STORY OF BILLYCAN REEF

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4011, 4 August 1931, Page 7

STORY OF BILLYCAN REEF

fortune found and lost Through an error of judgment and because of lack of experience as a bnshman Jack Russell found and lost a fortune in the early 'sixties of last century (writes E. Nichols, in the Melbourne ‘Argus’). '1 he goldfields at Wood’s Point were “ booming,” yielding slugs and nuggets of gold to many diggers". Russell,’ then in the prime of vigorous manhood, joined the throng of treasure-seekers On a warm morning in the first month of 18G2 lie leit the top of Matlock, which was then known as Emerald Hill, a mining camp to explore the ranges to the south. Taking sufficient crib for one day and a billycan of tea. he started clown a .spur of the range. The spur fell away very steeply towards a creek. The scrub and the undergrowth were difficult to penetrate, and their density increased. lie found it very hard to work his wav through. Progress was slow and tedious, and the climb up again on the other side after having crossed the stream was very steep. With u struggle Russell won through the scrub and reached heavy forest country, where the undergrowth was sparser and the travelling was easier. A change had occurred in the weather. The sun had disappeared behind a dull, grey, cloudy sky, a common happening in those altitudes. This occurrence robbed Russell of his guide, the sun, but he felt certain that he was on the spur that would lead him to the lange that he wished to explore. He kept travelling until evening, when he reached the top of the range. Suddenly before him, standing many feet above the ground, there appeared the white outcrop of a massive quartz reef. Before he reached the outcrop he could see large specks of gold in the quartz. In a moment he felt that ecstasy' that comes only to those who have fortune thrust upon them unexpectedly.

AN EL DORADO. On every side of the great outcrop were visible heavy specks and slugs ol gold. Russell had found El Dorado. Kiciies beyond Ids wildest imagining lay before him. The huge size ol the reel and its richness amazed him. Some time was required to trace the outline ol the reef. Night was coming on, ami Kusseli realised that he must fix its position so that he might return. He looiied to wnat lie reckoned was the north. There, on the round peak that ae mid leit m the morning, he could see Luo unite tents ol the camp through me trees, lie considered tnat he would ue auie to return to the reef without dumailty. mere was nothing with wmeu to mark tne reel to signify that ue nad discovered it, so Russell decided to leave his billycan on the outcrop to indicate tnat it had been lound.

Russell set off down tne spur of the range in tiie direction of tne distant camp. Lie travelled as speedily us possible, but night came swiftly. He rested at tiie bole ol a forest giant, sleeping fitfully and dreaming. He dreamed of the wealth he would gather from the reel which bis billycan was guarding far up on the range. At the first light of day lie hurried down the mountain spur as fie believed, towards the camp on Emerald Hill. He could no longer see the camp. About o’clock lie came to O’Keefe’s accommodation house on the Jordan River, at the Red Jacket Creek, ten miles east of Matlock. The Jordan was tne first water that ho had met since leaving the reef, or since he crossed the creek on the previous morning. He returned to camp alter refreshments and registered Ids discovery. A THIRTY-YEAR QUEST.

Then lor days, weeks, months, and years Russell sought to find the reel again in tlie ranges south of Matlock, tie continued tne quest more tnan thirty years. Every summer Russell winked up the Yarra track to the upper Jordan River beyond Jericho to continue his search lor the reel that he had found and in Ins yotun. The search continued until age withered his features and turned Ids hair grizzly and grey. But lie never found the Billycan Reef. Towards the end of his vain quest 1 passed a night with Russell at Shaw’s Halfway Hotel, now deserted, _ burned, and decayed I put to 1 1 ini the probability that the Royal Standard, a similar outcrop which was discovered four years alter Russell’s discovery was the Billycan Reef. The Standard was east of Matlock. Russell said: “ft was in tiie wrong direction. I am sure that the Billycan was south of Matlock.” He was sincere in his belief. More than sixty years have passed since Russel! left his billycan on the outcrop. In those years no gold mine has been found in the district described by Russell. Russell is dead, and there is no certainty that the Billycan Reef lias been found, but among the old diggers and miners ol tho ranges a strong belief prevailed that when Fred Standard’s mate. Bill Singleton, while looking 'for horses, found the Royal Standard outcrop lie discovered Jack Russell’s lost Billycan Reef.

THE RUSTY BILLYCAN. The Royal Standard was a huge outcrop of quartz dUOit long, more than 20ft wide, and standing several feet from the ground. Singleton said he could “ see it when some distance away, and that he could see gold in it a chain away ” He declared also “ that a rusty billycan was near the outcrop.'’ Singleton made ins discovery early in 18GG, four years after Russell. Ju those four years thousands of diggers and others had come to Wood’s Point, yet the Royal Standard was unseen until Singleton came across it, practically by accident, ft proved to lie the sensation of the year. In a few months the Royal Standard Mining Village came into existence, with stores, accommodation houses, refreshment houses, and a fairly large, although somewhat floating, population. A road was made, and teams from Melbourne carted supplies. Many other mines were discovered on the line of reel, among them the Strap and Buckle Baby Burns, Champion, and Fixed Star. ’ The first crushing from the Royal Standard of 300 tons yielded 3,01)0(1/,. In live months I I.OOOoz of gold had boon obtained from the outcrop, which was: worked on the open-cut system. Nothing of value, however, was found below 70ft. There followed a period of prospecting by driving tunnels into the hill, until twenty-three tunnels had been driven. Onlv two according to the Mines Department. cut the Royal Standard reef. From one tunnel only was a crushing taken It gave a nftn-payahle return of 4dwt to the tun. For several

years some of the other mines were worked successfully by co-operative and private parties. The Hoyaj Standaid and about a dozen other mines in the Standard Creek Glen, that in then dav produced thousands oi ounces or o-old, are now abandoned. the vast Forest is returning to the condition that prevailed before the white men came. . , . None is now left of the reckless, energetic miners who opened up the stern Wood’s Point Ranges. J know oi only two of that generation who remain in the hills. Mrs Svcnson, sen., of the Aherfeldy, Mount Lookout, lived with her husband at the Royal Standard in the time of its pio-perity. She still attends to her household duties, although her years arc approaching ninety. The other is Mis Fletcher, who is aged between eighty and ninety years. She has lived for the last forty years on the top of Matlock. , _ . There is little doubt that the Royal Standard outcrop was that found by Russell. When the suu disappeaied lie had nothing to guide him, and inevitably he bore to the Jett and went north-cast on to the divide and along to the Royal Standard. The fact that he came to Red Jacket, so far out of Ids course to Matlock, showed that, he was lost and did not really know where he had boon. Russell was so positive that the reef was south of Matlock that he would not search in any other direction, and his obduracy possibly lost him a tortune.