Tag: Gold Mining

The Yilgarn Goldfield

The Unsung Pioneer of the Yilgarn: The Story of Richard Greaves

The history of Western Australia is inextricably linked to the glitter of gold. While names like Bayley and Ford often dominate the narrative of the great 1890s rushes, the foundations of these discoveries were laid years earlier by men whose names are less frequently celebrated. One such figure was Richard Greaves, a Victorian miner whose grit and keen eye for geology helped unlock the Yilgarn goldfield, paving the way for the legendary wealth of Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie.

The Early Spark of Discovery

Before the Yilgarn was even on the map, Western Australia’s golden potential was largely a series of rumors and small-scale finds. The first “payable” quantity of gold was discovered in 1881 by Phillip Saunders on the Mary River in Kimberley. Though the Kimberley field was never a massive producer, it proved that the state held more than just traces of gold, acting as a magnet for experienced prospectors from the eastern colonies.

Among these arrivals was Richard Greaves. He landed in Western Australia in 1885 at the age of 35, bringing with him a lifetime of experience gained by following his father through the famous Victorian gold rushes. For a time, he worked as a plasterer in Perth, but the call of the “outback” was too strong to ignore.

The Lawrence Syndicate and the Trek East

In 1887, Greaves’ life took a pivotal turn when he met William Lawrence, a Perth boatbuilder who had seen promising gold specimens from the north. Lawrence, sensing an opportunity, formed a high-profile syndicate to fund an expedition. This group included several prominent Perth citizens, such as Dr. Scott (the Mayor of Perth) and future Premier George Leake.

The expedition was led by Harry Anstey, a metallurgist. Greaves and his partner, Edward Payne, were the hands-on prospectors. The terms were modest: thirty shillings a week, food, and a one-eighth share of any find. On July 5, 1887, the party set out from St. George’s Terrace in Perth, equipped with a specialized dray and a water tank, heading toward the unknown beyond the Toodyay ranges.

July 15, 1887: A Fateful Discovery

The journey was not easy. The party met other prospectors, like a man named Colreavy, who were so discouraged they urged Anstey’s team to turn back. However, Greaves and Payne pushed forward to Enuin, then part of George Lukin’s station.

The breakthrough occurred on the slopes of the Yilgarn Range. Greaves later recounted the moment they found a “floater” (a piece of ore detached from the main reef). As he and Payne worked the outcrop, they realized the magnitude of their find:

  • The First Speck: Payne spotted a visible speck of gold in a sample.
  • The “Half-Solid” Gold: Greaves turned over another piece of rock with his pick, discovering it was nearly half solid gold.
  • The Reef: Within ten minutes, they located the main reef, finding quartz heavily studded with the precious metal.

This was the first payable gold ever found in the Eastern Goldfields.

Controversy and the “Cordelia” Mine

While the find was historic, it was also the source of long-standing bitterness. The Western Australian Government paid a £500 reward for the discovery, but it went to Harry Anstey as the leader of the party. Greaves later claimed he was the actual discoverer, but his official claim for recognition was rejected by the Mines Department on the grounds that he was a “paid servant” of the syndicate.

Greaves’ luck with official recognition didn’t improve. After the Enuin find, he and Payne discovered another rich outcrop about 12 miles away, which Greaves named the Cordelia mine. To mark the site, he dragged a log over the reef and set it on fire, leaving a heap of ashes as a marker.

For “old time’s sake,” Greaves shared the location of the Cordelia with Colreavy, the man he had met earlier on the trail. Shortly after, Colreavy announced a discovery at a place he called Golden Valley, which Greaves insisted was his Cordelia mine. Colreavy received a government reward; Greaves did not.

The Path to Coolgardie

Perhaps the most poignant part of Greaves’ story is how close he came to discovering Coolgardie. While at Enuin, an Aboriginal woman named Maggie told him of a place called “Coolgoon,” where she claimed there was “plenty of similar stuff”.

Greaves intended to investigate, but his health failed him. After multiple operations and being forced to wear a “leather waistcoat” for support, he attempted to return to the field but was too weak to continue. He was forced to turn back just as Bayley and Ford—who were eventually guided by native locals—made the find that would “stagger the world”.

Legacy of a Prospector

Richard Greaves never achieved the immense wealth that his discoveries generated for the state. He eventually found a quieter life as the caretaker of the James-street school and gained a reputation as a champion rifle-shot.

Richard Greaves

He died in 1916, but his 1903 book detailing his experiences ensures that his role in the Yilgarn—and his hand in the first reef found in the Eastern Goldfields—remains a matter of historical record. For history enthusiasts and casual readers alike, Greaves represents the thousands of “forgotten” miners whose persistence built the foundations of modern Western Australia.

Editor’s Note: This story was taken from an article that appeared in The West Australian on 2 July, 1936.1 If it interests you, then I recommend that you read the story in full on Trove.

  1. (1936, July 2). The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 – 1954), p. 14. Retrieved January 27, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page3691361 ↩︎

Russian Jack

Author: Colin Judkins (Colin’s Facebook Profile), 11 January 2026

Russian Jack (Ivan Fredericks, ca 18901

His name was “Russian Jack” although his real name was Ivan Fredericks, but that wouldn’t do in the Aussie outback, would it!!

He came from the mostly frozen city of Arkhangelisk (located on the north coast of Russia), not far from Siberia. In the early 1880s he decided to head for Derby in the far North West of Western Australia. You could hardly find two locations more different and further from one another in the whole world.

Those who knew him described him as “a magnificent specimen of a man” he was said to be just under 7 feet tall and weighing a lean 18 stone in weight. He was believed to be “the strongest man in Australia” at that time.

He loved his food, consuming enormous amounts in a single sitting. Three pounds (1.5kg) of steak, a dozen eggs, a loaf of bread and a pound of butter (and that was just his entree!!). He supposedly liked emu eggs. “There was a lot more eating in them” he would often say.

In the small town of Derby, Jack constructed an abnormally large wheelbarrow, with shafts/handles over 2 metres long. A specially carved wooden (wide) wheel made it easier to negotiate both soft soils and the rough country of the outback, areas where he went searching for gold.

The long low wheelbarrow with straight shafts resembled a sled and it would most likely have been easier to pull than to push. With the friction on the wooden wheel, the average man had difficulty in moving the barrow at all, even when empty! Russian Jack would often push loads well in excess of 80 kilograms, and at times loads far greater than that!! (as you will see).

A pic of Jack later in his life with one of his trusty “Wheelbarrows”. It shows the wheel to be a cut section of a thick log,
bored through the centre, around a foot thick.

When he and a mate were halfway to the Kimberley country, his companion fell ill. Jack loaded his mate’s swag and stores, on top of his already laden wheelbarrow, allowing the sick man to walk alongside.

Having travelled over 60 kms, his friend became too sick to walk any further, so Jack put him on top of the load and wheeled him along the track, sadly not long after that his mate died. He buried him beside the track and continued his journey alone.

“His feats symbolise the mateship and endurance of the pioneers of the region, then lacking all the amenities of civilisation.”2

During one of his early overland trips, Jack came across two elderly prospectors who were too exhausted to carry their swags and gear any further, they were resting in the shade of a tree waiting for death to end their suffering. He loaded their gear on to his wheelbarrow and helped them get to the nearest settlement some 50 ks further on.

On another occasion Jack saved another stricken gold prospector, (all of this rescuing must have been a real pain for him, but due to his kind nature, he just couldn’t leave anyone in need).

This man was called Halliday, he was found lying semi-conscious beside a lonely track in the Kimberley near Fitzroy Crossing, a victim of typhoid fever. Jack helped the sick man on to his wheelbarrow and pushed him and their combined camping gear across a few hundred kms of rugged country to the tiny township of Halls Creek. (Old Halls Creek, not where Halls Creek is today), there the sick man was given medical treatment and lived to tell the tale.

Old Halls Creek
Duncan Road, Ord River
Lat/Long: -18.24854484895759, 127.78225683864191

One other recorded event was when Jack and a mate were returning from an unsuccessful prospecting venture inland when their food supply ran really low. His mate decided to chase a Roo on foot, tripped and broke his leg. In typical fashion Jack lifted his injured mate onto his wheelbarrow and pushed him to safety.

When they arrived in town, one of the locals mentioned that Jack must have travelled over a particular rough track, one that had heaps of pot holes and gullies along it. Jack told the admiring on-lookers, “I pushed him over a hundred miles (160 kms) in that damn wheelbarrow.” his mate with the broken leg, still sitting on it remarked drily, “Yes, and I’ll swear he hadn’t missed a rock or hole on the whole track.”

Jack was one of the first arrivals on the Murchison goldfields and at Cue, (roughly 700 ks north of Perth. The police “station” was just two tents and a rough enclosure for their horses. It was decided to get a large tree stump or log from some distance away, and transport it back to Cue on a wagon.

The log was set up near the police tents, they then fastened a strong chain to it and that became the Cue Gaol.

The old gaol at Cue3

Jack was prospecting in the area when he came into town for supplies on one occasion. Prior to returning to his camp about 12 ks out of town, he decided to stop at the pub for a beer or three!! His enormous wheelbarrow was loaded with all his groceries, a bag of potatoes, drilling gear and a wooden box full of explosives. On top of that was casually placed a tin of 50 firing caps (extremely sensitive objects) particularly dangerous sitting on top of sticks of dynamite!!!

With the slightest jolt the firing caps could easily have caused a major explosion. Jack didn’t mind for when he left in the early evening he was happily drunk. He effortlessly took up the shafts of his great wheelbarrow and headed off, but being a bit under the weather (so to speak) he weaved all over the track trying to push it in the right direction towards his camp.

A policeman saw that he’d had a “few” so decided to help him get safely out of town. He then spotted the firing caps sitting precariously on top of the load. For his and everyone else’s safety the policeman wanted to detain him so he could sober up a bit.

He was unsure how to do it for Jack being so big and strong, he had to be handled cautiously at the best of times. His continued staggering all over the road whilst loudly singing a song in his raucous, booming voice had the “Copper” a tad nervous!! As they drew near the police tents he got his police mates to help stop Jack, they suggested quietly and diplomatically that he should re-pack his barrow.

By this time Jack was thirsty again so agreed to sit down quietly for a spell. As Jack rested, he dozed off and fell asleep. The police re-packed his barrow properly then handcuffed him to the huge log, wanting to restrain him until he had sobered up, he could then (hopefully) make his own way back to his camp in the bush the next morning.

Overnight the policemen were urgently called out of town to a disturbance. Somehow they completely forgot about Jack being chained to the large log near the police tents. Later the next day the policeman who had detained him suddenly remembered that he had left Jack secured to the log back at Cue.

Riding quickly back to town the policeman was stunned to find that Jack was gone, AND SO WAS THE LOG!! It would have taken four men to lift it so he reasoned that some of the residents had moved the log and Jack to a shady spot out of the sun.

The policeman conducted a quick search for him finding him quietly sitting at the bar of the open air pub. He was having a beer and a chat with the owner, the log was beside Jack, who was still chained to it!!

Apparently Jack woke up during the night with a terrible thirst, he could see a water bag hanging near one of the police tents and called out for a drink. There was no response so heaved the great log up on to his shoulder and walked to the tent. He then emptied the water bag and went back to sleep.

When he woke, the hot sun was beating down on him. “Dying” for a drink and not particularly fussed how he got it, he again heaved the huge tree stump off the ground, balanced it on his shoulder and headed off to the nearest pub a half a mile away.(far out, big time)!!

When it opened there was Jack, chained to the log asking for a cool ale to prevent him from dying of thirst. That’s where the policeman later found him saying “I thought I left you in goal, Jack”. “So you did,” he replied, “but it was a low act of you to leave me all night with no drink. Have a drink with me now and I’ll go back to goal.” With the amazed police officer in tow, Jack again shouldered the goal log and strolled back to the police tents where he restored the makeshift “goal” to its original position.

The officer then removed Jack’s chain and put a billy on a campfire and shared a cuppa, The policeman said to him: “You had better go back to your show (goldmine) now but next time you want to have a few drinks, don’t buy explosives at the same time” Later Jack thanked the police for preventing him leaving town with his firing caps unsecured.

He was asked what he would most like to achieve in his life. His reply was, “I would like to retire near a city and grow lots of vegetables, then sit down by myself and eat the lot”

Following Russian Jack’s death in 1904 at the age of 40, (apparently from pneumonia) an obituary in a Fremantle newspaper said: “Russian Jack, if there are Angels in Heaven who record the good deeds done on earth, thou wouldst have sufficient to thy credit to wipe out the many faults that common flesh is heir to.” How nice was that !!.

His death certificate records his profession as “market gardener,” revealing that the big man seemingly fulfilled his life-long ambition to have his own private vegetable supply.

Jack was buried in a paupers grave as he had no next of kin and very little wealth. Around 2015 money was raised and a suitable headstone was placed over his grave, to honour one of West Australia’s and indeed Australia’s most colourful characters and pioneers.

Russian Jack’s grave in Fremantle

Today 122 years on from his death, Russian Jack’s loyalty to his fellow workers, mates4 and even people he didn’t know is still remembered and has become legendary in Australian folklore.

I hoped you enjoyed reading about one of the most remarkable characters to ever live and walk our fair land.

R.I.P. “Russian Jack”, you were a bloody ripper.5

Footnotes

  1. State Library of Western Australia, n.d. George Spences Compton collection of photographs of the Eastern Goldfields; 5001B/59. ↩︎
  2. Outside Halls Creek shire offices in the far north-west of Western Australia, this memorial to Russian Jack can be found. It commemorates his feats of carrying those needing assistance on his wheelbarrow. The sculpture cost over $20,000 (a fair bit of dough back when it was unveiled in 1979, it is not to scale as it would have been far too expensive to do so!! ↩︎
  3. Today the Cue Caravan Park houses the old gaol built in 1896. It was a temporary home to prisoners being transported from outback lock ups in the north until its official closed in 1914. It was however, still used as a lock up until the 1930s. (Shire of Cue) ↩︎
  4. One of the those events was the time that he pushed his sick mate over 300 kilometres in his wheelbarrow to Hall’s Creek. In reality it is thought to be closer to 60 ks that he pushed him, (Not sure that lessens the legend of the great man, still a Herculean effort I reckon!!). ↩︎
  5. Peter Bridge has recently published a book called “Russian Jack” it has a wealth of researched information on Ivan Fredericks. It points out that some of the stories and myths about him may have been exaggerated by those telling his story many years ago, (having a little bit of Mao added!). ↩︎

The Sacred Nugget

Author’s Note: The information for this interesting piece of WA’s history comes from two newspaper articles, both of which are available on Trove.1 2

In the late 1890s, the town of Kanowna was a place where “gold fever” was not just a metaphor—it was a way of life. With a population surging toward 12,500, the air was thick with the dust of thousands of miners seeking their fortunes in the “deep leads” of the Western Australian scrub. But in July 1898, this fever reached a delusional breaking point in an event that would become one of the most legendary pranks in Australian history: the hoax of the Sacred Nugget.

The Rumour of the Sickle

The mystery began when reports circulated through the Eastern Goldfields of a monster lump of alluvial gold. Unlike the usual “slugs,” this one was described as being shaped like a sickle and valued at a staggering £6,500 ($A9.9million at today’s gold value).

Secrecy surrounded the find. The discoverers remained anonymous, and the nugget was supposedly hidden away, sight-unseen by the public. However, one man claimed to have seen it: a young, naive priest named Father Long. Because of his involvement, the treasure earned the nickname the “Sacred Nugget”.

7,000 Men and a Hotel Balcony

By August 1898, the mining community’s frustration with the secrecy had reached a boiling point. To quell the unrest, it was promised that the exact location of the find would be revealed publicly.

On Thursday, August 11, at 2:00 p.m., Kanowna stood still. An estimated 7,000 eager men—including a special contingent of 2,000 who had rushed over from Kalgoorlie—massed in front of Donnellan’s Hotel. A strong body of police was required to hold back the mob as a pale, nervous Father Long stepped onto the upstairs balcony.

After making the crowd promise to ask no further questions, he delivered the “pay-line” they had been waiting for:

“The nugget was found a quarter of a mile this side of the nearest lake on the Kurnalpi Road…”.

The Great Stampede

The announcement triggered a scene of absolute chaos. Before the priest could even finish speaking, the crowd erupted. Thousands of men on horses and push-bikes charged toward the Kurnalpi road, trampling one another in a desperate race to peg out claims. Within hours, hundreds of acres were pegged, and men began digging furiously.

Days passed into weeks. No gold was found. The “Sacred Nugget” was nowhere to be seen, and even the Union Bank in Coolgardie—where the gold was allegedly lodged—denied knowing anything about it. The “gold fever” began to turn into a cold realization: they had been had.

The Confession: Scrap Iron and Gold Paint

The truth, revealed long after Father Long’s untimely death from typhoid at age 27, was far more mundane than a hidden treasure. The hoax was the brainchild of two local pranksters, referred to in historical accounts as “Smith” and “Jones”.

The duo had found a heavy, semi-circular lump of scrap iron in a hotel backyard. Seeking a bit of “tomfoolery” to wake up the town, they bought a tin of gold paint from a local store, coated the iron, and shoved it into a bag.

The prank took an unexpected turn when they literally bumped into Father Long while carrying the “find”. When the priest excitedly asked if they had gold in the bag, the men realized that involving a man of the cloth would make the gag “funnier than ever”. They played their parts as “highly skilled actors,” and the naive priest, who knew nothing of the hungers gold bred in men, fell for the ruse completely.

A Lasting Legend

Though the “Sacred Nugget” never existed, its legacy endured. While some grumbled that publicans had tricked the priest to bring trade to Kanowna, most felt a strange lack of resentment toward Father Long, believing he had been a sincere victim of a clever trick. Today, while the town of Kanowna is a ghost of its former self, the story remains a cautionary tale of how easily a few pennies’ worth of paint can lead 7,000 men into the desert

Sources

  1. OUR STRANGE PAST (1953, November 19). Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 – 1954), p. 10. Retrieved December 31, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article39358444 ↩︎
  2. Some facts about HISTORIC NUGGETS (1950, September 14). Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 – 1954), p. 36 (COUNTRYMAN’S MAGAZINE). Retrieved December 31, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article39104972 ↩︎

Announcement

The People of Western Australia’s Ghost Towns project team are pleased to announce the launch of Phase 5 on 7 December 2025. Phase 5 will add 19 new communities to those already in progress.

Click on the name of the town to find out what we know about it – so far. Our research continues and we will be keeping all our content up to date with our latest discoveries!

The new communities are:

Do you know anything about any of these communities? Do you have pictures, stories, documents, records of any type? Please let us know via the comments panel.

Burglary or Misstep?

A Curious Case in Higginsville, 1907

In the early days of January 1907, the quiet mining town of Higginsville, Western Australia, found itself at the centre of a curious legal drama. Nestled in the Goldfields-Esperance region, Higginsville had only recently been gazetted as a townsite that same year. Named after prospector Patrick Justice Higgins, the settlement was a modest but active hub for goldfield workers, with a population that hovered around a few dozen. Life in Higginsville revolved around the rhythms of mining, the railway, and the local hotel—often the social heart of such frontier towns.

Criterion Hotel, Higginsville 1908
Photograph in the collection of the State Library of Western Australia1

It was at this hotel that the alleged crime took place. On the night of January 3rd, Charles Jacobson, a carpenter and long-time resident of the goldfields, was accused of breaking and entering the licensed premises of Hannah Warburton with intent to commit a crime. The trial commenced the following afternoon before the Chief Justice and a jury of twelve, with Crown Solicitor A. E. Barker prosecuting and Mr. F. H. Rickarby defending the accused.

According to the prosecution, Jacobson had been among the last patrons in the hotel bar before closing. Later that night, a disturbance was heard by one of Warburton’s sons, who, along with another man, discovered that entry had been forced through the beer cellar. Jacobson was found inside, barefoot, with his boots left outside the flap—an odd detail that would become central to the case.

The Crown argued that the cellar flap had been opened with force, suggesting intent. Jacobson’s proximity—his camp lay just 50 yards away—added to the suspicion. Though he claimed to have fallen into the cellar and struck his head, the prosecution questioned his motives. “If he only wanted to steal a drink,” Barker noted, “it was a crime.”

Testimonies from Hannah Warburton and her family, as well as Harry King and Constable Finch, supported the prosecution’s narrative. Jacobson, however, maintained that he had no recollection of entering the cellar, attributing his condition to drunkenness and fatigue. He insisted he had returned home to his two young sons after the incident.

The defence leaned heavily on the testimony of Jacobson’s children. Carl Jacobson, aged 11, recounted seeing his father leave the camp after being invited for a drink by an unknown man. He described watching his father from a hole in the tent wall and later witnessing him return, bruised and disoriented. His twin brother, Thomas, corroborated the account.

Mr. Rickarby, in his address to the jury, emphasized the lack of clear intent and the possibility of an accident. Mr. Barker, confident in the simplicity of the case, chose not to offer a rebuttal.

The court adjourned at 4:15 p.m. on 22 March 1907, with the Chief Justice set to deliver his summation the following morning. When proceedings resumed, the jury returned a verdict of acquittal. Jacobson’s story—that he had accidentally fallen into the cellar and had no knowledge of any attempted robbery—was ultimately believed. The case closed not with condemnation, but with a reminder of how easily circumstance can be mistaken for intent.

Author’s Note

This article was prepared from contemporary accounts found in newspapers from Kalgoorlie 2, Adelaide 3 and Sydney.4

  1. State Library of Western Australia. Stage coaches prepare to leave for Coolgardie. Photograph, 1908. http://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b6580636_2 ↩︎
  2. ALLEGED BREAKING AND ENTERING. (1907, March 23). Kalgoorlie Miner (WA : 1895 – 1954), p. 3. Retrieved September 4, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90399939 ↩︎
  3. WESTERN AUSTRALIA. (1907, March 25). The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 – 1929), p. 6. Retrieved September 4, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58128560 ↩︎
  4. WESTERN AUSTRALIA. (1907, March 25). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), p. 7. Retrieved September 4, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14858266 ↩︎

An amusing tale

I have just run across a gently amusing newspaper cutting from 19331 that I want to share with you…

Coley Crane, a well-known Perth citizen, is interested in a very promising mining venture at Field’s Find. Recently he was showing a visitor round the ine and drew attention to the ore dump beneath the whim legs. “It is nice ore,” said Coley. “Ah well,” condoned the newcomer, “it all takes time, and while the improvised plant might be improved upon that will come in time; it will all come in time.”

“I don’t think,” said Coley, “you quite understood what I said – I remarked that this was a nice ore.” The visitor agreed, but continued: “But I wouldn’t worry about that. You’ll have everything spick and span later on.”

Coley was still puzzled. “I was referring,” he persisted, “to the quartz in the lump here.”

“Oh,” exclaimed the man from Perth, elucidation dawning upon him, “I thought you were referring to the superstructure and that you were saying it was an eye-sore!”

Field’s Find Cemetery, Yalgoo2

Sources

  1. ON THE SKYLINE (1933, January 8). Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 – 1954), p. 9 (First Section). Retrieved November 2, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58671587 ↩︎
  2. Shire of Yalgoo, 2024. Image Gallery – Field’s Find. Retrieved November 2, 2024 from https://www.yalgoo.wa.gov.au/image-gallery/fields-find/35 ↩︎

The first rush

In 1872, the government offered a reward of £5,000 for the discovery of the first payable goldfield in the colony of Western Australia1.

In 1879, Alexander Forrest explored the Fitzroy and Ord River areas, and reported excellent grazing land and that gold might be found in the East Kimberleys. John Adams and Phil Saunders managed for find a little gold, but insufficient to be payable. In 1883, a second Forrest expedition included a geologist, Edward Hardman, who showed likely gold deposits on his map of the area.2

On 14 July 1885, Charles Hall and Jack Slattery, following the leads provided by Hardman, found payable gold at Halls Creek in the Kimberley region. After working for a few weeks, Hall returned to Derby to report his find, and took 200 ounces of gold with him as evidence. The ensuing “Kimberley Rush” encouraged as many as 10,000 men to head to Halls Creek. The field was officially declared on 19 May 18863.

Photograph reproduced from Halls Creek Tourism https://hallscreektourism.com.au

Thousands of men made their way to the Kimberley from other parts of WA, the eastern colonies, and New Zealand. Most arrived by ship in Derby or Wyndham, and then walked to Halls Creek. Others came overland from the Northern Territory. Most had no previous experience in gold prospecting or of life in the bush. Illness and disease were rife, and when the first warden, C. D. Price, arrived on 3 September 1886, he found that “great numbers were stricken down, in a dying condition, helpless, destitute of money, food, or covering, and without mates or friends simply lying down to die”. A few were lucky enough to locate rich alluvial or reef gold, but most had little or no success.

Dr Phillip Playford4

In the early days of the gold rush no records or statistics were recorded for either the arrivals or deaths. Also, no one knows how many died trying to get to Halls Creek across the waterless desert, or how many simply turned back. When men actually arrived at Halls Creek, dysentery, scurvy, sunstroke and thirst continued to take its toll. The Government applied a gold tax of two shillings and sixpence an ounce. It was a very unpopular levy as gold proved so hard to get. The diggers avoided registering and the Government had a great deal of trouble collecting the tax or statistics of any kind. Halls Creek was a shanty town of wood, stone, canvas, tin, bark and spinifex. But it boasted two hotels, a post office and a gold warden.

When Price arrived in September 1886, he reported that about 2,000 remained at the diggings. By the end of 1886, the rush had ceased. When in May 1888 the government considered claims for the reward for discovery of the first payable goldfield, it was decided that the Kimberley goldfield, which had proven disappointing, was insufficient to meet the stipulated conditions of a yield of at least 10,000 ounces (280 kg) of gold in a 2-year period passing through Customs or shipped to England, so no reward was paid out5. A gift of £500 was given to Charles Hall and his party, along with a bequest of the same amount to Hardman’s widow.

The rush lasted only a few years as it was not financially viable to transport the machinery to this remote region. With the discovery of gold in Coolgardie, most prospectors moved on. In 1955, the town site of Halls Creek was relocated 15Kms west.

SOURCES & NOTES
  1. Playford, Phillip & Ruddock, Ian (1985). Discovery of the Kimberley Goldfield. ↩︎
  2. Halls Creek Tourism, nd. Halls Creek History. Retrieved 28 Apr 2024 from https://www.hallscreektourism.com.au/information/halls-creek-history ↩︎
  3. The Western Argus, 1931. Our First Gold Rush : Kimberley, 1886. Published 19 May 1931. Retrieved 28 Apr 2024 from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article34582034 ↩︎
  4. Playford, Phillip. 2005. The Discovery of The East Kimberley Goldfield. Retrieved 25 Apr 2024 from https://kimberleysociety.org/oldfiles/2005/THE%20DISCOVERY%20OF%20THE%20EAST%20KIMBERLEY%20GOLDFIELD%201885%20Mar%2005.pdf ↩︎
  5. A lot of gold went out of the Kimberley via the Northern territory and it was rumoured that a gold buyer was to have taken 3,000 ounces of gold at a time out of Halls Creek. It is estimated that as much as 23,000 ounces (nearly 650 kg) of gold was taken from the fields around Halls Creek, some unofficial estimates were as 100,000 ounces. ↩︎

The Miracle of Bonnie Vale

Bonnie Vale or Bonnievale near Coolgardie was the site of the Westralia gold mine. Bonnie Vale was gazetted in 1897 but became famous in March 1907 when unusually heavy rainfall flooded the mine with 160 miners inside. All the miners managed to get out before the main shaft was flooded with water, except for one.  Only Modesto (Charlie) Varischetti remained inside.

The Westralia Gold Mine.
Photo retrieved from Outback Family History

What followed was a thrilling mine rescue that may be unfamiliar to readers because it happened so long ago.   

At first Varischetti was presumed dead with no chance of survival unless he was in an area of the mine where there was an air pocket. Two days after the freak storm and flooding the rescuers heard Varischetti tapping. Varischetti became known to newspaper readers across the world as the Entombed Man.

A steam pump was rushed to the mine but only reduced the water level very slowly. The mine manager estimated that it would take a week to clear the shaft and there was no hope of rescue.  Allegedly the mine manager’s seven-year-old son asked his father about using a diver to rescue the trapped man and this idea was taken up by the Mining Inspector who was on site.

Divers were sourced in Fremantle and two miners from Kalgoorlie who were experienced in both mining and diving offered their assistance as well. A special train was put on to get the Fremantle divers and the equipment needed for the rescue to Bonnie Vale as fast as possible. The ‘Rescue Special’ steamed to Coolgardie arriving two hours faster than the regular trains. Fast horses were waiting to meet the train and raced to the mine in Bonnie Vale. It was only four days after the flooding of the mine shaft that the first diver made his initial exploratory dive. By day six, the divers had reached Varischetti and gave him food, candles, a powerful lamp, and other necessities.  Special Italian dishes were cooked for him by the wife of another Italian miner.


The Rescue Team at Bonnie Vale
https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b6355955_2

It was considered too dangerous to put Varischetti into a diving suit and take him through the flooded mine.  Instead, the divers visited him each day while the mine was being pumped out. On the ninth day it was considered safe enough to tie a rope around Varischetti and help him walk out through the remaining water and sludge. In reality he was so weak one of the divers carried him for most of the distance.

hen the doctors in attendance examined Varischetti they pronounced his chief trouble was ‘a nervous prostration of a purely temporary character’ and gave him a sleeping draught.  The newspapers reported that he did look much better the next morning.

The divers who rescued Varischetti were feted and showered with laurel wreathes and expensive gifts, such as gold watches and purses of gold sovereigns. Gifts came from grateful miners across the country.

Varischetti on the other hand back to work down the mines and died from fibrosis in 1920. There is a memorial to him in the Coolgardie cemetery. 

Just as many of us watched the progress of the Thai cave rescue of the soccer team by Australian divers, in 1907 readers across the world eagerly awaited news of the ‘entombed man’ of Bonnie Vale.  In the years since there has been a film made about the story, a graphic novel written about the rescue and even a song celebrating the miracle of Bonnie Vale.

Further Reading

Bell, Lex, n.d. Miracle at Bonnievale. Retrieved from https://purl.slwa.wa.gov.au/slwa_b3096636_1 on 23 Dec 2023

Western Australian Museum, 2016. A Miraculous Rescue. Retrieved from https://museum.wa.gov.au/explore/wa-goldfields/dangerous-life/miraculous-rescue 23 Dec 2023.