dmn's gold licences , page-3

Where Moruya is situated, plus a bit of history.

Moruya is a picturesque rural centre located on the Moruya River and Pacific coast about 300kms south of Sydney. Moruya offers shopping, a weekly country market, historic

Moruya is famous for its Granite stone. Granite quarried in Moruya was used to form the pylons of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as well as many other famous Sydney buildings, such as the decorative columns of the facades at the Sydney GPO, the statue of Captain Cook in the Sydney Botanical Gardens, St Mary's Cathedral and the headquarters of the Bank of NSW as well as many of Moruya's old buildings.

In 1851 gold was discovered 60 kms upstream at Araluen and on smaller creeks running into the river between Araluen and Moruya. The Araluen valley became one of the richest goldfields in the county. Moruya prospered as a gateway to the goldfields. In the 1860?s gold was mined at Wagonga and a silver mine opened in Moruya in 1861,


Gold, Gold, Gold
The Eurobodalla region was hit with ?fifties fever?. Gold was discovered in the Moruya district in 1851. Araluen proved to be one of the three principal goldfields in Australia producing more than 26 tonnes of pure gold. In 1857 gold was found near Broulee and in 1858 Cabbage Tree Creek at Mogo sprang into the news. In 1860 good gold deposits were found at Mt Dromedary.

Then in 1861 the fever moved to Gulph Creek and Nerrigundah became the centre of activity. Returns from The Gulph were good and gold buyers plied the fields regularly. Gold was also found at Nelligen and at Merricumbene on the Deua. Indeed the whole Eurobodalla Shire was gripped with gold fever!