Garibaldi

Two miles more, and we emerge from the forest into a few acres of cleared ground. How changed is the scene! Thirty houses–more like sheds with full dome roofs–stand on both sides of a long narrow street. Each house has the same architecture, or the want of it. Each is built close against its neighbour as if appealing for protections. There are no fences, no gardens, no comfortable look about any. One or two seem to hide away behind poles which may be embryo verandahs. Inside the rooms are small, and crowded with all sorts of things, useful and otherwise. Celestials in European clothes are popping in and out, and if bland smiles are evidence of happy, good nature, these citizens of Chinatown are full of it. Every house sports its Chinese lantern and red paper with Chinese hieroglyphics printed thereon. Fruit, sweets, soups, and all manner of refreshments are given liberally to visitors, and the whole place is a hum of activity.

Leaving the one main street we go a few hundred yards to a separate building of larger dimensions. This is the josshouse. Hundreds of visitors are round about it and here, too, we find most of the Chinese congregated. Beautiful and costly lanterns are hung by the josshouse door. Round some lanterns are paper mandarins, etc. revolving on stately procession. Inside the building one is almost overcome with the strong incense and heated air from multitudes of burning tapers. Heavily decorated silks. etc. shut off most of the end view, where, perhaps, Joss himself has his abode for the time. Most of the decorations are very elaborate, and some are exceedingly beautiful. About thirty yards in front of the josshouse stands a huge gallows, so high that our thoughts go back to the story of Haman; a long rope from the cross has a suggestive look too. While are looking and wondering at all this a fearful sound splits the air besides.
Rest of story.
The Mercury, 1 March 1912

Garibaldi WC
Tin Pot Row, Chinese Tin Miners’ at Garibaldi
Weekly Courier, 21 May 1914

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The Chinese New Year: the celebration of Garibaldi

A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION
(By Our Gladstone Correspondent.)

From the Mercury, 1 March 1912

The day had been hot, tiring and enervating. Little gusts of wind had played with the quietly sleeping dust along the sandy roads, and the dust, resenting such treatment, had wrathfully risen in whirling clouds and vented its wrath on our poor unfortunate selves–but it is all over now; the sun has sunk below the distant ranges, the gusts of wind have followed, and the half-moon of night looks down upon a quiet, still world about us.

We leave Pioneer about 8 o’clock, and follow a fair bush road out towards the old Garibaldi mine, some three or four miles distant, for this is the Chinatown of the district. The tall gum trees throw their long shadows across our path, and make it a seemingly corduroy track. Not a leaf is stirring. Not a sound is heard. It seems as if night were once more mourning the death of another day, and a peculiar loneliness steals over us as only an Australian bushman can know. Two miles more, and we emerge from the forest into a few acres of cleared ground. How changed is the scene! Thirty houses–more like sheds with full dome roofs–stand on both sides of a long narrow street. Each house has the same architecture, or the want of it. Each is built close against its neighbour as if appealing for protections. There are no fences, no gardens, no comfortable look about any. One or two seem to hide away behind poles which may be embryo verandahs. Inside the rooms are small, and crowded with all sorts of things, useful and otherwise. Celestials in European clothes are popping in and out, and if bland smiles are evidence of happy, good nature, these citizens of Chinatown are full of it. Every house sports its Chinese lantern and red paper with Chinese hieroglyphics printed thereon. Fruit, sweets, soups, and all manner of refreshments are given liberally to visitors, and the whole place is a hum of activity.

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Lefroy

(This post is a copy of this post.)

Lefroy, population 2000. Once upon a time.

Dscn4004

Gold was found at Nine Mile Springs at various times, maybe even the first place on the island where it was found, but an 1869 discovery was the find of significance. (I think it was alluvial gold, being the sort you pick up off the ground/out of rivers so it attracts inviduals and small groups. Your typical gold rush scene. Most of the gold though the district is in reefs, which requires investments of time and money, and companies.) This discovery attracted a small but increasing number of miners. I found a picture of some from 1870! A year later at the opening of a new mine, the population was given as 120

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Weldborough

Mjw_1426a

Weldborough: Former mining town in the middle of the rainforest, established in the 1870s. That’s the whole town, other than a few houses. Once upon a time it was much bigger (and if you go to Google Maps and look at the town in map view, you can see the outlines of the now-gone roads in the property boundaries).

Mjw_1419

I regret to say our time did not permit us to visit the Argus, Garibaldi, and ether mines in that vicinity, our business taking us on to Weldborough. This place is a good-sized township, and situated on a large plain, it also being known by the name of Thomas Plains. There is a Chinese camp, butchers’ shop, hotel, store, also a Government school and resident schoolmaster, who, we found, gave every satisfaction. On this large plain there is a very nice farm which is an ornament to the place, the owner being Mr. Bryce. I may mention here that the scenery is very pretty, the plain being surrounded on all sides by a myrtle country.
Launceston Examiner, 4 August 1888

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Derby

I’ve never been to Derby before.

It’s an old mining town: tin, discovered in the 1870s. The town grew up — the population was about 3000 at one point — the mine went away, the town dwindled. The population at the 2006 census was 300. Although it is still a busy little town, except on Saturdays at 4 pm, because of the Tin Centre.

Street - pub
Like many small towns along the highways, Derby is strung out along that road. Unlike most of those small towns, there are not lots of back streets full of houses. What you see along the main road is pretty much it.

It also feels like the town is clinging to the side of a hill.

Pub
Dorset Hotel

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