HARD HILL WORKINGS

GARDEN GULLY ROAD ARMSTRONG, ARARAT RURAL CITY

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Victorian Heritage Inventory

Statement of Significance

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  • History

    HARD HILL WORKINGS - History

    Heritage Inventory History of Site: Gold was first found at Long Gully, near Hard Hill in 1855, and in the following year gold was obtained from the hill itself. The Keogh brothers are credited with the latter discovery, which was to become the first of many finds of gold in high level Tertiary gravels. By this time of the Keogh brothers discovery, there were 2,000 miners reported in the area. Hard Hill contained a lead of Tertiary or older high level gravels which were cemented together into a hard conglomerate. The records show that the mining of the cemented gravels became the main source of alluvial gold in the Ararat-Great Western region during the 1860s-70s. The cemented gravels were sluiced, with the water brought in by water races. The mining records also show that by 1870s, alluvial mining had became the realm of Chinese miners only; with the European miners being predominantly involved in quartz and deep lead mining. The dating of the workings at Hard Hill to this general period (1860s-70s) is supported by Krauses' Ararat Gold Field Map of 1875 which shows a Chinese camp east of Hard Hill and at the north end of Long Gully. This map also shows a fairly large dam in the position of the existing described below. The archaeological evidence today shows that this dam supplied water for sluicing purposes.

    Heritage Inventory Description

    HARD HILL WORKINGS - Heritage Inventory Description

    Cement workings - Numerous filled but subsiding shafts (both round and rectangular) sunk through a cement cap (remnant of ancient river bed). Several of the shafts have subsided to a depth of four to six metres. Some of the shafts have been disturbed by gravel quarrying. The east side of the cement cap has been extensively open cut (quarried) and tunnelled. A water race runs along the hill just below the workings. Stone retaining walls separate the water race from the workings suggesting that the two are contemporary. Below the water race are partly quarried dumps of silt and gravel (debris from the washing of the auriferous soil obtained from the gutter or base of the cement cap).Dams and water races - A large breached dam is located in Garden Gully, to the south (east side) of the hill . The dam has the remains of a stone by-pass on the western end of its embankment. The water race mentioned above comes from this dam. Down Garden Gully from the large dam are at least two smaller breached dams. Both the smaller dams are associated with large mounds of wash. A water race runs from one of the small dams down the west side of the gully. Ground sluicing (sluicing of auriferous soil from the hill slope) - Both the upper and lower races are associated with extensive ground sluicing (surfacing) of the slope.Shallow sinkings - A wide band of shallow sinkings (holes and low mounds) run along the eastern side of the gully. The sinkings are obscured by scrub and high grass.Chinese camp site - On the west side of Armstrongs Road is a camp site which has at least two house platforms and a bottle dump which has been disturbed by treasure hunters. Only nineteenth century artefacts are visible.1930's house site - To the west of the large dam is a small stone and mud fireplace and small (four by three metre) house platform outlined by post stumps. Associated with the house are a small dam, fenced yard and several open shafts. One of the shafts still retains its wooden collar.

    Heritage Inventory Significance: The site has:Scientific significance - due to the survival of a range of undisturbed mid to late nineteenth century relics which document both shallow lead and small scale cement mining. Such landscapes are now rare in Victoria. Archaeological potential - evidence of associated mining campNetwork values - alluvial mining landscapeSIGNIFICANCE RANKING: National Estate

    Recorded by: David Bannear

    Heritage Inventory Site Features: Cement workingsDams and water racesGround sluicingShallow sinkingsChinese campsite1930s house site

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