Author Archives: Alison Russell
History and overview of the Gold Trails
In an extraordinary period from 1851 onwards, people rushed to make their fortunes on a series of goldfields that were discovered in NSW. The new … Read more
Wentworth Main head-frame and winding-house in c1895
Wentworth Main head-frame and winding-house in c1895 from the South with substantial mullock heaps running North and West. The houses along the west side of … Read more
Mining in Lucknow
There have been four peaks in the production of gold at Lucknow, the first being 1862-1867, 1873-1889, 1892-1899 and then in the late 1920s with … Read more
The Wentworth Gold Field
William Charles (WC) Wentworth was given a substantial land grant on the Nepean River. He was one of the group of explorers who first crossed … Read more
The Gold Process
The off-beat clamour of the battery went on for the full twenty four hours of each day during crushing. The two five-head stampers in the … Read more
Blacksmiths’ Shop
Anything made of steel was created by the blacksmith, also known as the ‘smithy’. Blacksmithing and blacksmiths were a fundamental component in gold mining and … Read more
The Marshall Family and Wentworth (Lucknow) Goldfields, 1935 to 1960
At the Wentworth Main shaft a number of buildings were erected in July 1935: fitting shops, miners’ change rooms, a manager’s office and a battery … Read more
Uncertain times, 1900 to 1935
The year 1899, saw the Department of Mines report that payable ore had become difficult to find. As companies came and went, Frank Gardner continued to have … Read more
Lucknow: a golden story, 1878 to 1898
In three months of 1896, 50,000 ounces of gold were taken from the field, largely from the ‘brown vein’, the year’s product being worth over … Read more
The Lucknow Strike
The strike was against the reduction in wages, the new system of grading pays and to protect the miners against ‘the perpetual search warrant’. There … Read more