Bendigo General History - Department of Planning and Community ...

Hustlers Reef - Latham and Watson’s claim, in the gully (Ironbark) have discovered some
excellent stone. The Hustler’s Reef Company will be completed and ready to start work in a
week, with their pumping engine, at a depth of 230 feet. Redan Reef - The southern claims on
this line are quite at a standstill. Cooper’s Comet Company, on the summit of the hill, are in
constant work raising and crushing; they have a large claim in two leases, one on the Redan
and the other on the Sophia Reef, and are at the present time employing upwards of 100 men;
their yield of gold weekly ranges widely from 150 to 300ozs. Wade and Blair’s claims are
doing well; their average yield is about 3oz. per ton, at a depth of about 225 feet ... The
Ironbark Company’s claim is doing pretty well; last week’s work yielded 70ozs. this is on the
Sophia Reef. Silk and Company, and Johnson and Company, on the Sophia are also doing
well. Stanley’s Reef - Stanley and Company in their claim are taking up all the stone they
passed in the drive ... Palmer and Company, to the north are also getting good stone, as well as
Wilkie and Company, to the south. Tyson’s Reef - The Tyson’s Reef Company have just
struck another golden reef. Paddy’s Gully Reef - The prospects of this line is looking much
brighter. Smith and Company have been crushing stone for 1 1/20z to the ton ... Watson and
Company, to the north, is also getting good stone from the same lead. Tipper and Company, to
the south, have tried some of the same stone from the water level, but not so good ... The
pumping engine is not as yet doing much good in the way of draining; the engine shaft is sunk
to the required depth it is supposed, and is now being driven to the east in which direction it is
expected the reef will be struck, when the south claims will be enabled to sink 100 feet at least
below water level; the Union and Hope Companies will then have an opportunity of searching
for the second reef. Garden Gully Reef - This line, with exception of 3 claims is idle.
Perseverance Reef, Long Gully - Three claims on this line are raising stone for crushing;
Kershaw and Company are working down a western spur ... New Chum Reef - The New Chum
Company ...[presently employing 40men] ... have finally commenced pumping and crushing;
they have evidently drained the whole hill, the shaft on the summit (Phoenix Company) being
220 feet deep, and many of the claims have now got to work. Victoria Reef - On the South
Victoria Hudson is working a small irregular body of stone ... The Phoenix Company, to the
south, have at last got onto the same body ... Mr Burrows, to the north of Hudson, is working
the Black Lead ... Wybrant, the next claim in the gully, is working the top stone, which pays
tolerably well. The Medway, on the North Victoria, have driven to the west and found the Old
Victoria Reef ... Wittscheibe, in the next claim, have struck the reef, but not the same run of
gold. The Victoria Mines Company, in their 220ft level, has struck 3 or 4 small bodies of
quartz. 1
August 1860: Eaglehawk Division
The population is as follows:
European Chinese
Alluvial miners3,500 550
Quartz miners 900
4,400 550
The machinery is as follows:
Alluvial mining:
Steam engines employed in puddling, 5-74hp
Steam-engines employed in winding, pumping and puddling, 5-92hp
Horse puddling mills at work, 233 at work, 122 idle - 355
Whims, 14
Quartz mining:
Steam engines employed in winding, pumping, and crushing, etc, 41 - 641hp
In consequence of the greater portion of the alluvial ground now being rendered free, many tub
and cradle miners have returned to their former pursuit, and I have observed several places now
occupied that had been for a long time deserted; this may, however, be attributed to the
abundance of water. The puddling is also rather on the increase than otherwise, especially in
some of the small gullies opened within the last year in the vicinity of the Whipstick Road,
where several small nuggets and payable ground have been found. A rather vigorous rush has
lately taken place at Huntly, on a part of the flat lying about half a mile east of the Back Creek,
and at six miles from Sandhurst. I am of opinion that this ground will ultimately be found to be
a branch of the great Huntly Lead. It is shallow sinking...and produces from 14 to 17 dwt. to
the load. It makes good wages for the Huntly miners, and is found just when it is wanted, as
many of them, I regret to say, have suffered severely from the late inundations - by that
unfortunate occurrence about five hundred men have been deprived of work.
1 Mining Surveyors’ Reports, August 1860