NB – Burketown was named after an early settler, Mr William Burke, publican. Authors and newspapers of the 1850s and 60s used the spelling Burketown, but from 1872 the newspapers referred to this area as Bourketown. I have used Burketown on the map and in notes, for the 1850s and 60s.
The first report of gold mining in the Redbank area was in 1855 …
A gentleman arrived at our office from Araluen late on Thursday night, and informed us of the recent discovery of a promising gold field at Araluen; it is on Mr. Burnell’s private land, [this land is between Redbank and what would become Newtown] and two parties who have tried it are flushed with confidence of success. Mr. Sproul’s party of three obtained 16 ozs. of gold in a fortnight. Mr. Byrnes’ party got 18 ozs. in three days. The diggings are from 12 to 14 feet deep ; the soil is easily dug, and the ground is so situated as to be easily drained; it is situated on the low land below the mountain. The gold is coarse, and found in pieces of from ¼dwt., to 1½ dwt. Our informant firmly believes that it will turn out very remunerative, and he adds that upwards of 500 claims are already taken out. It appears that the enterprising miners who have made this discovery have got upon the old lead from the Government ground, and from Mrs. Jenning’s ground, which had been lost for the last eight or nine months. We congratulate our Braidwood friends, and hope that the new gold-field will realise their highest hopes by the richness of its yield.1Goulburn Herald and County of Argyle Advertiser, 15 September 1855.
There are no further reports about Redbank until March 1863 when new diggings were opened between Lublin’s and Chrysties public houses.2McGowan, Golden South, p 66. This area, called Redbank, attracted diggers throughout the valley. The Sydney Mail reports that gold was struck in every hole that had been sunk3Sydney Mail, 14 March 1863. …
Araluen prevents an entirely altered appearance since the rush to Redbank took place. For there, where a short time ago only a few houses were to be noticed, now may be seen a township, with habitations as thick as hives. Still most of the old places remain on Crown Flat, but on the way up to the Happy Valley Inn, the difference is plainly perceptible, buildings of all kinds growing up in all directions with the rapidity of mushrooms, and we learn that the private commissioner, Mr. J. H. Mullens, has his hands full marking out all the available new ground. From all accounts little doubt can exist that Araluen will once again be as profitable to the miner as it was in years gone by, for although we have heard of many parties who are not doing so well as they anticipated, yet there are many who are turning out the gold, night and day, to their hearts’ content.4Empire, 28 July 1863.
By September 1863 there were 3000 at Redbank. Public houses and stores were going up daily. One thousand ounces of gold was delivered to the mint each week. Burnell’s claim5Goulburn Herald, 12 September 1863. washed 35oz each day and 25oz each night. Crown Flat was almost deserted, although miners that preferred to work for themselves rather than in a co-operative, did continue working in the Lower Araluen fields, down to Mudmelong.6McGowan, Golden South, p 66. There were complaints about the lack of a post office in Redbank. The nearest post office was at Crown Flat, a distance of two miles from some claims. A petition was forwarded in September 1863, but a post office did not eventuate until October 1864.7Sydney Morning Herald, 8 October 1864.
There was great excitement in February 1864 with the arrival of Mr Blatchford’s new steam engine.8Freeman’s Journal, 6 February 1864. It was to be located at Redbank and it was the largest in the valley. Blatchford also had claims in Upper Araluen, Crown Flat and a store at Redbank. He also purchased gold and provided a private gold escort out of the valley.
Things were looking grim in April 1864 with another flood throughout the valley, from Upper Araluen to Mudmelong. There were further floods in June. Until the waters drained there was much inactivity with men out of work.9Freeman’s Journal, 21 May 1864. It was July before Redbank had recovered and mining could start up again. The flooding rains were wide spread. Roads and bridges in the whole Braidwood district were damaged, as well as the roads to Goulburn and down the Clyde. Food and medical supplies were affected; men were without an income; claim owners had to pay for expensive repairs without an income as well.
To add to the misery there was a fire in Mr Armstrong’s public house at Redbank in July 1864 …
On Saturday evening last Mr. Armstrong’s public house, the Peace and Plenty, at Redbank, took fire in a bedroom, in which slept three children. It appears that on that evening, Mr Armstrong, who was sitting in the parlour next the bedroom, observed a light under the door, and immediately went to ascertain the cause. On opening the door the flames rushed out upon him, and on getting into the room he found the canvas on the ceiling in ablaze, and the children who were fast asleep, completely surrounded by the devouring element. At much risk the children were dragged out, their clothes burnt and themselves slightly injured. Several persons who happened to be at hand, with the greatest promptitude lent their assistance, and the fire was soon extinguished, after the canvas had been pulled from the walls without doing any more damage. It is most providential that the canvas lining of the house was limed, and the roofing in a very damp state from the recent rains, otherwise the fire must have spread so rapidly that no human aid could possibly have been of any use in rescuing the children, and saving the premises from destruction.10Araluen Star, 2 July 1864.
In September 1864, tenders were to be called for a telegraph office to be erected at Redbank, near Blatchford’s store. There were also plans to extend the line to Moruya, along the ridges, rather than multiple crossings across the river.11Goulburn Herald and Chronicle, 7 September 1864. This would make communication to Braidwood a lot faster. In the 1860s it took four hours by horse to reach Braidwood
In October 1864 the average yield of gold for the valley was 1600ozs per week. Redbank supplied the greater proportion of this amount. The Goulburn Herald noted that a draft of Chinese were leaving the district, the first draft for 16 months, taking gold to the value upwards of £6700 with them.12Goulburn Herald and Chronicle, 20 October 1864.
In August 1866 the first meeting of the limited liability mining company, the new Great Extended Araluen Mining Company of Redbank, was held and 2000 shares of £1 each were put up for sale13Goulburn Herald and Chronicle, 29 August 1866. …
The turning of the first turf is fixed for Saturday, the 1st of September, and the occasion is likely to be quite a fete day in Araluen, a very large number of persons being expected to witness the interesting ceremony.14Goulburn Herald and County of Argyle Advertiser, 12 September 1865.
By November 1866 the Goulburn Herald reports that the company was reaping handsome profits.15Goulburn Herald, 24 November 1866. But in April 1867 there was another large flood affecting the whole of the valley. It was reputed to be as bad as the 1860 flood, but with no loss of life. Perhaps it was the continuous flooding that resulted in the disposal of the company. It was sold on 18 April 1867. The land brought 235 pound, the engine 437 pound. The whole, including horses and drays realised about 1000 pounds. They can only pay 5s. in the pound to their creditors.16Sydney Mail, 20 April 1867. A sad end to the first limited liability company. But it was resurrected in the 1870s extracting gold by dredging in the Araluen Creek.
In 1868 the Sydney Mail published the following from their Braidwood correspondent …
A correspondent of the Braidwood Dispatch calls attention to a matter which has long been a crying evil at Araluen, and which has been a great check to the energy and enterprise that would have been shewn had things been different to even a far greater extent than they have been. …… Some wage cases were heard in the Police Court yesterday, in which the defendants [shareholders] were mulcted [fined] for the full amount claimed. These cases are of such constant occurrence that it becomes every day more necessary that some very different system should be adopted than the present loose, unsatisfactory, and dangerous one to the man with means. The way in which most of the mining claims are carried on is merely by some sort of agreement, often not worth the one, when some half-dozen or more will start to open a piece of ground, among whom there generally is one or two with money. The claim is opened and after heavy expenses are incurred, and a large amount of wages become due, it perhaps proves unpayable, and is abandoned or sold with everything on it, for a mere song. Now who suffers, the unfortunate share holder, who being worth powder and shot, is sued and has to pay the piper. All this could be easily avoided by these having shares in claims availing themselves of the ‘ Mining Partnership Limited Liability Act.’ An Act, simple in itself, and when there are only a few shareholders, inexpensive in its adoption. This system of working partnership claims is universally adopted in Victoria, and unless brought into operation here, most of those willing to speculate in muling, [where a third party removes funds out of a compromised account] and having something at stake, will be deterred from doing so. Adopt the plan of working the claims under the Limited Liability Act, and many who now hold back from the heavy responsibilities of working a partnership claim under the present system, would be induced to enter into mining operations with confidence and security.17Sydney Mail, 22 February 1868.
In the Australian colonies the English Liability Act of 1862 was adopted, essentially unaltered by local legislatures during the mid-1860s. With ventures covered by this Act the shareholders will not have to use their private funds to recompense anyone out of pocket if the venture fails. Those working for wages will have no claim on shareholders. The Great Extended Mining Company shareholder, and it appears other companies in Araluen, up until this time, had not covered themselves using this Act.
The twelfth flood since 1860 occurred in April 1867. All these floods had wrecked havoc in much, if not all of the valley, putting miners out of work and causing claim owners sometimes many months of unpaid work and much damage to their expensive machinery. This was also without considerations of starvation, road closures, bridge collapses and sewage related diseases.
The Sydney Mail commented on the April flood …
The flood of Friday last which came down upon them like a thief in the night, has, from all accounts, levelled all the claims like a bowling green. The whole place is now, as we have heard it described, ‘ as flat as a pancake.’ Those larger claims, the immense mountains of earth thrown up from which have stood impervious to all past floods, have shared the fate of the rest, and on Monday the Valley presented a melancholy picture of desolation. From Crown Flat to Upper Araluen not a solitary claim was at work. Every engine was silent. Some two thousand men have been thrown out of work at a moment ….
And in Redbank …
The main street of Redbank is a disgrace to a civilised people. In the vicinity of the police camp there is a pool of slush and filth which is worse than Kiandra in its first opening. If the people in this locality do not endeavour to repair this place, and properly drain their houses, the result will be pestilence and disease, as there are many cases of fever in the valley at present.
On 4 June 1867 a public meeting was held at Kingsland’s Hotel, Redbank, to apply, yet again, to the government for relief.18Sydney Morning Herald, 10 June 1867.
Then there was another flood at the end of June 1867 …
The roads and creeks through Newtown and Redbank, being the main road to Moruya and from Braidwood, are nearly impassable. In several places the late heavy rains have formed creeks across the road where previously there existed only a small run of water. The communication between Redbank and Newtown would have been entirely cut off for foot passengers for a week or two, until the Long Flat and Sandy Creeks had sufficiently subsided, had it not been for a bridge having been erected across each of those creeks by private enterprise. The Government have been applied to and ought to grant a sum of money to be expended on the main road, leading from the foot of the mountain through the town to Crown Flat. This might be made subservient to the employment of those at present out of work, and assist in relieving those who are in need, and at the same time be a public benefit.
The Floods Relief Committee met on Tuesday [2 July 1867] morning and relieved twenty cases they have now altogether relieved a hundred and eighty-three applicants and issued two hundred and fifty rations. The number of individuals who have been in receipt of food by means of this fund amount to a thousand and sixty-eight. The funds are now nearly exhausted, and how those poor families are to exist for the next three weeks or a month is a serious question, and can only be satisfactorily answered by liberal subscriptions and donations from the benevolent and charitable, to whom a strong appeal is made.
The Colonial Secretary, in reply to an application for relief from the Araluen Relief Committee telegraphed to Mr. Rodd requesting to be put in possession of the facts of the case, and desiring to be informed In what way the Government could afford relief, and asking Mr. Rodd would he, In conjunction with the Police Magistrate of Araluen, undertake the duty of dispensing such relief. Mr. Rodd replied that there are three hundred men without work in Araluen, and that their wives and families would swell the number to one thousand, who are in consequence without food, and suggesting that immediate relief ought to be afforded by employing men on the roads which are in such a shocking condition between Braidwood, Major’s Creek, and Araluen. The result is that Mr. Rodd was informed yesterday that the Government will place a sum of money at the disposal of himself and Mr. Blatchford, and another person to be selected to afford relief in the mode suggested.19Empire, 5 July 1867
There was then nothing of significance to mining in Redbank reported in the newspapers until December 1868 when a rather important problem reared its head. The Police Magistrate convened a meeting at Kingsland’s Hotel for the purpose of petitioning the government to appoint a Gold Commissioner for the Braidwood portion of the Southern Goldfields …
The management of the gold-fields in this district had proved very unsatisfactory. He had known cases that the magistrates had been four, six, and even twelve months in settling, causing a large amount of loss to those concerned both in time and money. What we required was a prompt settlement of mining disputes, and not to be put off from time to time as the miners had been in the Braidwood district. Resolutions in favour of the appointment were brought before the meeting, which were duly carried.20Sydney Mail, 12 December 1868.
Unfortunately it does not seem that any Gold Commissioner was appointed to the district before December 1869. The Australian Dictionary of Biography lists many Gold Commissioners of this time. It appears that there was a shortage of qualified people as many different vocations held the position – poets, pastoralists, police, publicists, soldiers, even a harpist and a nurse.
The last mention of mining in Redbank by McGowan21McGowan, Golden South, p 98. occurs in 1885, although there is a Redbank dredge operating in the early 1900s.