Yalwal, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Yalwal is the site of a former gold mining town of the same name situated 29 km (18 mi) west of Nowra at the confluence
of the Dangera and Yarramunmun Creeks which then forms Yalwal Creek which flows into the Shoalhaven River
. It is now the site of a City of Shoalhaven managed picnic area and Dangera Dam.
Prior to European settlement this was Wandandian Aboriginal land.
was first discovered in the area by Rev W.B. Clarke in 1852. Successful sluicing operations began in 1870 by J. Sivewright and party but were disrupted by the great flood of 1871. In 1872 open cut mining operations were begun at the Pinnacle when the main reef was discovered. The first shafts were sunk in the Homeward Bound mine in 1872 with payable gold found in 1874. In 1875 the first stamp battery
(5 head) was erected.
In 1880 a mail receiving station was opened and in 1884 a public school opened, it closed in 1918, reopened in 1924 and finally closed in 1928.
Yalwal Post Office opened on 1 January 1883.
In 1895 the nearby Grassy Gully mine was discovered. In 1990 all the usable scrap iron in the town was bought by scrap dealers from Nowra
. Further dismantling of the town occurred during the First World War when building materials were used for the war effort.
1934 was the last discovery with the Fountainhead.
In 1939 devastating bushfire destroyed most of what was left of the town with only one residence, one shop and the Post Office surviving. There was one fatality. Mining operations after the fire dwindled until 1971 when the Shoalhaven Council finished construction of the Danjera Dam which flooded most of the former town site and the lower mines.
Some mine shafts and other diggings, the graveyard (the oldest grave dated 1854) and a stamping battery (five head) can still be seen. Of the 35 or so mine workings accessible by foot (or canoe) some are safe enough for a young child to walk and climb through whilst others are extremely dangerous. If in doubt, don't enter. The main mine workings are about 15 minutes walk from the car park and can entertain for the entire day. There are two maps of the mines known to be in existence with the latter from the mid-1990s, prepared by a local surveyor/town planner is considered the most accurate.
The area is now the site of Danjera Dam a part of the Shoalhaven water supply and the site of a picnic area. Canoeing and swimming are allowed on the Dam but power boats are prohibited. The Dam stretches 7 km to the south with some good bass fishing. The previous beautiful upstream grassy river banks have been lost due to a lack of cattle grazing, these areas are now overgrown with blackberry's.
The valleys of the area cut into Devonian
quartzite
and phyllite
s while the plateau
consists of Permian
sandstone
s. Rhyolite
and granite
also outcrop
in the area. Carboniferous
granite intruded into the Upper Devonian sediments and the gold deposits are a result of replacement and impregnation by siliceous solutions bearing gold and sulphides. Silver
, copper
, 'tin
, lead
, arsenic
and zinc
ore
s have also been found in the area.
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Dangera and Yarramunmun Creeks which then forms Yalwal Creek which flows into the Shoalhaven River
Shoalhaven River
The Shoalhaven River is a river rising from the Southern Tablelands and flowing into the ocean near Nowra on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia.- History :...
. It is now the site of a City of Shoalhaven managed picnic area and Dangera Dam.
Prior to European settlement this was Wandandian Aboriginal land.
Mining
GoldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
was first discovered in the area by Rev W.B. Clarke in 1852. Successful sluicing operations began in 1870 by J. Sivewright and party but were disrupted by the great flood of 1871. In 1872 open cut mining operations were begun at the Pinnacle when the main reef was discovered. The first shafts were sunk in the Homeward Bound mine in 1872 with payable gold found in 1874. In 1875 the first stamp battery
Stamp mill
A stamp mill is a type of mill machine that crushes material by pounding rather than grinding, either for further processing or for extraction of metallic ores. Breaking material down is a type of unit operation....
(5 head) was erected.
In 1880 a mail receiving station was opened and in 1884 a public school opened, it closed in 1918, reopened in 1924 and finally closed in 1928.
Yalwal Post Office opened on 1 January 1883.
In 1895 the nearby Grassy Gully mine was discovered. In 1990 all the usable scrap iron in the town was bought by scrap dealers from Nowra
Nowra, New South Wales
Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located SSW and approximately by road south of the state capital of Sydney, it has an estimated population together with its twin-town of Bomaderry of 34,479. It is also the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven...
. Further dismantling of the town occurred during the First World War when building materials were used for the war effort.
1934 was the last discovery with the Fountainhead.
In 1939 devastating bushfire destroyed most of what was left of the town with only one residence, one shop and the Post Office surviving. There was one fatality. Mining operations after the fire dwindled until 1971 when the Shoalhaven Council finished construction of the Danjera Dam which flooded most of the former town site and the lower mines.
Some mine shafts and other diggings, the graveyard (the oldest grave dated 1854) and a stamping battery (five head) can still be seen. Of the 35 or so mine workings accessible by foot (or canoe) some are safe enough for a young child to walk and climb through whilst others are extremely dangerous. If in doubt, don't enter. The main mine workings are about 15 minutes walk from the car park and can entertain for the entire day. There are two maps of the mines known to be in existence with the latter from the mid-1990s, prepared by a local surveyor/town planner is considered the most accurate.
The area is now the site of Danjera Dam a part of the Shoalhaven water supply and the site of a picnic area. Canoeing and swimming are allowed on the Dam but power boats are prohibited. The Dam stretches 7 km to the south with some good bass fishing. The previous beautiful upstream grassy river banks have been lost due to a lack of cattle grazing, these areas are now overgrown with blackberry's.
The valleys of the area cut into Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
and phyllite
Phyllite
Phyllite is a type of foliated metamorphic rock primarily composed of quartz, sericite mica, and chlorite; the rock represents a gradation in the degree of metamorphism between slate and mica schist. Minute crystals of graphite, sericite, or chlorite impart a silky, sometimes golden sheen to the...
s while the plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
consists of Permian
Permian
The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...
sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
s. Rhyolite
Rhyolite
This page is about a volcanic rock. For the ghost town see Rhyolite, Nevada, and for the satellite system, see Rhyolite/Aquacade.Rhyolite is an igneous, volcanic rock, of felsic composition . It may have any texture from glassy to aphanitic to porphyritic...
and granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
also outcrop
Outcrop
An outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. -Features:Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficial deposits are covered by a mantle of soil and vegetation and cannot be...
in the area. Carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
granite intruded into the Upper Devonian sediments and the gold deposits are a result of replacement and impregnation by siliceous solutions bearing gold and sulphides. Silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, 'tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
, lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
and zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
s have also been found in the area.
Sources
- Andrews, E.C.; Report on the Yalwal goldfield, Government Printer, Sydney, 1901
- David, T.W. Edgeworth; The Geology of the Commonwealth of Australia Vol II, Edward Arnold & Co, London, (date unknown)
- Glasson, David; Yalwal Gold, Sprint Print, Ballina, 1987
- Packham, G.H. (ed.); The Geology of New South Wales, Geological Society of AustraliaGeological Society of AustraliaThe Geological Society of Australia was established as a non-profit organisation in 1952 to promote, advance and support earth sciences in Australia...
, Sydney, 1969 - Pittman, E.F.; The Mineral Resources of New South Wales, Government Printer, Sydney, 1901
- Sussmilch, C.A.; An Introduction to the Geology of New South Wales, Angus & RobertsonAngus & RobertsonAngus & Robertson is a bookstore chain in Australia. Its first bookstore was opened in 110½ Market Street, Sydney by Scotsman David Angus in 1884; it sold second-hand books. In 1886, he went into partnership with fellow Scot, George Robertson with whom he had worked earlier.- Bookselling history...
, Sydney, 1914 - Shoalhaven City Council, Yalwal management plan - fact sheet
- Evans, W.R., "Gold And The Barron Of Grassy Gully", Nowra