GOLPFIELD ROMANCES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20086, 25 October 1928, Page 11

GOLPFIELD ROMANCES.

DISCOVERIES IN VICTORIA. "WELCOME" NUGGET RECALLED. OTHER FAMOUS SPECIMENS. [from ot;n own conrespondent. ] SYDNEY, Oct. 18. The romances of the Australian goldfields are not yet dead. So much was made clear the other day when a Mr. John Ford and nis party deposited certain gold specimens in a bank at Dunolly, a small Victoria! 1 township. These were estimated to contain 2500z. of pure gold, valued at more than £IOOO. Just before the discovery the men were engaged in a road contract and they noticed traces of gold. When they had completed their contract they returned to the spot, and not far from where the famous "Welcome Stranger" nugget was found in 1869 they unearthed from a depth of about sft. a pocket of rich nuggets estimated to be worth thousands of pounds. The discovery was made at the township of Moliagul. One would have thought that the whole of the auriferous region in this viciinily had been thoroughly turned over years ago. Three towns, Dunolly, and Molineul form the three points of a rough triangle, each "leg" of which is about ten miles long. Very rich finds have Lcen made in this area. Ihe Dunolly golrlfield in the early days was enormously prolific in nuggets, and in 1854-56 as many" as 30,000 miners were at work turning over the alluvial deposits existing from Burnt Creek to Moliagul. " Welcome Stranger's " History. The tiny towr of Moliagul has fewer than 20 householders to-day. An obelisk at the Black Reef Gully marks the spot where, on February 5, 1869, two miners named Oates and Deason found the "Welcome Stranger." This marvellous mass of gold weighed 22840z. and was valued at £9534. Another nugget—in two pieceswas found at Dunolly in 1857, and it realised £5500. The "Welcome Stranger" was the biggest nugget Australia had produced until the £12,000 nugget was found at Hill End, New South Wales, in 1872. That nugget weighed 75600z. gross. It was near Tarnagulla that the famous Posieden gold rush occurred. That was in 1902. and the name dates the discovery for it was in that year that the famous , horse Posieden won the Melbourne Cup. It is considered that the present find by Mr. Ford and his party is likely to cause quite as much excitement among miners as did the discovery of the Posieden nugget. Every old fossiker, miner or prospector firmly believes in his heart that he will some day "strike it rich," and this latest discovery will only go t6 strengthen this belief. To-day the sleepyold town of Dunolly rejoices because of the latest development in its history. A Hemarkable Letter. A curious letter from a man in Melbourne that was published in the Times in London in 1852 is recalled. "In my opinion." said the writer, "this place (Victoria) is inevitably and irretrievably ruined. The goldfields are inexhaustible. Last night" two men arrived from Gipp's Land with tiie intelligence that new goldfields were discovered there which leave the Mount Alexander (Castlemaine) fields in the shade. "With these facts before us how can the place be other, than ruined. What .is to be done for labour? Supposing 100,000 labourers came out here during the next Year, will any ol them remain in the city or farms at a few shillings when thev can make £SO a week on the goldfields ?