Dargo - Crooked River Goldfields
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The text & images on these pages are from the book GHOSTS & GOLD IN THE VICTORIAN HIGH COUNTRY by R. W. Christie © 1993 ISBN No: 0 646 16946 7 They are reproduced on these pages, with some changes in layout, with his kind permission. |
Signage at Grant Historic Area Click on images to enlarge |
Prospectors at the Talbotville Store |
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If the success of a goldfield could be measured in terms of the affluence and
size of its major town and satellite towns then surely the Crooked River gold
field would rank as one of the greatest. Grant with a population of
approximately 2000 was certainly one of the most imposing and well laid out of
the mountain goldfields. The township was surveyed by Afred Walker in 1864 and
laid out round a double fronted main street - over thirty streets made up the
town. Within 10 kilometres another six towns sprang into prominence, with
schools, courts, banks and post offices.
Although 1864 and 1865 are seen as the great boom years of the district the area had in fact been opened up much earlier and gold had been found as early as 1850. Angus McMillan was one of the first white men to venture into the area and in 1839 took up a run of 16,000 acres at what was then known as Dargo Hill on behalf of his employer Lachlan Macalister A station was set up but there is no record of any further exploration being done. It was not until 1850 that the government took an interest in the area. They sent out a surveyor - John Wilkinson - to map the upper reaches of the Mitchell River. He commenced his journey at the Dargo Run and mapped thirty miles of the Mitchell's tributaries, following the Wonnangatta up to the Wongungarra. The report although comprehensive was of little |
interest with the exception of one note that referred to the presence of gold
in the rivers. This reference of gold paled to insignificance when compared to
the major finds at Bendigo and Ballarat which also took place at the same time.
Wilkinson however was so convinced of the value of his find that he wrote to
Edward Hargreaves and the Governor asking that further action be taken, but his
pleas were ignored.
Almost ten years passed before the government under the auspices of the Prospecting Board sent another party into the mountains, this time with Alfred William Howitt at its head and specific instructions to find a new goldfield and aid the flagging economy He commenced his journey at the Dargo Station in May of 1860 and followed the river of the same name almost to its head. Along the way he discovered evidence of miners already at work on the upper reaches. Sluice boxes, water races and several large log cabins indicated that substantial work had been done on the river. The miners it appeared had abandoned their work because of the onset of winter. Although gold could be found in most places along the river, Howitt was not prepared to officially report it as a major find, he wanted something more substantial. He therefore changed valleys and commenced working his way up the Wonnangatta. |
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