|
Although this group of gold leases are referred to as the Cockwhy Creek mines, the main group are actually situated near Bullock Creek on modern maps. There are also leases further south on Deep Creek and some dredging was undertaking on the lower part of Cockwhy Creek.
 In the Annual Report, New South Wales Department of Mines, 1899, the Bateman’s Bay Division report noted the potential of the area:
p. 36.
“At Cockwhy Creek there are made hills similar to those at Mogo, which having the same formation and strata, should be suitable for alluvial. In fact, good prospects have been obtained from one of these hills, but want of capital is the great drawback to development.”
Sydney Edmunds, of Milton, took up GL 1 in November 1906 and the Annual Report of 1907 reported:
p. 25.
“At Cockwhy Creek S. Edmonds had completed the erection of a small battery at the close of the year. he expects to enter operations early in 1908. From assays made, a yield of from 12 dwt. to the ton is expected to be secured.”
James Sitrue applied for 5 acres in July, 1907.
The Australian Town and Country Journal, 21st of August 1907 reported:
“Sinclair and party are busy working their gold claim at Lockwhy Creek [sic]. Gold is said to be showing freely in some of the stone.”
An undated Parish Card, MR 00989, notes Edmonds and A. Sinclair as owners of the Lone Hand Gold Mine, a three acre lease. McIlveen identifies leases 8 and 9 on Deep Creek but this does not tally with the information in the AT & CJ or the Lease Register.
A check of the Lease Registers reveals the Edmonds had transferred a three 1/4 shares of the mine to I. Grald, S. Gannan and A. Sinclair sometime in 1907 whilst in 1908 Prospecting Aid was granted.
In 1908 the Annual Report noted the following:
p. 22.
 “The results of the mine at Cockwhy Creek owned by Sidney Edmonds,and opened up with aid from the Prospecting Vote, have proved satisfactory, 54 tons of stone having given a yield of 172 ozs. of gold, valued at L705. two shafts have been sunk to a depth of about 63 feet each, and a winze sunk to a depth of 12 feet on a reef averaging 6 inches in width and assaying 15 dfwts. of gold per ton.”
The following year, 1909, the Annual Report noted:
p. 22.
“S. Edmonds raised 22 tons of ore which yielded 56 ozs. of Gold.”
1910.
p.23.
“During the earlier months of the year S. Edmunds continued active prospecting operations on his lease at Cockwhy Creek. A parcel of 9 1/4 tons of stone was raised and treated for a yield of 54 ozs. of gold, valued at L226. Further work, however, failed to disclose another chute of ore, and in the month of November, the mine was closed down. There is a small four-head battery and plant at this site.”
There were no reports from the area for 1911, but in July of 1912 the lease was transferred to James Sitrue of Cockwhy Creek, Bateman’s Bay.
The Annual Report for 1912 noted the change of ownership:
p. 22.
“James Sitruc [sic] is the holder of Gold lease No. 1,399 in the parish of Clyde, county of St. Vincent, and during the year several shallow shafts were sunk to depths of from 9 to 10 feet. This mine was acquired from S. Edmonds by the present owner, who regards the property as possessing very poor prospects.
“There is a small four-head battery, valued at L200, erected on this site.”
Sitrue’s pessimism was to be proved out as subsequent Annual Reports record:
1914
p. 26.
 “On Gold Lease No. 69 (local), parish of Clyde, county of St. Vincent, at Cockwhy, 13 miles north of Bateman’s Bay, held by James Sitruc [sic], little work has been done during the year.
“The owner appears to have no money to carry on and the mine does not offer sufficient inducement to enable him to raise foreign capital to put into the mine. The only work done is a little surface prospecting which has not disclosed any satisfactory results.”
1915
p. 24.
“Operations were dormant at the mine, but the owner states that he is endeavouring to raise capital to further test the property. The machinery erected at the mine is valued at L40.”
Returning to the Lease Registers we learn that in 1916 T.H. Lewis made a claim for a hut that had been erected on the lease and was advised that he could remove it provided the lessee agreed. Sitrue’s lease was cancelled on the 23rd of February 1917.
In October 1918 Charles Smart took up GL 3, parish Clyde, of 11 acres, whilst the following year GL 4, of 1 acre, was taken up by Stanley George Earngly of Mason Street, Milton. The rent was 1/- per annum with a royalty of 1% the first l500 being exempt. Earngly was also prohibited from cutting any timber on the land except where it interfered with mining operations. This lease was cancelled on the 10th of June 1921.
No further work was recorded as being carried out in the area until late in 1930 when William Henry Stalker & James Carrington Smith took up GL 6 in the parish of Albert. The Annual Report, p. 13, for 1931 reported; “Prospecting carried out at Cockwhy Creek.” It also reported “A fair amount of prospecting work was carried out in the vicinity of Bridge Creek, Clyde River, and Cockwhy Creek.” The report for the following year, 1931 p. 14, also noted “Stalker and party are preparing a site at Cockwhy Creek for the erection of a dredging plant.”, also At East Lynne Fielding and Willson [sic] crushed 1 ton of ore to try out the battery and derived about 2 oz. of bullion.”
According to a notice published in the New South Wales Government Gazette, 27th February 1935 p. 880, John Richard James Wilson & Robert Fielding had taken up GL 8 on Deep Creek late in November 1931 and GL 9, also on Deep Creek, in February 1933.
In April 1933 Maurie William Bolton, David Ainslie Bolton, William Henry Stalker, Raymond Leslie Stalker, & William Edward John Stalker took up GL 7 for dredging in the parishes of Clyde & Albert.
I have not come across any records of production for these dredging leases but the Annual Report for 1936, Bateman’s Bay Division p. 9, reported; “W.H. Stalker and party state they expect to commence dredging operations on Cockwhy Creek in 1937.”
D.S.L. Clift, Gold Dredging in N.S.W., Department of Mines N.S.W., M.S. dated July 1971 p. 16, states that minor dredging had taken place on Cockwhy Creek but as stated above we have been unable to locate any reports of work occurring or production recorded.
|
