stevewilko
that's right it was me....
Hello All;
What an education the Welsh Street, Welsh Village area in Chewton is, both for myself and for my education of the work that the early gold miners undertook in this area.
I have maps including topographic maps showing the contours of the hills. I thought they were a reasonable slope to negotiate the leads from hill top down to the lesser height contours throughout but it isn't that simple. My expectation didn't match the reality of what I found.
Nuthin like the diggings we usually see in the GT area!
Extremely rough country of hills, slopes and an intermediate ground level till it repeats again, up and over and down again until it reaches the level of the contour shown on the map. The ground between the map contours was very steep hillside down to valley floor and up a steep hillside again, continuing up and down, up and down everywhere you go.
Some tracks just stopped dead at a cliff face going 8 metres down. Others were too steep for my 2wd, although I got half the way in...but I really shouldn't have tried it on as I was on my own, struggling in parts in which I shouldn't have attempted. The 4wd tracks were very steep, some had new growth saplings growing out of the middle of them.
But the greatest impression was that of the miners that went before. I think these claims might have been the original 8ft x 8ft grant. The hand stacked black slate built up around the mine head created what looks like a kiln base and chimney growing ever taller as the mine depth increased down. So dangerous, so close and so steep.
Also, it would have been so hard for the original miners to get about. Very unforgiving country to exist in let alone provide for your survival for attaining provisions. Still a weekend doesn't equate to months in the digs as they mostly did do.
Anyway I persevered, I sweat bucket loads, it was too hot for me where I counted on the southerly breeze to assist the cooling of my brow but I got none!
I came out early because of the terrain and the temperatures.
I left Sunday early afternoon after 2 nights because i decided to go across country to drive the Dunolly region diggings. This is because I thought about the thread I made concerning detecting the popular areas. I also made a midday lunch stop with my brother whom lives nearby.
I trust my photo conversion into pdf comes up below, I already see it is upside down ... no matter..
The picture if it is not uploaded is 3 pieces, one 3.78 one 1.1 and one lesser to make the 5+ gram tally, plus a 1947 thrupence.
Cheers all - If I may ask - where are we going Australia day weekend? I have furlough and I will follow the thread...
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/doc/member-docs/8651/1548118587_chewton_gold1.pdf
What an education the Welsh Street, Welsh Village area in Chewton is, both for myself and for my education of the work that the early gold miners undertook in this area.
I have maps including topographic maps showing the contours of the hills. I thought they were a reasonable slope to negotiate the leads from hill top down to the lesser height contours throughout but it isn't that simple. My expectation didn't match the reality of what I found.
Nuthin like the diggings we usually see in the GT area!
Extremely rough country of hills, slopes and an intermediate ground level till it repeats again, up and over and down again until it reaches the level of the contour shown on the map. The ground between the map contours was very steep hillside down to valley floor and up a steep hillside again, continuing up and down, up and down everywhere you go.
Some tracks just stopped dead at a cliff face going 8 metres down. Others were too steep for my 2wd, although I got half the way in...but I really shouldn't have tried it on as I was on my own, struggling in parts in which I shouldn't have attempted. The 4wd tracks were very steep, some had new growth saplings growing out of the middle of them.
But the greatest impression was that of the miners that went before. I think these claims might have been the original 8ft x 8ft grant. The hand stacked black slate built up around the mine head created what looks like a kiln base and chimney growing ever taller as the mine depth increased down. So dangerous, so close and so steep.
Also, it would have been so hard for the original miners to get about. Very unforgiving country to exist in let alone provide for your survival for attaining provisions. Still a weekend doesn't equate to months in the digs as they mostly did do.
Anyway I persevered, I sweat bucket loads, it was too hot for me where I counted on the southerly breeze to assist the cooling of my brow but I got none!
I came out early because of the terrain and the temperatures.
I left Sunday early afternoon after 2 nights because i decided to go across country to drive the Dunolly region diggings. This is because I thought about the thread I made concerning detecting the popular areas. I also made a midday lunch stop with my brother whom lives nearby.
I trust my photo conversion into pdf comes up below, I already see it is upside down ... no matter..
The picture if it is not uploaded is 3 pieces, one 3.78 one 1.1 and one lesser to make the 5+ gram tally, plus a 1947 thrupence.
Cheers all - If I may ask - where are we going Australia day weekend? I have furlough and I will follow the thread...
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/doc/member-docs/8651/1548118587_chewton_gold1.pdf
