New Goldfield at Adelong Creek

Bell’s Life in Sydney and Sporting Reviewer

5 February 1853

A new and apparently very rich gold field was last week discovered on the Adelong Creek, at Messrs. Davis's Cattle Station. On Saturday morning last I visited the spot and found seven men at work with, two cradles.

On the previous Wednesday they commenced working on a bank of drift sand, stone, and gravel, which appeared to have been recently brought down by flood, probably only last winter, as the banks were in a very loose state, not requiring the pick, except for the removal of large stones.

I remained while several cradles were emptied, the product of each yielded as nearly as I could judge ¼ oz. of course flake gold; the metal appeared to be so easily distributed that I could detect no apparent difference in the yield of each cradle of stuff.

The gold being of a coarse description I imagine has not been brought down from any great distance, and I am confirmed in this opinion from inspecting nearly an ounce weight of very much coarser gold that had been obtained by one of the party from a branch creek little more than a mile above the spot where the cradles were at work; the largest of these pieces would I think have weighed between two and three pennyweights.

I saw the gold that had been obtained by a party of seven men in three days which was at the least sixteen ounces; the men told me they had by no means worked hard, or constantly, on either of the three days, and certainly they did not hurry themselves during the time I remained.

I feel confident, that from the drift bank I saw being worked, that three men with a cradle, could obtain 4 ounces of gold in the day. An old digger who accompanied me assured me that six ounces could be obtained by a party of three, in n full day's work.

I expect it will be some time before this new gold field is fully developed as most of the diggers in this and the adjoining district are going to the Ovens or Bendigo, but if I do not greatly err, the Adelong diggings will sooner or later prove one of the richest gold fields in New South Wales.

Mr. Hargraves was up here sometime ago, and I believe rode over this very spot upon which the new diggings are situated, and I think that gentleman never made a greater blunder in his life than when he told the good folks of this district "that there certainly was gold, but that it would cost £50 an ounce to collect it,"

The Adelong diggings are distant about 30 miles from Gundagai and 13 from Tumut township, parties desirous of visiting these diggings will have no difficulty in finding them by following up the right bank of the Adelong Creek from the Port Phillip road by Johnston and Moore's Cattle Station.

Gold. - A letter in our last issue gave a very correct description of a hoax which had been practised upon the credulity of the inhabitants of Yass, whereby they had been made to believe that a rich and extensive gold-field existed in their district. That gold does exist in the neighbourhood, there is not the slightest doubt, but that it has been discovered in paying quantities, is equally untrue.

We are sorry to see that the Sydney daily papers and the gold brokers of the metropolis were duped in a similar manner: publicity should never be given to matters of this nature unless they be duly authenticated. The precious metal has, however, been discovered in considerable quantities at Gundagai, Adelong Creek, Tumut, and on several other feeders of the Murrumbidgee.

Goulburn Herald. Jan. 27^th.