RACECOURSE ROAD SHALLOW WORKINGS
RACECOURSE ROAD BEAUFORT, PYRENEES SHIRE
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Statement of Significance
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RACECOURSE ROAD SHALLOW WORKINGS - History
Gold was discovered in Beaufort in 1854 and by 1855 most of the gullies and tributaries were being worked by shallow alluvial mining. By 1858 the fury of the gold rush had greatly dissipated and was followed by relatively unsuccessful deep lead mining undertaken nearby (see Northern Hope place card). Within the Raglan District in 1861 approximately 18 sq miles of land was being worked on by 1600 miners utilizing 16 steam engines, 63 horse puddling machines, 22 whims and 14 sluices and toms in operation (MSR Sep 1861 :412) .
Alluvial mining continued in the Yam Holes watershed and in 1861 over 120 Europeans, and a large number of Chinese were working the area using puddling mills, tub and cradles (MSR Dec 1861: 575).
RACECOURSE ROAD SHALLOW WORKINGS - Interpretation of Site
This site is likely to date from the earliest period of mining in Beaufort, being situated in the Yam Hole creek watershed. The site may have been continually worked from 1855 or subsequently reworked in the 1860's by another wave of shallow alluvial mining. The dense arrangement of shafts is a good indication of the small area (12x12 ft) entitled to the miners under the miners right.
RACECOURSE ROAD SHALLOW WORKINGS - Archaeological Significance
The site has moderate archaeological significance.
The area may contain subsurface archaeological deposits although due to poor visibility and high grass growth no artefact scatters, or hut sites were noted. Any subsurface deposits are likely to be diffuse lost or discarded personal or mining items. Although this site type is extremely common in the region and the state, the archaeological integrity of the site is potentially relatively intact by virtue of being on council/private land as opposed to public land which has been scoured and disturbed by 20th century prospectors/ metal detectorists. Should intact concentrated deposits associated with huts be present, these would have high significance due to the potentially undisturbed nature.
RACECOURSE ROAD SHALLOW WORKINGS - Historical Significance
The site contributes to Victorian Historical Theme: 4.5 Gold Mining - Mining for gold, alluvial and deep lead. The site is representative of early phase alluvial mining throughout Victoria's goldfields. More specifically the site represents a phase of mining that began around the introduction of the 'Miners Right' in January 1855, and was thus regulated from the start.
The site is a small but good local example of shallow alluvial workings which demonstrate one of the principle characteristics of this early phase of mining in Beaufort: spatial organization regulated by the 'Miners Right'. The site integrity is good, despite shaft erosion, as it retains the spatial arrangement of mines as dictated by Miners Rights requirements of 12 x12 ft per individual claim (Birrell 1998:34).
Heritage Inventory Description
RACECOURSE ROAD SHALLOW WORKINGS - Heritage Inventory Description
The Racecourse Road Shallow Workings consist of shallow 1-2 m wide shafts that cover an area of 17,180m2. The shafts are situated beside a minor tributary of Yam Holes Creek and are often less than a few meters from the next shaft. Some shafts contain dumped rubbish, notably sanitary cans from the nearby sewerage depot.
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BEAUFORT MINEVictorian Heritage Inventory
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ALL NATIONS EXTENDED MINE FEATUREVictorian Heritage Inventory
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RACECOURSE ROAD MULLOCK FEATURE 1Victorian Heritage Inventory
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