Category: Mining

Lamplough’s 1859 Gold Rush

In 1987 Denis Strangman, a member of the Avoca and District Historical Society, published an article in the Familia Ulster Genealogical Review about a goldrush to Lamplough near Avoca in 1859-1860. The article has since been republished on the Society’s website and is included in The Irish in Australia and New Zealand: A Resource for Family Historians (2024) published by the Ulster Historical Foundation.

George and Caroline Young, the great great grandparents of my husband Greg, who had joined the rush to Lamplough, were neighbours there of Denis Strangman’s great grandfather, William Downing Strangman, born 1831 in County Cork. Unlike many who moved on when the excitement faded, both the Young and Strangman families remained in the district.

Denis Strangman’s article describes the gold rush to Lamplough near Avoca between late 1859 and 1860. The discovery of gold by two local fossickers, the Owens brothers, in November 1859 brought about a large and rapid rush attracting thousands. Within weeks it grew from a few hundred diggers to around 16,000. The settlement developed quickly, with businesses, banks, entertainment, and the beginnings of government institutions. Those who were there remembered the dust, heat, crime, and disorder.

Before the discovery of gold, Lamplough consisted of little more than the “Clare Castle” hotel run by George Cartwright and a scattering of miners’ tents along nearby Rutherford’s Creek, a tributary of the Avoca River. The creek took its name from Andrew Rutherford, who occupied the Lamplough run between 1851 and 1853.

The pastoral property itself had much earlier origins. Established in 1840–41, it was among the stations taken up in the years following Major Thomas Mitchell’s exploration of western Victoria in 1836. By the time the gold rush began in late 1859, the nominal owner was John Matheson, although he was in England during 1860 and the station was managed on his behalf by William Macoboy Wise.

November 1859

The rush to Lamplough began on the weekend of 26-27 November 1859 when two Welsh brothers, John and Daniel Owens, who had been prospecting “for some time past,” reported finding payable gold to Richard English, the mining surveyor at Avoca.

Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), Monday 26 December 1859, page 7

EXTRACTS FROM THE MINING SURVEYORS' REPORTS.
(PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF SCIENCE.)
(Continued from The Argus of December 26. )
Board of Science, Melbourne, Dec. 19.
The following extracts from the Mining Surveyors' Reports for the month of November are published for general information. It is to be understood that the Board is not responsible for the facts or opinions they contain.
…
MARYBOROUGH MINING DISTRICT.
AVOCA DIVISION.
(R. English, Mining Surveyor.)
The population is as follows:-
Europeans.
Quartz-mining .. .. .. 281
Alluvial-mining .. .. 7,960
Puddling .. .. .. .. .. .. 140
Sluicing .. .. .. .. .. .. ..  20
.. .. .. .. .. … .. .. .. .. 8,401

Chinese.
Alluvial-mining .. .. .. 980
Puddling .. .. .. .. .. .. 450
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 1,430

The above tables are the result of my own observation, and comprise only those actually engaged in mining. I estimate the total population of the division at 16,000.

A large rush has taken place in a portion of my district four miles in a south-east direction from the south-east boundary of the Avoca township. The diggings are called the Lamplough, in consequence of being near what was formerly termed the Lamplough Home Station, and are situate on the Middle Creek, which is a continuation of Rutherford's Creek, a tributary of the Avoca River.

The rush was occasioned by a party of prospectors, who struck payable gold in 12 feet sinking.

That party for some time past have been prospecting in various parts of the same flat, leading from Avoca township. I beg to transmit a plan of the situation of these workings, with vertical sections of the sinking, together with a plan of the streets, which, under the Warden's instructions, and in accordance with mining regulations, Class H, I have surveyed and laid out for business purposes only. [Here follows a description of the survey. The vertical sections show the character of the sinking, which differs materially in a short distance the bed-rock being principally mica schist, with occasional sandstone bars. The lead commences at nearly surfacing on the north-east side of the flat, and crosses the Lexton road and watercourse in a south-westerly direction to the other side. The gold appears to cling mostly to the opposite low ranges from wherever it commences, and the miners seem to have lost the payable ground as the sinking got deeper, but at that point the flat widens very considerably, and my opinion is that the lead will be found trending more to the south-west than they are at present working, or rather "shepherding."

Payable ground, from six to eight chains wide and three quarters of a mile in length, has been found, and I am convinced, by persevering, that a lead of gold, leading from this to the Avoca, will eventually be found.

Section 3 is the prospectors' claim. Several other contiguous claims with this have yielded from a few pennyweights to 5oz, to the tub. Section 4. The ground is very good, although patchy, yielding, I am informed, in many instances from 5oz. to 8oz. to the tub. Sections 2 and 1.-The ground has been very payable, but at present there appears to be doubts as to the permanency of this gold-field.

The total population at this rush I estimate at 12,000, but there are not more than 5,000 bona fide miners.
The sections are as follow :-

(To be continued.)

Argus, Tuesday 27 December 1859, page 7

EXTRACTS FROM THE MINING SURVEYORS' REPORTS.
(PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF SCIENCE.)
(Continued from The Argus of December 26. )
Board of Science, Melbourne, Dec. 19.
The following extracts from the Mining Surveyors' Reports for the month of November …
…
The new Avoca Rush, called Lamplough, having during this month created much sensation, and at the commencement offered great inducement, those diggers who have not been steadily employed have been thinned ; but the reduction would seem to be of short duration, for daily parties may be seen returning to their old quarters.

December 1859

Star (Ballarat, Vic.), Saturday 3 December 1859, page 2

BACK CREEK.
(From our own Correspondent.)
2nd December.
There is now no doubt that a large and shallow rush is at length found in the Clare Castle Diggings. Yesterday the number there must have been nearly 12,000, and although many of these are storekeepers and business men, yet the majority are bona fide miners. The ground is marked out for an immense distance, and as the sinking on one side has shallowed to 7 feet, and no hole has yet gone more than 30 feet, but little shepherding is going on. I was informed by one party that he took seven ounces off the bottom of a 7 feet hole, and many of the claims which bottomed shicers have, on being driven, turned out not only paying, but remunerative. I shall again visit the rush on Saturday or Sunday, and shall then be able to give you full and reliable information. One thing at present is certain, that every one agrees the rush is established; that good gold is being got; and that although as yet there is no defined lead, that gold lies all over the Flat. Mr Bunn, one of the late lessees of the Theatre Royal here, is about to erect a theatre on the Rush. In the meantime speculation is very rife as to its effect on Back Creek. That it clear away what the wind and insolvency has left of Oxford street, is being hourly proved, but our principal merchants and storekeepers are so pecuniarily interested in our deep leads, that not even this great excitement will induce them to do more than put up small branch stores, and our wholesale merchants will necessarily have another large market for their goods. Coaches and vehicles of every description are reaping a rich harvest.

Mining Surveyors’ Reports for December 1859

AVOCA DIVISION.
(R. English, Mining Surveyor.)

The mining population is as follows:-
Alluvial miners: 15,750 Europeans; 1500 Chinese
Quartz miners: 190 Europeans; -- Chinese
Totals: 15,940 Europeans; 1500 Chinese

The machinery is as follows:-
Alluvial mining--Horse puddling-machines, 71; whims, 2.
Quartz-mining-Steam engines, 4-34-horse power. The approximate value of all the mining plant in the division is £15,800.

In consequence of another rich and payable lead having been discovered at the Lamplough Diggings, the neighbouring gold-workings, with the exception of St. Arnaud and Four-mile Flat, in my division, are almost abandoned by the mining population, those only who apparently are making more than a good living being stationary.

Lamplough at present is the grand attraction; hundreds of miners are arriving daily from the more remote gold-fields. The yield of gold, together with the large extent of the already proved auriferous ground, indicates that the Lamplough presents every appearance of being the largest rush we have yet had in Victoria.

An area of several miles of virgin ground lies between this, on the south-west, and the Amphitheatre, in a north-westerly direction, and to where the workings are at present trending there is a continuation of the same wide flat country, extending in length several miles, and in width from the Avoca River to the base of the Pyrenees; and now that a large population is in the district, should these diggings be systematically worked, several other contiguous small leads, as well as the Avoca Deep Lead, must, at a point not far from the Avoca township, effect a confluence.

The original prospectors at the Lamplough still continue to find rich ground. The last washing that I ascertained from their ground was 9lb. of gold from five loads of dirt. Further down the same work-ing, another claim yielded from some loads only a few dwts.; whilst other loads from the same gave as many ounces, thereby proving the patchy character of the ground.

The second lead, or workings, which has been the principal cause of the present favourable reaction at the Lamplough, is situate upon a tributary of Rutherford's Creek, having its rise in a belt of ranges, called the Green-hills. For a considerable distance the lead is found to pay 30 claims wide. I have visited some of the underground workings, and find that the miners are only driving around their boundary lines, or what is generally called fencing in their ground. Few are doing anything yet upon this lead, but putting in main drives.

The miners inform me that in driving they occasionally meet with a coarse piece of gold. Collectively they appear to have confidence in its being a permanent and payable gold field.

[Mr. English has furnished a plan of the "Business Township," and the leads above referred to, with vertical sections, on the scale of eight feet to one inch, of the strata sunk through.]
English, R., 13 December 1859. Lamplough diggings. Map showing township and alluvial lead course, with sections through test shafts. Parish of Glenmona. Plan No 1677/M/1. Geological Survey of Victoria.

Bendigo Advertiser (Vic.), Friday 30 December 1859, page 2

MINING INTELLIGENCE.
LAMPLOUGH.
(From the Correspondent of the Back Creek Advertiser.)
The failure of the first rush to a new gold-field and the success of the second, are patent to every miner. Through one of these convulsions, Lamplough is now passing. Again, we have sent forth the cry, and hundreds are responding to it, Each day since the word "rush" was pronounced, has witnessed the advent of people, which far surpasses even the extraordinary arrivals the first sound of the tocsin summoned, and that this second rush will prove a grand success, is the opinion entertained by the most intelligent portion of the mining community.
On Saturday week a party bottommed a shaft at 33 feet, about three-quarters of a mile from the old ground and in the direction of the Amphitheatre diggings. Immediately following the trial of a prospect, which resulted in 3 dwts from a small tin bucket, an application was made to the Warden for an extended claim, which having been granted and the intelligence got into circulation, a large rush took place, and the ground was speedily marked out for a considerable distance. Before a week had elapsed, the new lead was found to be 10 claims in width, with every probability of still further extension. About this lime a shaft was bottomed in the centre of what may be called an island in the creek, and the result proved emi-nently satisfactory. From the bottom, the party netted 3 ozs partly in nuggets and partly fine gold. In the meanwhile another shaft, had bottomed on the flat, at a considerable distance from the prospectors claim, and half a bag washed from it gave 4½ dwts. Since then several shafts have bottomed with varying success, and the consequence is that the greatest possible excitement, prevails. Hundreds of shafts are in course of sinking, and it may be affirmed that a more prosperous looking locality for gold was never opened in the country
This rush has almost denuded the original ground of those thousands that a fortnight since swarmed over it. Scarcely a shepherd is to be seen upon the ground, and those parties even who have golden claims have sent forth what mates they can spare, to seek for better claims at the new rush. The excitement is astonishing, no word is mentioned of the old ground, for the attention of every one is directed into another channel.
A street has been already laid out, and claims pegged off within a short distance of the end of Amphitheatre-street.

In only a couple of weeks a business township was laid out. By Christmas 1859 Lamplough had attracted not only miners, but merchants, entertainers, and speculators.

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