Post Office Hill

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Background

Post Office Hill is names after the post office located there on the goldfields.


The first Government Camp was located on the quartz hill known as Post Office Hill, in the vicinity of the present Gold Museum at Golden Point. From this position it overlooked the gold diggings and, with its Union Jack flying about the military tents, the Commissioner's Tent was a focal point. The Police Office was a separate department.[1]

Location

Post Office Hill, Learmonth Street. Federation University Historical Collection (Cat. No. 6796)

Post Office Hill was located at the top, or high point, of Golden Point.

Law and Order on Post Office Hill

Before moving to the camp in Ballarat West, the police quarters were located at Old Post Office Hill.[2] There was a lock-up on Post Office hill in 1851. It was a log structure with a single cell measuring eight feet six inches by five feet.The tree to which prisoners were chained on Post Office Hill is believed to have been on the east corner of Grant and Learmonth Street.[3]

Mining on Post Office Hill

In 1855 several parties of miners were working this reef, but owing to the high rate of wages, cartage, &c., they simply broke the stone and hammered it about, and passed it over sieves for the purpose of separating debris from the solid stone, and the debris was then carted to White Flat and washed off in tubs at the Yarrowee Creek, the solid stone being thrown aside. [4]


In 1858 several small co-operative parties amalgamated, for the purpose of erecting a 16 head battery for joint use. Crushing was commenced in February 1859, but so defective was the battery that by the end of the month all the boxes were battered to pieces and had to be replaced. [5]


External References

https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/5bae00fb21ea690b78ec974f

References

  1. Peter Butters, The Government Camp, Ballarat
  2. Withers, W.B., History of Ballarat and Some Ballarat Reminiscences, Ballarat Heritage Services, 1999.
  3. Ballarat Courier, 17 June 1955.
  4. Brough Smith, R.,Mining & Mineral Statistics, Victorian Exhibition, Melbourne, 1872, p.61.
  5. Brough Smith, R.,Mining & Mineral Statistics, Victorian Exhibition, Melbourne, 1872, p.61-62.