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CEMETERY ROAD GOLD MINING LANDSCAPE
CEMETERY ROAD MARONG, GREATER BENDIGO CITY
CEMETERY ROAD GOLD MINING LANDSCAPE
CEMETERY ROAD MARONG, GREATER BENDIGO CITY
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Victorian Heritage Inventory
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Statement of Significance
What is significant?
Archaeological features, deposits and historic landscape modifications that are preserved at the site and are associated with alluvial and/or deep lead gold mining during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (c.1880-c.1912).
How is it significant?
The site is of historical and archaeological significance at a local level.
Why is it significant?
Historical Significance:
The site is historically significant as it demonstrates a key historic phase of Marong’s gold mining history – a significant period of gold exploration and extraction during the period c.1880-c.1912 – including by individuals operating small-scale independent mining claims and larger company claims.
Archaeological Significance:
The site has archaeological significance for its potential to contain historical archaeological features, deposits and artefacts associated with the gold mining activities during the period c1880-c.1912. The site has been assessed as having varying degrees of archaeological potential, ranging from moderate to high.
Archaeological and landscape features preserved at the site represent a relatively small part of a once extensive historic gold mining landscape in the local area – i.e., is a remnant archaeological landscape.
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CEMETERY ROAD GOLD MINING LANDSCAPE - History
Historic background research conducted as part of this assessment indicates that the site (Gold Mining Landscape, Cemetery Road, Marong) is associated with, and likely dates to the period of late-nineteenth and early twentieth century gold mining at Marong between c.1880 and c.1912. The earliest significant period of gold mining activity in the vicinity of Marong occurred during the period c.1867 to c.1870 when various deep lead gold reefs and gold-bearing alluvial deposits were being actively mined. While the precise location of this early gold mining activity is currently unknown, primary and secondary source material suggests that it was focused in areas to the north and northeast of the site (Gold Mining Landscape, Cemetery Road, Marong); specifically, at Wilsons Hill (north), and in the vicinity of the Marong Township reserve (northeast) (Bannear 1993, pp. 11-20). Given that gold mining is evidenced at Marong during the 1860s, there is some potential that mining was carried out within the boundaries of the site during that time; however, with consideration given to the history of later mining periods (see Crotty and Dolling, 2023), it is considered likely that the archaeological and landscape features associated with historic gold mining evidenced within the site extent post-date c.1870. Land encompassing the nominated site includes several original Crown Allotment’s (CA’s); specifically, CA 4, CA 5A, CA 5B and CA 5C, Section 5; Parish of Marong, County of Bendigo. The results of historic background research indicate that this area of land was: occupied under pastoral lease from 1846 to 1870; subsequently occupied by selectors under government lease agreements from the early 1880s; and was progressively purchased outright as freehold land during the 1880s and early 1890s. Research carried out to date suggests that gold mining activity was carried out on allotments encompassing and in the immediate vicinity of the nominated site during the period c.1880 to c.1912. Additional details are provided in the attached Supporting Documentation (Crotty and Dolling, 2023a & 2023b).CEMETERY ROAD GOLD MINING LANDSCAPE - Interpretation of Site
The site extent encompasses a high number of landscape and archaeological features that are associated with a significant period of alluvial and potentially deep lead gold mining in the Marong region during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Additional details are provided in the attached Supporting Documentation (refer to Table 2 in Crotty and Dolling, 2023a).
Heritage Inventory Description
CEMETERY ROAD GOLD MINING LANDSCAPE - Heritage Inventory Description
The site (Gold Mining Landscape, Cemetery Road, Marong) encompasses two discontinuous areas of land spanning several agricultural properties located north of Cemetery Road and west of the Wimmera Highway (west) (see Map 1 and Map 2 in Crotty and Dolling, 2023a). The nominated site extent encompasses a high number of landscape and archaeological features that are associated with a significant period of alluvial and potentially deep lead gold mining activity in the Marong region during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The site extent encompasses a number of archaeological features and artefact deposits, including: • HF-2c (west) & HF-2d-i & k (east): A series of shallow, circular depressions in the landscape. The circular form of these features indicates that they are not natural landscape formations. • HF-3a & b (west): Two (2) large, circular depressions in the landscape. The circular form of these features and nearby mounds of soil (tailings) indicate that they are not natural landscape formations. • HF-4 (east): A gold mining shaft measuring approximately 2.5m by 2.5m (indeterminate depth). • HF-5 (east): A very large tailings mound and area of landscape modification (likely for mining purposes) across a large area (>40m by 40m by 0.5-1.5m in height). • HF-6 (east): A possible ‘tailings’ mound located in proximity to a large dam south of HF-5. The mound measures approximately 12.0m by 9.0m by =0.6m. • HF-7(a-c) (east): The remains of three (3) horse-driven gold puddlers (‘puddling machines’), which are evident as circular, ring-shaped mound of quartz stones enclosing a central depression and central mound – located atop HF-4 (large tailings mound). • AS-6 to AS-8 (east): A low density of historic (e.g., nineteenth to early twentieth century) glass, ceramic and/or brick artefacts – variously distributed as isolated artefacts and low density distributions. Additional details, including maps, site plans and photographs are provided in the attached Supporting Documentation (Crotty and Dolling, 2023a).
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