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9.1.1 Chinaman's Garden Well
The Chinese established a small community Chinaman's Garden Well
where good water was available forty-five feet below the surface. The
community may have been present in 1882 and the evidence suggests the
growing of vegetables there at least from the following year. The Chinese,
by establishing their community at Chinaman's Garden Well obtained a
monopoly over the only reliable source of palatable water in the immediate
vicinity of Milparinka. The site, however, was on the floodplain of Evelyn
Creek, and was subjected to inundation on at least two occasions.
In the 1890s Chinaman's Garden Well was a focus of the Chinese
community, and a place where gatherings of Chinese from the European
town, from the surrounding stations, and from the 'camp' itself took place.
These gatherings occurred at least at Chinese New Year, and on May
Day, and were occasions when alcohol was consumed and gambling took
place. Fan Tan was clearly one of the gambling games involved.
There was a house here used by women who some members of the
European community inferred were prostitutes. A cellar and a bough
('bow') shed were also present. These were the site of the drinking and
gambling sessions.
The gardens produced a variety of vegetables, and in early years at least,
fruit. Grape vines were present, and it is possible some of the produce
was sold through a store in Milparinka known as 'Cocky's Store', owned or
operated by Tom Gox. There is no indication as to how the store got it's
name, but it is perhaps a reference to the relationship of the store to the
'cockies' grOWing vegetables and the like a mile and a half away. According
to the Collins English Dictionary (3rd Australian Edition) in idiomatic
language a 'cocky' is 'a farmer whose farm is regarded as small or of little
account'.
Vegetables from the gardens were also sold by the Chinese direct to
residents of the European town, and the Chinese appear to have
scavenged the town, perhaps using materials thus obtained to produce
fertilisers for their crops. That Tom Gox advertised foodstuffs which
included ham and eggs suggests pigs and fowl were also kept, although it
is equally possible Tom Gox kept fowl near his premises in the European
township, and that pig meat was purchased from the Baker family. The
historical record, however, makes no mention of fowl in the township.
The vegetables and fruits grown included grapes, potatoes, apples,
peaches, pears, melons, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots and turnips.
Research into Chinese agricultural traditions suggests the possibility that
the grape vines and perhaps the melon vines and tomato plants originally
sheltered the other crops from excessive exposure to the sun.
There is nothing in the historical record to suggest the plan of the Chinese
camp or gardens. There is no suggestion that all structures known to have