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PART 4 - THE CHINESE AT MILPARINKA
Chapter 6 HISTORICAL SOURCES
6.0 Introduction
As already discussed Chinese labourers and tradesmen were present in
the far west of New South Wales before the discovery of gold at Mount
Poole and Mount Browne. I have suggested at least some of the Chinese
who arrived on the Albert gold field early in 1881 had been working in
various occupations at Wilcannia or on pastoral properties in the vicinity.
But my research has not found any clear evidence to support this
proposition.
In Chapter 4 mention was made of a Chinese being illustrated as an inside
passenger on a coach drawn by camels between Wilcannia and Mount
Browne, probably in 1881. Mention was also made in Chapter 4 of
vegetables grown and sold by the Chinese at Milparinka in 1882, and of
opposition to their presence as gold diggers. This confirms their
establishment as gardeners by that time, but the site of their garden is
unconfirmed.
In this chapter I have summarised the historical record of the Chinese at
Milparinka and on the Mount Browne gold field after 1882. The actual
number of Chinese present was quite small, but as a proportion of the total
population I suspect they may have been more numerous than in other
New South Wales country towns such as Hay, Deniliquin, Narrandera,
Wagga Wagga and Albury, discussed in Chapter 3.
At Milparinka the Chinese monopoly over garden produce and their control
over a significant proportion of the town's water resources probably meant
they had a disproportionate impact upon the community.
6.1 Involvement in Gold Digging and Mining
Entries in police charge and summons books between 1883 and 1890
suggest that Chinese were present in Tibooburra, and that they were at
least occasional visitors to Milparinka, but with this exception no
satisfactory historical evidence exists for their ongoing presence at either
Milparinka or Mount Browne in this period.
In 1883 the population of the Albert gold field (Tibooburra, Mount Browne,
Milparinka and two or three other small localities) was estimated at 600
persons, and mining activity on the quartz reefs at Warratta was
considerable. Some trial crushings took place at Warratta in mid-year
using a twelve stamper-head battery erected by the Whittabreenah Gold
Mining Company, but water was struck in all shafts sunk beyond a depth of