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BYRON BAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY BYRON BAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

BYRON BAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY - PowerPoint Presentation

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Uploaded On 2018-02-03

BYRON BAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY - PPT Presentation

Gold Mining in Byron Bay Area May 2015 Gold Mining Gold discovered March 1870 Richmond River mouthbeaches ID: 627657

sand gold beach black gold sand black beach mining photo main bay ounce mile byron mercury miners treatment slicks

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Slide1

BYRON BAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Gold Mining in Byron Bay Area

May 2015Slide2

Gold MiningGold discovered March 1870 - Richmond River mouth/beachesFine alluvial gold (flour-salt size) in black sand, one ounce/dayThen at Seven Mile and Tallow Beach by September 1870Main Beach later, all coast proclaimed a “Gold Field” Mined beach slicks and strands, old strand lines and leads“Black sanders” generally worked in groups of threeAll collected and transported sand to treatment siteOne shovelled black sand into hopper at top of sluice

One pumped water to wash sand over mercury-coated copper plates and down sluiceOne shovelled treated black sand away Hard, monotonous, unrelenting, physical workSlide3

Gold Mining

Black sand slicks on active strand line – Tallow Beach. (Photo – Main)Slide4

Gold Mining

Thick black sand “lead” – Seven Mile Beach. (Photo – Main)Slide5

Gold Mining

Horses carrying black sand to treatment site - 1935. (Photo – Morley)Slide6

Gold Mining

Three man team (The Danes) sluicing black sand – Seven Mile Beach 1935. (Photo – Morley)Slide7

Gold MiningMercury-gold amalgam (putty-like) scraped off copper platesPlaced in potato or pumpkin, retorted/roasted on a shovel in fireGold remained as grains or “button” on shovel, mercury vapour captured as droplets in charcoaled vegetable, recovered, re-used Richer workings depleted quickly; most miners gone before 1890Known as the “poor mans diggings” as everyone found some gold but no one made a fortune, no big operatorsGood earnings were half to one ounce per man per weekTotal production unknown – estimate 20-30,000 ounces In hard times (1930’s Depression) miners returned Ironically the discarded black sand worth more than goldSlide8

Gold MiningFine alluvial gold recovered after retorting. (Photo Main)Slide9

Gold MiningGOLDEN BEACHES OF BYRON BAY I dreamt of gold - how I craved it In the rivers of this new land On Byron’s beaches I found it Grains shining there in the sand

I panned the gold - how I saved it Sluiced tonnes of black sand ev’ry day Disease or hunger I fought it For an ounce a week was good pay

Gone is the gold - how I spent it

Years working myself like a slave

Gold grips my heart how I hate it

Alone at the edge of my grave.

Main – 2015.