Araluen, also known as the ‘Happy Valley’ and the ‘Valley of Peace’ lies in the heart of the Great Dividing Range in southern NSW. The valley developed over millennia as the Moruya River and her tributaries gradually eroded the land back from the coast. This erosion created the dramatic mountains that surround Araluen, making access to valley challenging.
The Arralyin people are the traditional owners of the valley, holding knowledge of the waterways, walking tracks, flora and fauna for millennia. The Arralyin are one of the 13 major tribal groups of the Yuin Nation. They spoke Dhurga, which was the language spoken from south of Nowra to Narooma inclusive of Braidwood and Araluen. Dhurga is still spoken today.
European people first came to the Valley around the 1820s as settlers, but with the discovery of gold in 1851 the population boomed. In the 1860s and ’70s over 4,000 people lived in the valley, and it was one of the richest alluvial goldfields in Australia.
Mining radically altered the topography of the valley. The land was turned over and transformed as miners washed out gold sediment along the waterways, created new waterways for sluices and piled up mounds of washed earth. Over time, as the alluvial gold was depleted, mechanical dredges became commonplace, scouring the landscape and denuding the hills of trees to fuel the machinery and wash the diggings. Eventually mining became unprofitable and had finished completely by the 1930s.
After World War I, agriculture became the main industry and occupation in the valley, with Araluen peaches widely acclaimed for their superior quality. Today it is difficult to see much evidence of the turbulent and exciting history. Some historic buildings, ruins and archaeological mounds are all that remain visible.
Araluen Gully, County of St. Vincent. A fertile valley surrounded with mountains, c.1831 by Robert Hoddle.
From the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales