BEACON MINE...coffs harbour

Hi all, 

I’ve been here in coffs some 37 years and can probably call myself a local. As you know passions include exploring, camping and delving into local history. One of the deepest interests has been finding the history on local mines. There were literally hundreds in the Coffs area and finding the right or some cases any facts has been hard to say the least. I would say this because the ‘gold rush ‘ only lasted about 10 years. While gold was reportedly found in 1851 it did produce through to 1961, some mines worked in the depression years and today there are hunters out there prospecting, digging, sluicing and detecting finding dribs and drabs. 

For those that don't know gold was found on some of the solitary islands, our headlands, local creeks and deep in our ruggered hinterland. Information has been relatively hard to find through all sources due to lack of actual documentation, old timers passing away, difficulty in accessing areas, some things just weren’t logged with departments to logging operations where mines were simply filled in ( some reports say these shafts were up to 30 metres deep !!! ). Things go missing and not preserved to items in the bush that we have found like machinery, tools, boilers ( some intact ), bins to even a 5 head stamper with parts strewn across in the bush even a timber wheel ( now slowly decaying ). There was a reported 11 stampers at the peak of the rush from a hand driven 1 head to several massive 10 head stampers - sadly these have all bar disappeared never to be seen again to the general public. 

We have found dozens of pits, collapsed shafts and drives, walk and crawled into many even used caving ladders to access some deep pristine shafts where hand made ladders ( possibly 50 + years old ) still can be seen. It has been great documenting and photographing these over the years.

One of the areas that I’ve spent time at has been at the old township of Beacon at the base of Mt Coramba. There is little information about this place and even less signs of any civilisation there. But get this for a fact - there used to be up to 4 times more people here than what there was in Coffs Harbour !. You go there now and the bush has taken over this once thriving place. There were stores, police station, a doctors house, dance-dance - rec hall, a pub, a playing field, market gardens and more. 

Reports say that in 1895 the Taylor bros stopped at a local creek to boil the billy and found gold strewn across the ground like chicken feed starting another rush to the Mt Coramba area. Claims were sought and over the years mines were bought and sold a village was setup over the next two years. From this markets were established in the nearby valley growing to what we have today called the Orara Valley with its rich soil. Depending on what you read determines how much gold they found. I’ve read that in 1897 just on 9,000 ounces of gold was claimed after crushing some 6000 tonnes of rock ( they don't say how much gold was pocketed tho ! )…. They even diverted the creek to mine different sources where the gold was held. 

It wasn’t long after this massive year that the source ran out and the government refused torrent any more money, people moved on to other parts of the fields and some up to the Mount Browne copper mine ( thats another story ). 

One of the problems we have trying to find these historical places is that lantana has taken over after the loggers have been through and is so thick now that not even bushfires can get on top of this pest. Timber structures have simply rotted into the ground and some of the gear here at Beacon has been pushed over by a dozer. What I would like to see and would be happy to get out for either our local museum or other is the near intact boiler ( in pic ) that would make a centre piece as part of our history, even the 5 head stamper nearby would make an iconic piece for years to come. It gets me why Coffs doesn’t want to preserve or even know about this part of history that shaped our town to what we have today. 

Over the years I’ve seen personally the demise of the mines through weathering and logging, thats why I am trying to share my little knowledge before l cant do it any more. It is so great for the kids to get out there and experience and discover our past. The kids ( and adults ) I’ve have taken out into the hills of Coffs ( literally hundreds ) love the day out and also cant understand why our history isn’t more available or presented. Finding the pieces of quartz, looking into the mines, trying to understand why there, touching some of the old gear - It’s all a great experience. After Mr Robb passed away from Georges Gold mine, it seem history lessons have just stopped. I mean you go into the local Coffs museum and there might be 50 words and 1 pic on the gold effort here. It is very sad. I know It’s not Ballarat or Bendigo but It’s our history. I was lucky enough to of taken some of the kids from Orara PS into the Beacon mine area some years ago. They were doing a project on the Ballarat goldfields because they ( and the teacher ) did not know about our stuff. The kids had a ball, looking at the mins, bit of panning and lots of learning too. 

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PS… Did you know the whole region was rich in minerals including gold, silver, copper tin, gas and even some mercury. These mines consisted of simple pits, major workings with long drives and some very deep shafts. The gold that was found here was embedded in quartz, so after the task of finding the right rock that housed the quartz, it was then a task to extract the quartz , then move the rock to a local stamper where the rock would be crushed and treated with chemicals to gather the gold. There were teams to cut the timber, there were the boiler stackers ( to feed timber in too the boilers ), miners, farmers and so on - big concerns with lots of workers. 

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TBC ….

COFFS HARBOUR MINES

Not many people associate Coffs Harbour with mining, but at the turn of the century there were literally hundreds of mines around the Coffs coast. The whole region was rich in minerals including gold, silver, copper tin, gas and even some mercury. These mines consisted of simple pits, major workings with long drives and some very deep shafts. The gold that was found here was embedded in quartz, so after the task of finding the right rock that housed the quartz, it was then a task to extract the quartz , then move the rock to a local stamper where the rock would be crushed and treated with chemicals to gather the gold. 

Workings can still be found in the local area, most are not safe to enter due to weather conditions that may unsettle the surrounding earth as well as time. This drive will take you to several mine groups, showing you just how hard conditions were. Keep in mind that the local area was alive with market gardens, bakers, butchers and hotels that supported the mining communities with supplies. Here is a useful link to ALL the mines around the coast. Simply click on the Digs name, then scroll down to the locality box then enter a name, such as coramba, dorrigo or even a mine name if you know any. This will bring up a host of mines in that area, giving you facts on maps, owners, any minerals found and other interesting facts

http://digsopen.minerals.nsw.gov.au/

Route

The Coffs hinterland is scattered with old mines, this trip takes in several mines west of Coffs.

Timing

Tracks are well maintained, available all year round

Fuel and supplies

Both are available at Coffs harbour and Nana Glen. Trip is around 100km long.

Highlights

Mines, old mine equipment, pristine rainforest, old growth forest.

Useful maps

Northeast region.........Hema 

Coffs Harbour............95373n

Moonee Beach............95374s

Moleton...................94371s

 From Coffs Harbour head west towards Coramba, keeping in mind that from the moment you begin this trip you start entering mining country. From Karangi to Coramba there were several large copper and gold mines. Most mines in this area only operated for less than 10 years, a few have reopened in depression times and some as late as the 80’s. As you enter Coramba’s city zone, swing a right onto East Bank Road-sign posted to Nana Glen. This sealed 12km drive will wind its way past the base of Mount Coramba, where several large mines operated. They included ‘’Beacon’’ (where for several years there were more people here than in Coffs itself). Other large mines included King and Queen Coramba. East Bank Road winds its way through rich farmlands that was once alive with small communities that supplied miners with fresh produce, now it is alive with hobby farmers enjoying rural life. At the end of this road swing a left, head 2km down onto Orara Way. Here turn left and pass through the sleepy village of Nana Glen, look out for Nana Creek Road around 3km south of town.  As you wander along Nana Creek Road, it is possible to spot several farms that have relics rusting away in the paddocks that include old horse drawn buggies, ploughs and more. Turn left into Battery Road, keeping in mind that it is a country courtesy to slow and keep dust to a minimum as you pass these farms. Stay on Battery Road keeping Matilda Road on your left. From here the surrounding bush is alive with pits, deep shafts, and drives that are several hundred metres long, some mines are on private property here as are some old crushers.

Less than 2km from Matilda Road, keep on eye out for a mine right beside the road. Little is known about this solitary mine that has been cut into hard rock for some 70 metres, but it is believed that the government was mining companies a fee to employ workers when times were tough. 

Very little gold was found in here, about the only thing you will see are the Endangered Bent-wing Bats that call this mine home. Continuing on just 1km past here turn hard left under the power lines heading up the hill staying left. Only 1km up the road lookout for a well used track on the right, you are now proceeding onto Matilda Hill, which was mined from around 1880 till 1900. Parking at the top you can visually see the huge amount of workings that turned this hill up side down looking for gold. It is estimated that some 700 ton of quartz was crushed here for minimal gold- life was bloody tough. 

Looking at the mine map of Matilda hill it is possible to follow several groups that ran across the top of this hill. Caution though, as there are many open shafts here as well as several drives that are unstable due to the rock content. Retracing your steps back down to the power lines go straight on down to a wonderful little creek crossing. This is the spot of Nana Village. Scattered throughout the bush here are remnants of some old mines, that include stone foundations, old timbers, boilers and thick heavy pieces of metal that were used in the gold period. This is a great place to stop for a cuppa and explore. It’s hard to imagine a town here that had huts, a warden’s office, stampers and a school. 

Leaving here heading up the hill, this was once a main thoroughfare from Nana Glen to Coramba as there were several large mine groups along here that included the Bella Group. These mines had several workings that included Lady Bella and Bella’s Daughters where some 19kg of gold was found. It is hard to imaging that these mines are located in the steep valleys around 1.5 km up the track. Slowly the vegetation is taking hold of what is left of this areas history. These mines are deep in the valley and along with high rainfall, bushfires and logging they will soon disappear. History states that some miners here only had barrows to wheel rock to local crushers some that were over a mile away. Some fortunes were found but realistically it was hard work extracting any gold from the rock here. It has been reported also that in some cases, gold reefs were found by prospectors-so they raced to a nearby office to stake their claim (often had to travel to Coramba to lodge a claim), but returning back to the area, the same gully could never be found! Mining here was very harsh compared to other areas. The bagged rock sometimes had to be transported by bullock sleds to stampers that needed water to operate. Some stories say that often bullock teams lost their loads due to the steep and unforgiving terrain of this area and the gold was never recovered. 

You just need to stop and look around at the surrounding hills to see just how rugged it is. The larger mining companies employed surveyors, road builders, log cutters, boiler loaders through to the miners- everyone had a role to play. Staying on the main road some 6km from Nana Creek village you will pass through a diverse range of vegetation, from heavily timbered valleys with lush rainforest pockets surrounding the waterways to patches of grasstrees that survive on a breath of dirt, there is plenty to see. Keep an eye out for lyre birds, the odd wallaby or even listen for the unmistaken call of the whipbird. Heading out approaching the tar, this is the Eastern Coramba Way. Turning right you can visit several local villages that include Ulong and Lowanna. Turning left, it is casual 15 min drive back down to Coramba. This twisty, windy road will give you a fantastic view to the north where you entered the bush and show you just how rugged it can be. Just be wary of local traffic travelling down here as it is a main road through to the hinterland.

 Travelling down here remember that you are on the Great Diving Range with a cool temperate climate, so here you will pass under some fantastic examples of tree ferns, stags and other cool climate flora. Rainfall can be high here, giving the pockets of rainforest a fighting chance against the huge gums that are straining towards the light.  

COFFS HARBOUR MINES

 Not many people associate Coffs Harbour with mining, but at the turn of the century there were literally hundreds of mines around the Coffs coast. The whole region was rich in minerals including gold, silver, copper tin, gas and even some mercury. These mines consisted of simple pits, major workings with long drives and some very deep shafts. The gold that was found here was embedded in quartz, so after the task of finding the right rock that housed the quartz, it was then a task to extract the quartz , then move the rock to a local stamper where the rock would be crushed and treated with chemicals to gather the gold. Workings can still be found in the local area, most are not safe to enter due to weather conditions that may unsettle the surrounding earth as well as time. This drive will take you to several mine groups, showing you just how hard conditions were. 

Keep in mind that the local area was alive with market gardens, bakers, butchers and hotels that supported the mining communities with supplies. From Coffs Harbour head west towards Coramba, keeping in mind that from the moment you begin this trip you start entering mining country. From Karangi to Coramba there were several large copper and gold mines. Most mines in this area only operated for less than 10 years, a few have reopened in depression times and some as late as the 80’s. As you enter Coramba’s city zone, swing a right onto East Bank Road-sign posted to Nana Glen. This sealed 12km drive will wind its way past the base of Mount Coramba, where several large mines operated. They included ‘’Beacon’’ (where for several years there were more people here than in Coffs itself). 

Other large mines included King and Queen Coramba. East Bank Road winds its way through rich farmlands that was once alive with small communities that supplied miners with fresh produce, now it is alive with hobby farmers enjoying rural life. At the end of this road swing a left, head 2km down onto Orara Way. Here turn left and pass through the sleepy village of Nana Glen, look out for Nana Creek Road around 3km south of town. As you wander along Nana Creek Road, it is possible to spot several farms that have relics rusting away in the paddocks that include old horse drawn buggies, ploughs and more. Turn left into Battery Road, keeping in mind that it is a country courtesy to slow and keep dust to a minimum as you pass these farms. 

Stay on Battery Road keeping Matilda Road on your left. From here the surrounding bush is alive with pits, deep shafts, and drives that are several hundred metres long, some mines are on private property here as are some old crushers.

Less than 2km from Matilda Road, keep on eye out for a mine right beside the road. Little is known about this solitary mine that has been cut into hard rock for some 70 metres, but it is believed that the government was mining companies a fee to employ workers when times were tough.  Very little gold was found in here, about the only thing you will see are the Endangered Bent-wing Bats that call this mine home. Continuing on just 1km past here turn hard left under the power lines heading up the hill staying left. 

Only 1km up the road lookout for a well used track on the right, you are now proceeding onto Matilda Hill, which was mined from around 1880 till 1900. Parking at the top you can visually see the huge amount of workings that turned this hill up side down looking for gold. It is estimated that some 700 ton of quartz was crushed here for minimal gold- life was bloody tough. Looking at the mine map of Matilda hill it is possible to follow several groups that ran across the top of this hill. Caution though, as there are many open shafts here as well as several drives that are unstable due to the rock content. Retracing your steps back down to the power lines go straight on down to a wonderful little creek crossing. 

This is the spot of Nana Village. Scattered throughout the bush here are remnants of some old mines, that include stone foundations, old timbers, boilers and thick heavy pieces of metal that were used in the gold period. This is a great place to stop for a cuppa and explore. It’s hard to imagine a town here that had huts, a warden’s office, stampers and a school.
Leaving here heading up the hill, this was once a main thoroughfare from Nana Glen to Dorrigo as there were several large mine groups along here that included the Bella Group. 

These mines had several workings that included Lady Bella and Bella’s Daughters where some 19kg of gold was found. It is hard to imaging that these mines are located in the steep valleys around 1.5 km up the track. Slowly the vegetation is taking hold of what is left of this areas history. These mines are deep in the valley and along with high rainfall, bushfires and logging they will soon disappear. History states that some miners here only had barrows to wheel rock to local crushers some that were over a mile away. 

Some fortunes were found but realistically it was hard work extracting any gold from the rock here. It has been reported also that in some cases, gold reefs were found by prospectors-so they raced to a nearby office to stake their claim (often had to travel to Grafton to lodge a claim), but returning back to the area, the same gully could never be found! Mining here was very harsh compared to other areas. The bagged rock sometimes had to be transported by bullock sleds to stampers that needed water to operate. 

Some stories say that often bullock teams lost their loads due to the steep and unforgiving terrain of this area and the gold was never recovered. You just need to stop and look around at the surrounding hills to see just how rugged it is. The larger mining companies employed surveyors, road builders, log cutters, boiler loaders through to the miners- everyone had a role to play. Staying on the main road some 6km from Nana Creek village you will pass through a diverse range of vegetation, from heavily timbered valleys with lush rainforest pockets surrounding the waterways to patches of grasstrees that survive on a breath of dirt, there is plenty to see. Keep an eye out for lyre birds, the odd wallaby or even listen for the unmistaken call of the whipbird. Heading out approaching the tar, this is the Eastern Dorrigo Way. 

Turning right you can visit several local villages that include Ulong and Lowanna. Turning left, it is casual 15 min drive back down to Coramba. This twisty, windy road will give you a fantastic view to the north where you entered the bush and show you just how rugged it can be. Just be wary of local traffic travelling down here as it is a main road through to the hinterland.

Travelling down here remember that you are on the Great Diving Range with a cool temperate climate, so here you will pass under some fantastic examples of tree ferns, stags and other cool climate flora. Rainfall can be high here, giving the pockets of rainforest a fighting chance against the huge gums that are straining towards the light.

You just need to get out there and look. NO map will tell you where these mines are, you just need to explore, explore and explore like I have.