Gold mining guide

Historical overview

The field book of Surveyor James McBrien mentions particles of gold on the Fish River near Bathurst in 1823, (see above). This was very likely the first mention of the discovery of gold in the colony but went unreported to the public as the colonial government of the day wanted to avoid a gold rush.

On 23 May 1851 following a proclamation asserting the Crown’s property in gold, regulations concerning the issue of provisional licences to mine gold, and the appointment of a Commissioner of Crown Lands for the Gold Districts were set in place to regulate a ‘gold rush’ following publicity that Edward Hargraves and John Lister had found payable amounts of gold at Ophir.

The Colonial Secretary was responsible for all matters relating to mining before 1856.

From responsible government in 1856 until 1874 the administration of mining was carried out by the Under Secretary for Lands, with local management of the gold fields being undertaken by Gold Commissioners assisted from 1866 by mining registrars. As a result of increased mining activity and general dissatisfaction with the administration of mining by the Department of Lands, the Mines Department was established on 1 May 1874 under the provisions of the Mining Act (37 Vic No13).

The Act also created a new system of mining districts and authorised the appointment of mining wardens.

How to search

Goldmining can be a challenging field for research. The series listed in this guide may assist. Some mining records listed may also contain information on the mining of other minerals not just gold. It should be noted that we do not hold a series of butts or certificates of Miner’s Rights.

To locate information on individual miners it may be necessary to search a number of series. The records are generally arranged by locality.

Published Indexes

Kaye Vernon and Billie Jacobson have compiled the following indexes:

• Index to Miscellaneous records relating to the Gold Fields of NSW, [c.1847-1908]
  Available on the stand-alone computers in the reading room. The records included in the index are marked with *I.
• Index to Registers of Auriferous (gold) Leases 1874-1928

For more information on these indexing projects see: www.teapotgenealogy.com

A Select list of records

Colonial Secretary

Gold Commissioners

Gold Escort

A gold escort was formed in 1851 to provide safe passage for gold being transported from the diggings to Sydney.

Treasury

Department of Lands

Mines

Mines – Lease Branch

These Registers of Auriferous Leases are included in the Index to Auriferous (gold) Leases, 1874-1928, also available on the stand-alone computers in the reading room.

The following related series are not included in the Index to Auriferous (gold) Leases, 1874-1928 but are of interest.

Mining Wardens Offices and courts

Records created for particular mining districts can be found in our catalogue by searching locality — for example ‘Forbes’ to locate:

Prospecting Board

The Prospecting Board was established on 12 July 1887. The Board was authorised to inspect sites proposed for prospecting by miners and estimate the cost of any work required, with the sum not exceeding 50% of the estimated costs to be provided. [1] It provided funds appropriated out of public revenue, and referred to as the Prospecting Vote. The funds were used for the promotion of prospecting for gold and other minerals, to encourage the opening of new fields, and to test the mineral deposits in the State, with assistance allotted to prospectors for approved work on sites holding a mining title.²

Others series which may be of interest are:

• NRS 10201, Indexes and registers of letters received [Prospecting Board]
• NRS 10202, Letters received [Prospecting Board]
• NRS 10203, Minutes of proceedings

Company Records

We hold an Index to Dead (defunct) Companies (pre 1969) which can be checked if you know the name of the gold mining company.

Maps

Additional sources

Additional records relating to gold mining may be found in our catalogue under the following agencies and activities:

• Activity No. 192, Gold mining 1851-1894
• Activity No. 200, Mining regulation
• Agency No. 76, Department of Mines 1874-1891
• Agency No. 84, Mining Board 1874-1877

NSW Government Gazettes

Proclamations and regulations concerning gold mining, contracts for the conveyance of gold and land being reserved for goldfields and other mining notices were published in the Government Gazette. Digitised copies of the Government Gazette are available online through the National Library of Australia's Trove website.

Arrivals

The lure of gold led many immigrants and others to come to NSW see:

• Immigration & shipping guide
• Crew records guide

Some crew members could have ‘jumped ship’ to get to the goldfields. Jim Melton’s, Ship's Deserters, 1852-1900. Library of Australian History, 1986 may assist in identifying them.

Insolvency/Bankruptcy - online indexes

• Insolvency 1842-87
• Bankruptcy 1888-1928

Department of Primary Industries: Mineral Resources DIGS Database

The DIGS database delivers exploration and geoscience information. It is comprised of exploration reports, geological maps and plans, plus documents and publications produced by the Department.

Further Reading

• NRS 1407, Royal Commission into the present Gold Fields Act and regulations of NSW and into the best means of securing a permanent water supply for the Gold Fields of the Colony, 1870-71 Final Report and appendices, 71/1999 in [7/6399].
• Lynette Ramsay Silver, A Fool’s Gold: William Tipple Smith’s challenge to the Hargraves Myth, Jaranda, 1986.

Footnotes

[1] Votes and Proceedings 1887, Second Session, Vol 4, Prospecting for Gold and Other Minerals (Regulations for Distribution of Vote For), printed 12 July 1887, p.509.

[2] Parliamentary Papers 1929-30, Vol 3, Annual Report of the Department of Mines for the year 1929, p.207.

*I Indicates the records are included in the Index to Miscellaneous records relating to the Gold Fields of NSW, [c.1847-1908] which is available on the stand-alone computers in the reading room.