> 'Gold on the Adelong! An Historical
>Archaeological Landscape Study of the Adelong Goldfield 1853-1916.'
>
Jen,
Certainly an interesting paper which prompts a question on Australian mining
heritage which you and others on the list might answer.
In your paper you place particular emphasis on the technical aspects of gold
mining and identification of the processes and the surviving structures /
earthworks. This has not been the case in other papers I have seen which
address the archeaology of the Australian goldfields. The emphasis in most
cases is on the social archaeology, principally on the settlements. This
view was reinforced on visiting the mining fields of Victoria and New South
Wales, where mining heritage is promoted through the goldfield settlements,
eg. Maldon, Vic., and Hill End, NSW, to the virtual exclusion of mining
technology and, notably, to the exclusion of base metal exploitation. I
understand, from the literature, that the latter is better represented in
South Australia. In NSW, the sole 'preserved' example of base metal mining
technology in the Central West, that I am aware of, is the Cadia Cornish
engine house, now inaccessible within the boundary of the modern mine.
Donovan Associates, in their May 1995 report for the National Mining
Heritage Project, suggested that 'heritage lists should reflect the broad
significance of mining in Australia's history, rather than concentrate on
gold mining'. They concluded that 'a visitor to listed sites would derive a
very unbalanced impression of mining and its impact on Australia and
Australians'.
What, if any, action has been taken to implement Donovan's recommendations?
Peter
______________________________________________
Peter Claughton, Blaenpant Morfil, Rosebush, Clynderwen,
Pembrokeshire, Wales SA66 7RE.
Tel. 01437 532578; Fax. 01437 532921; Mobile 07831 427599
University of Exeter - School of Historical, Political and Sociological Studies
(Centre for South Western Historical Studies)
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Co-owner - mining-history e-mail discussion list.
See http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/files/mining-history/ for details.
Mining History Pages - http://www.exeter.ac.uk/~pfclaugh/mhinf/
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