofthe cultural landscapeas subsequentepisodes ofhuman Australian Mining, (Third edition) Melbourne University activity are superimposedupon each other. Press,Carlton, Victona. From the marks left on the landscape,insight can also be BOLTON,G.1992. Spoilsand Spoilers:A History gainedinto theway in which thesepeople lived andthe possible of Australians motivesfor their actions. The location ofthe settlementindicates Shaping their Environment, (Second edition) Allen and that resourceexploitation was the most sip.ificant focus within Uuwin, North Sydney. the landscape. A perception of local geology may have BOYD, R. 1952.Australiab home: Its Origins, Builders and influenced the selection of the mining site, but mineral Occupiers,Mclboume University Press,Carlton, Vic. exploitationcan only takeplace where the commodityis available BROUGH SMYTH, and, as tlte settlementwas establishedas an adjwrct to mining, R. 1869. The Goldfields and Mineral its location was deterrninedby this factor. 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