LAL LAL WATERWORKS ASSOCIATION
WEST OF COAL MINE ROAD, MOUNT DORAN STATE FOREST LAL LAL, MOORABOOL SHIRE
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Statement of Significance
Intactness: retains evidence of the key aspects of the Lal Lal Waterworks Association Scheme – distribution dam, race connecting this dam to a smaller one, and a puddling machine site.
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LAL LAL WATERWORKS ASSOCIATION - History
Alluvial gold mining in the 19th century demanded large volumes of water to separate gold from the washdirt. Miners excavated extensive networks of races and dams to bring water from where it was available to where it was needed. Entrepreneurs saw the ..SiteCard data copied on 17/07/2024:Alluvial gold mining in the 19th century demanded large volumes of water to separate gold from the washdirt. Miners excavated extensive networks of races and dams to bring water from where it was available to where it was needed. Entrepreneurs saw the opportunity to capture and monopolise water supply and sell the water to miners at a profit. The Lal Lal Waterworks Association was created in 1858 and secured the first water right licence issued in Victoria, to deliver water to miners on the Moorabool goldfield south of Ballarat. The system included six dams and almost 100 km of races but ultimately it failed to deliver as promised. Examination and mapping of the extensive archaeological remains indicate the scale and ambition of the enterprise and reveal some practical reasons why it was unsuccessful. For further information see Pioneers of goldfields water management: the Lal Lal Waterworks Association, Peter Davies and Susan Lawrence, Australasian Historical Archaeology, 36, 2018. Part of the scheme lies within the Mt Doran State Forest including distribution dams and a network of water races which enable miners to work auriferous gullies.LAL LAL WATERWORKS ASSOCIATION - Interpretation of Site
The site is associated with the Lal Lal Waterworks Association and includes a small section of the scheme that lies within the Mt Doran State Forest. Further work in the future will add further sections to complete the picture. Puddling machines: These machines were being used as early as 1853. These machines could be used after gold rush diggings had been deemed to be worked-out. A puddling machine comprised a circular wood-lined trough, one metre in width and usually 6.7 metres in diameter. On the central mound formed by the trough stood a wooden pivot post to which was attached a horizontal wooden pole, with a horse harnessed at the other end. The horse trudged repeatedly around the outer edge of the trough, dragging the iron rakes, which hung from the pole, through the washdirt in the trough, breaking it up and loosening the gold. Water was fed to the puddling machine from a dam, sometimes via a water race. Water race: These features are linear earth-cut channels constructed to divert water from streams and, by force of gravity, convey it to the site of gold mining operations. The earth banks of water races can be retained by dry stone, especially if the terrain is sloping. Many water race survive today. Most surviving water races are degraded and their courses disjointed; yet they can still be traced. In an isolated bush setting, a water race is a trail of crumbs to an historic mining landscape. Water races are unlikely to contain artefact-bearing occupation deposits. In rare instances, a race may have been constructed through land previously used for gold mining and habitation.
Heritage Inventory Description
LAL LAL WATERWORKS ASSOCIATION - Heritage Inventory Description
A large distribution dam which has a water race running to a smaller dam. The race is typical of this type of feature, sometimes wide and pronounced and other times narrow and hard to trace. The embankment of the smaller dam has burrow pits (excavations to gain material to create the embankment) at both ends. Running south from the embankment is another race that feed water to a puddling machine. The puddling machine is quite well preserved.
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