Gold Rush & Heritage Trails in the Tumut Region
Gold rush towns: Adelong, Batlow & Kiandra
The Adelong Gold Rush began in 1852 with the discovery of alluvial gold at upper Adelong. The Adelong gold field was declared in 1855 and in 1857, reef gold was discovered in the hills above Adelong. The Reef ore was processed in the ore crushing mills along the creek.
Situated 1.5kms from Adelong is the state listed heritage industrial site Adelong Falls Gold Mill Ruins and is a must see destination. The remarkable stone ruins of the ingenious Reefer ore crushing machine, built by Scotsmen William Wilson and William Ritchie, remain for all visitors to view from the platform, or wander through to interpret how reef ore was processed. This mill processed ore from miners from Adelong and the wider district and ceased operation in 1914.
Records indicate 5 tonnes of gold were sent to the Sydney mint from the Reefer ore crushing mill. An estimated total of 25 tonnes of gold was extracted in the Adelong area, while an additional 26 tonnes was recorded from the Gibraltar operation, further down the creek at Grahamstown, where there was reef mining, dredging and sluicing with power supplied by the ‘mighty” Adelong creek. For more information on gold mining in the Adelong area, click
here, or see the video below.
Batlow's gold rush began in 1854 when prospectors converged on Reedy Creek in 1854. An area known as "Mayday" was yielding good returns with claims that gold was being carried out in bucketfuls. In time an elaborate scheme of water races was constructed around the hills of Batlow to assist in the gold finding process.
As the population of Batlow grew so did the demand for fresh produce. This led to establishment of many orchards and farms. Within a few years, fruit became a major industry, and in 1923 the first cool stores in New South Wales were constructed at Batlow.
Further afield, Kiandra was also the site of a gold rush. Although today, the town no longer exists, walking one of the historic trails conjures images of how life must have been in such a remote location almost two hundred years ago. There are remains of the gold mining days scattered throughout the landscape along with the old Courthouse, historic cemetery and the remains of Yans store.
Montreal Theatre
The Montreal Theatre circa 1929 classified by the National Trust of Australia (NSW), is one of the few remaining art deco picture theatres in New South Wales . Volunteers and significant community support bought the theatre “back to life” in 1995 the dedicated group of volunteers continue to maintain and operate it as regular cinema and Tumut’s performance theatre.
Regular theatre and musical events are staged and movies are screened weekly. For more information visit www.montrealtheatre.com.au
