Glenpatrick

Directions to your third story point: As you pass the Elmhurst Police Station on the left, turn right towards Glenpatrick Nowhere Creek. Enjoy this scenic valley drive for 11km. Look for sheep and canola fields in springtime. The reserve is at the end of the sealed road. Park in the recreation reserve and stretch your legs. Pause this video and enjoy the scenery or have your picnic, then play to learn more about the historic gold mining in the area. Take a wander along the fence line of the recreation reserve near the toilet block. You will see large mounds that are mullock heaps, or loose stones left over from gold mining operations. Beside the mullock heaps is a wide creek, usually called a wash. We can easily imagine gold miners using pans and cradles to sift the creek bed in search of gold.

In the 1800s, the climate was changing. It was much wetter and the rivers ran for longer. Large alluvial washes often exposed gold. This, in turn, encouraged surface or alluvial mining. Further into the mountains, companies sank shafts in search of leads in the headwaters of streams. The Glenpatrick Co-operative Company also sank a shaft looking for a deep lead. Being higher up the gully, they soon hit water and were forced to construct a tailrace, approximately 2,100 feet deep. The tailrace enabled the Co-operative Company to bottom their shaft, but no gold lead was found. While sluicing parties worked the higher portions of the gully at Glenpatrick, the Glenpatrick Gold Mining Company erected a whim and puddler, but they found the horse-powered machinery inadequate for drainage purposes. Both companies ceased to exist by the late 1800s.