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The areas beyond Eltham became part of the
goldfield diggings after gold was first discovered
in Warrandyte in 1851. The opening of the
new goldfields at the Caledonia diggings
(St Andrews) caused a great increase in traffic
through Eltham. Large numbers of men seeking
their fortunes walked from Melbourne out
through Eltham to the Caledonia diggings. Many
wore striped Crimean shirts and carried picks
and dishes in which to wash their gold.
But riches promised to diggers by the opening
of the Caledonia diggings did not eventuate.
Miners who penetrated the wild bush and
country beyond Panton Hill and Queenstown
were absent for up to a month and sadly failed
to find the gold they were seeking.
In the early 1850’s crowds of diggers began
returning to Melbourne. As a result of good
reports on takings from the Swedish Reef, One
Tree Hill and other diggings in 1859, diggers
returned to the goldfields in 1861 to such an
extent that their presence became known as the
‘Mountain Rush’. Gold was found in Panton Hill
in 1859 in the ‘Orams Reef’ and continued to
yield well for 30 years.
The featured leaves on this panel come from
Eucalyptus polyanthemos
or red box.The dusty pinks,
pale greens and turquoise hue of the juvenile leaves
create a soft haze of colour that reflects the
bushland beyond Eltham.
AND RED BOX GUM
PHOTOGRAPHS
Miner’s Hut
Eltham District Historical Society
Gold Mine in the Bush
State LibraryVictoria
Photographer Albert Jones
INFORMATION
Marshall,Alan.
Pioneers and Painters: One hundred
years of Eltham and its Shire
(1971)