‘Bright gold’ is a history of the people and the gold of the Bright and Wandiligong district. The story of gold and the mines is also the story of the settlement of the district and the origins and achievements of its pioneers. The beginning of Bright was intertwined with the hectic days of gold at Beechworth and the Buckland, and there are many connections and parallels with the other mining towns of the Victorian north east. When the gold began to decline the resourceful people of Bright capitalised on the attractions of the Australian Alps and Mount Buffalo and began to develop tourism as a major industry. Their foresight and abilities enabled Bright to become the premier tourist district of the State, providing enjoyment and recreation for many thousands of visitors every year. The story of ‘Bright gold’ as told by Brian Lloyd and Kathy Nunn provides an understanding of the origins of the Bright district and its people, to enhance our enjoyment and appreciation of the place.

CONTENTS
Explorers and squatters p7. Bright beginnings p10. First gold p10. First settlement p11. Reefing begins p14. Civic amenities p15. John Alston Wallace p18. Map: township of Bright at the time of the first survey in 1862 p23. Bright mines 1860-2 p24. The reefs p24. The Oriental Reef p25. Reefs galore p27. The pioneer 1861-62 p32. The Oriental 1861-2 p32. Alluvial mining p33. Crushing machines 1859-62 p34. Map: Oriental Mine, Wandiligong 1925 p37. Map: Pioneer Mine - Vertical section 1925 p38. Map: Pioneer Mine - plan of workings 1925 p39. Bright town 1860-2 p40. Hotels p41. Churches p44. Commercial development p44. Coaches and mails p47. Court House p47. Township p48. Road Board p50. Rayner family p51. Horse races p51. Map: Bright goldfield from Kenny 1925 p54-5. Reefs and leads 1863-69 p56. Mining industry p57. The Pioneer p57. Stephen's Mill p57. The Oriental Reef p58. Diagram illustrating the method of mining deep leads p63. John Wallace p66. Local government p67. Commerce p68. Coaches and mails p68. Business p69. Agriculture p71. Sport and hotels p72. Churches at Growlers Creek p76. Wesleyan Chapel p76. Presbyterian Church p76. Church of England p77. Churches at Bright p77. Schools p78. Chinese p79. Sickness p80. Pioneers p80. Bright and Wandiligong 1870-79 p85. Mining industry p85. Powder magazine p85. The reefs p86. Scenes of Bright (photos) p86. Local government p88. Post office, roads and railways p89. Commerce p90. Hotels and leisure activities p92. Beginnings of tourism p93. Churches and schools p94. Church of England, Bright p95. Catholic, Bright p96. Presbyterian, Bright p96. Wesleyan churches p96. Pioneers p97. Map: township of Wandiligong with numbered businesses and landowners p100. Gold in the eighties 1880-89 p102. The mines p103. Mining activity p103. Nathan Gitchell p103. Successful prospects p104. Alluvial mining p107. The Diamond Drill case p107. Commercial activity p109. Horticultural activities p110. Wines and vignerons p110. Beer and hops p111. Citizens of Bright p112. Agriculture p115. Pleasures and perils of the bush p115. Bright society p116. Tourism p119. The hungry nineties 1890-99 p123. Duncan's Lone Hand p123. Map: township of Bright at the time of the survey for the railway with numbered businesses, landowners and residents p124. Mining industry p127. The Long Tunnel p130. The Railway p131. Wandiligong people p133. Tourist accommodation (tourism) p134. Sports and entertainment p138. Fire and flood (bushfires) p142. Local government p144. Water supply p145. Decades of change p149. Reef mining p149. The Lone Hand p150. The Pioneer p150. Photos p150. Miscellaneous reefs p151. First motor cars p154. A caring community p154. Churches p155. Schools p156. Sporting activities, sport p157. Contributions to war p159. Boer War p159. Great War (World War One) p159. Promoting the Bright district p161. Progress Association p162. Buffalo Road p162. Too many hotels p163. Bright Railway p163. Tourism and accommodation houses p164. Shopping in the district p167. The banks p169. Horticulture p169. Mining after 1920 p171. The Williams United Mine p171. Tewksbury prosperity 1900-7 p174. First dredges p174. Dredge technology p175. Pearson Tewksbury p177. Ovens Valley Dredging Company p177. Porepunkah dredges p180. Bright dredges p182. Wandiligong dredges p183. Freeburgh and Smoko dredges p184. Attitudes to dredging p185. Ships of gold 1909-54 p189. Environmental effects p189. Visit by Minister for Mines p190. Re-soiling appliances p191. Dredge Enquiry Board p191. Tewksbury Amalgamated Dredges p192. Porepunkah dredges p193. Bright dredges p194. Wandiligong dredges p195. Freeburgh and Smoko dredges p196. Dredging 1933-54 p198. Adelong Estates p199. Bright Valley Gold Estates p199. Freeburgh Gold Dredging p200. The Ovens alluvial gold resource p203. Bright personalities p211. Billy Wye p211. John Walker p213. Mick Dougherty p214. Doughertys Bridge p216. Charlotte Cameron p216. Mother Sebastian Lardi p217. Minnie Rowe p219. Fraser family p219. Percy Gribble p222. Edward John Delany p222. Anne Delany p224. The Alpine Observer (newspaper) p225.

ILLUSTRATIONS (selected)

Between pages 86 and 87:
Oriental Bank, Gavan Street, early 1860s with manager Henry de Mole. Henry de Mole. Gavan Street in the early 1870s, looking east, with Commercial Hotel and Oriental Bank. Post and Telegraph Office about 1869. Post Office and Shire Hall about 1900. Court House 1987. Wills Street in the 1870s, W. Washbourne’s developing wagon on left. Lewis Kinchela’s home and office, south side of Wood Street, 1870s. Bank of Australasian about 1870. Procession of the Blue Ribbon Temperance Band in Ireland Street 1870s. Last blacksmith’s shop in Bright, corner of Anderson and Wood Street. Grenness’ Morses Creek Boot Store. William and Margaret Magnay. Magnay’s Morses Creek Hotel about 1861. Abraham’s Star Hotel, Gavan Street, about 1910. Star Hotel transformed into Pinewood Motel Hotel 1987. Bright Fire Brigade, Ireland Street. Welcome home to the soldiers at the Shire Office 1919. Russell’s Porepunkah Hotel about 1870. William Hooper, early coach and hotel proprietor, Porepunkah. Porepunkah in 1901 with Tewksbury’s Ovens Valley Dredge, Porepunkah Hotel and Russell’s Temperance Hotel. Mr Edward Delany and Mrs Anne Delany. Bright Shire Council 1924: W.H. Goldsworthy, Ernest Gow, E.J. Delany, George Abraham, W.H. Gribble. Freeburgh Ladies Rifle Club in 1901: Mary George (Mrs Charlie Miley), Lizzie Miley (Mrs Walker), Helena George (Mrs McMahon), Mrs P. Pool, Miss H. Barnett, Mary Miley, Cordelia Flinn (Mrs Billson Dibbin), Mrs George, Mrs Peters, Miss M. McMahon (Mrs Stone). Walker Brothers Stores in Gavan Street, cyclist J. Cleland. Old Catholic Church, Bright about 1960. Methodist Church, Ireland Street, Bright 1915. Catholic Church, Wandiligong. All Saints Anglican Church, Church Street. Bright in the 1930s, looking south-east. State School, Bright, about 1920. Manning’s Victoria Hall, originally Masonic Hall, Ireland Street. Victoria Hall transformed into Bright Newsagency. Richard Grigg and his blacksmith’s shop 1890s. Ladies of the Bright Red Cross 1914-18: Mrs Albert Smith, Ann Sharp, Mrs Manning, Mrs Sam Bruckner, Mrs George Smith, May Risk, Mrs Coleman, Mrs Mark Brogan, Mrs Mary McFadyen, Mrs Larkin, Mrs Tracey, Mrs Bill Spinks. Mountain View Hotel, Wandiligong. Wallace’s Store, Wandiligong 1913. Wandiligong State School no. 275. Men at the first pine mill about 1932: Ben Gribble, Alex Kidd, Frank Byrne, Tom Jack, George Auger, Swanton Jagoe, Jim Skinner, Bill Honeychurch, Jim Mills, Charlie Greatorex. Forestry camp, Mud Creek, Wandiligong, for the unemployed from Melbourne, early 1930s. Wandiligong Brass Band 1880: Jim Shepherd, Bill Barnett, Albert Smith, Jack Dwyer, Albert Gribble, Joe Morgan Davies, Walter Smith, Will Crabb, John Thomas Davies, Percy Smith, Louis Smith, Arthur Watters. Ladies of the Wandiligong Red Cross 1914-1918: Mesdames C. Lindsey, Teresa Gribble, Mary Maddison, Norley, J. Hedge, Annie Stephens, R. Hewitson, Elsie Mills, W.H. Goldsworthy, F. Barnett, Hazelton, J. Duncan (blurred), J. Kelly, G. Rowe, Miss Cowley, Miss Minnie Gribble, Mrs W. Robinson, Miss Emmie Crofts, Mrs Carlile, Mrs J. Stephens, Mrs Flower, Miss Millie Roberts, Mrs Lil Knight, Miss Winnie Beer, Miss Grace Gribble, Alice Knight, Jean Maddison, Win Smith, H. Stephens. Picnic on Mount Buffalo 1870s, Mr and Mrs Kinchela?. Eurobin Falls Bridge, Mount Buffalo Road. Sir Thomas Bent opening Mount Buffalo Road 1908. Robert and Mrs Leslie 1906. Edwin and Mary Jane Gribble 1910. Mick Dougherty. Thomas Hughes Grenville. Celebrating centenary of Methodist Church, Wandiligong 1978: Mr Tom Matthews, Mother Sebastian (Adela) Lardi, Mrs Stan Gribble, Mrs Doris Gribble, Mr Clem Clarke. Wandiligong Store and Post Office about 1912.

Between pages 150 and 151:
General view of the southern end of Wandiligong about 1900 looking south-west, with Gitchell’s house, later Gill’s. Emily Candace Gill (nee Richards). Edmund Gill. John Symes. Nathan Gitchell’s house at Wandiligong, later ‘The Poplars’, home of Edmund Gill (seated) with daughter-in-law Carrie Gill. Nathan Gitchell. Wandiligong Mugs 1915: H. Honeychurch, A. Jagoe, B. Attridge, C. Mitchell, M. Matthews, R. Hewitson, W. Goldsworthy, A. Watters, E. Meuleman, M. Kearney, C. Caighin, G. Latham, D. Rowe, W. Smith, T. Kett, L. Smith, C. Stephens, B. Goldsworthy, F. Hewitson. Stephen’s Mill, Wandiligong. Johnson Stephens. Miners at the Lone Hand about 1902: Arthur Attridge, Fred Harrison, Tom Storey, John R. Clarke, Ted O’Day, Charlie Symes, Alex Attridge, Tom Poole, John Clarke, Charlie Meade, Walter Williams, Harry Bruce, Pat Dunphy, Frank Duncan, Ted Tice, Harry Clarke, Harry Stitt, George Williams, George Ince, Jim Dwyer, Albert Smith, Bill Chalwell. Pioneer Mill, Bright. Miners at the Pioneer Mine about 1905: Sam Metcalfe, Bill Tracey, Allen Risk, Tom Poole, A. Kennedy, Tom Hocking, Joe Metcalfe, Joe Chandler, Abe Lawrence, Fred Honeychurch, Court Snell, Mr Hunter, Chas Lerm, Duncan McFadyen, Bob Cardwell, Alf Higgs, Ned Laurence, Chas Welch, Don Cameron. Deep Lead mine, Bright. Mines at the Gladstone about 1902: Billy Parkhill, Fred Honeychurch, Fred Grenness, Donald McFadyen, Phil Jones, Ern Gillard, Billy Hewitson, Tom (or Harry) Jones, Bert Goldsworthy, ? McFadyen, Jack Jones, Charlie Meuleman, ? McFadyen, Bill Crofts, Tom Sandercock, Bill Norley, John Crofts, Ken McPhee, Bill Gillard, Fred Crofts, Dave Norley. Oriental Mill, later Fraser’s, Wandiligong. Myrtle Battery. Mines at the Diamond Drill in 1887: Sandercock, Harry Krug, Sam May, Ern and Chas Meuleman, Fred Crofts, John White, Berriman, John Tickell, Tom Healy, John Crofts, Mrs Michaelis, Sandercock, Arthur Attridge, Mr Michaelis, Lou Lardi. Holstein’s Mill and Tramway, Freeburgh. Shouldn’t Wonder Mine, Freeburgh. Gold-Bank Dredge, Glenore, Otago, New Zealand 1896. Rear of the Junction Dredge, Porepunkah. William Telford, dredge master. Maori Queen Dredge, Walden’s Siding, Freeburgh 1900. Kia Ora Dredge at Porepunkah 1902. Ovens Valley Dredge. Early dredge being assembled, probably Maori Queen. Porepunkah no. 2 Dredge. Picnic of employees on the Tewksbury dredges, Pearson Tewksbury and family in centre. Morses Creek Dredge on Ovens River behind Gavan Street shopping centre. Employees of Wandiligong Nos 1 and 2 Dredges about 1909: J. Robertson, Johnson, Peter Peterson, Robert Gill, William Telford junior, Bert Mills, Bill Breen, Alan Norley, Dick Dwyer, Bob Ince, Neil Gow, William Mitchell, Wattie Myers, Steve Norley, Charlie Gribble, H. Jones, George Fleming, John Telford, Tom Sullivan, Cliff Gill, Swanton Jagoe. Wandiligong No. 2 Dredge. Wandiligong no. 1 Dredge about 1905. Maori Queen bucket ladder in trouble. Maori Queen No. 1 Dredge being rebuilt at Germantown 1910. 4 photos showing aspects of Adelong Dredge.

SURNAMES / FAMILY NAMES from the index:
Abraham. Ah Ching. Ah Chung. Ah Chy. Ah Cow. Ah Shuey. Ah Sue. Ah Young. Ahern. Airey. Aiton. Alexander. Allen. Alley. Almeida. Altman. Anderson. Annear. Antoni. Arbuthnot. Armstrong. Arnot. Arrabin. Arthur. Ashby. Athoness. Atkins. Atkinson. Attridge. Auburn. Auger. Aulert. Austin. Bailey. Baird. Baker. Ball. Bannow. Barbarie. Barlow. Barnard. Barnett. Bartlett. Barton. Battersby. Beale. Beard. Beckton. Beddy. Beecroft. Beer. Bell. Bennett. Benson. Bent. Berkman. Bernadi. Berrigan. Berry. Bettles. Beveridge. Bicknell Bayne. Biddle. Billson. Bird. Birley. Blackmore. Blair. Blick. Block. Blumner. Boardman. Bookey. Bourke. Bow. Bowles. Bradley. Bradney. Brady. Braithwaite. Brassey. Breen. Brennan. Briggs. Briner. Brinkman. Bristow. Brogan. Bromley. Brooke. Brookfield. Brough. Brown. Browne. Bruce. Bruckner. Buchard. Buckland. Buckley. Buckmaster. Bulmer. Bunn. Burdon. Burke. Burton. Butler. Butters. Caddy. Cadzow. Calvert. Cameron. Campbell. Cardwell. Carew-Smith. Carley. Carlile. Carmody. Carne. Carroll. Cash. Catani. Cathcart. Catts. Cavanagh. Cavedon. Chalmers. Chalwell. Chandler. Charleston. Charlwood. Chatfield. Chauncy. Cherry. Christensen. Christian. Clancy. Clapp. Clarke. Cleary. Cleland. Clifford. Clingin. Coane. Cobden. Cody. Coe. Colbett. Coleman. Collier. Connolly. Cook. Cooks. Cooper. Cope. Cornell. Cornish. Cotsworth. Cotton. Couch. Couts. Coxon. Crabbe. Craig. Crane. Crawford. Creighton. Crespigney. Cresswell. Croft. Crofts. Cullen. Cunningham. Curnow. Curtis. Dale. Dalrymple. Darbyshire. Darval. Darwin. Davey. Davies. Davis. Dawes. Day. De Mole. Dean. Dee Gee. Delany. Delora. Dennis. Dennison. Dibbin. Dickens. Ditchburn. Dixon. Docker. Doherty. Dominiguez. Donald. Doring. Dougherty. Douglas. Dowd. Dowling. Drage. Dreier. Drummond. Duane. Ducey. Duffy. Duke. Duncan. Dundas. Dunphy. Duscher. Dwyer. Dyason. Easter. Eckerman. Edmeades. Edwards. Egan. Eicherman. Eldridge. Elliot. Erving. Evans. Ewing. Eyeton. Falconer. Falkner. Farie. Farnsworth. Farrell. Farrelly. Farrington. Faulkner. Fecher. Felton. Field. Fink. Finney. Firebrace. Fletcher. Flinn. Flint. Forbes. Forlonge. Forrester. Forsyth. Foster. Fowler. Fox. Francis. Fraser. Fraser-Smith. Freeman. Frost. Gaithwaite. Gallagher. Gallogly. Gamble. Gander. Garoni. Gaunt. Gay. Geary. Gee. George. Giersch. Gill. Gillard. Gillies. Gitchell. Gladders. Goldfinch. Goldsworthy. Goodman. Goold. Gordon. Gould. Gow. Gracovitza. Grainger. Gray. Greaves. Green. Gregory. Greig. Grenness. Grenville. Gribble. Grieg. Grieve. Griffiths. Grigg. Grimes. Grove. Growlers. Guard. Gunn. Gustafson. Haddrell. Hall. Hanly. Hardisty. Hardy. Harkin. Harris. Harrison. Harvey. Hawkins. Hay. Hayden. Hayes. Hazelton. Heale. Heales. Hedge. Heggie. Henderson. Hensley. Hepburn. Herbert. Herz. Hewitson. Hickey. Hickleman. Hicks. Higgins. Higgs. Hildeband. Hill. Hillas. Hipwell. Hirst-Brown. Hobson. Hodge. Hollick. Holt. Honeychurch. Hood. Hooper. Hopkins. Horsley. Horwood. House. Hovell. Howard. Howell. Howitt. Howman. Hoy. Hubbard. Hudson. Hughes. Hume. Humphries. Hung Fee. Hunt. Hunter. Husband. Hutchinson. Hutton. Hydman. Icely. Illet. Inglis. Ingram. Ireland. Jacob. Jagar. Jagoe. James. Jeffs. Jenkins. Jennings. Johnson. Jones. Kaighin. Keast. Keating. Kellow. Kelly. Kemp. Kennedy. Kenny. Kent. Keppell. Kerryford. Khan. Kidd. Kilgour. Kincaid. Kinchela. King. Kinsmore. Kissane. Kneebones. Knox. Lane. Lanfranchi. Lang. Lansing. Lardi. Larkin. Larsen. Laugher. Lawlers. Lawrence. Lawson. Lazenby. Leahy. Lee. Leonard. Leslie. Lewes. Lewis. Lielfieldt. Lightbound. Lillianthall. Lindholm. Lindley. Lindsay. Linton. Livingston. Lloyd. Lomas. Long. Lorimer. Low Name. Loxton. Lucas. Luke. Lumley. Luscombe. Lynch. Lyons. Mackay. Mackey. McPhadyen. Maddison. MaFadyen (McFadyen). Magnay. Maidment. Maislinger. Malkin. Manfield. Manning. Manson. Markes. Marry. Martin. Masciorini. Matthews. Maudsley. May. Mayall. McBride. McCabe. McCall. McCarrick. McCartney. McCashen. McCormack. McCoy. McCrae. McCurdy. McDonald. McDonnell. McDonough. McFarlane. McFayden (McFadyen). McGill. McGuire. McInerney. McIvor. McKay. McKenzie. McLachlan. McLaughan. McLean. McLennan. McMahon. McMillan. McNeil. McNicol. McNulty. McPhee. McShane. McWhae. Meade. Meehan. Merriman. Merry. Metcalfe. Meuleman. Michaelis. Miley. Miller. Mills. Milne. Mitchell. Molyneaux. Mommsen. Montgomery. Moore. Moran. Morgan. Morrell. Morris. Morrison. Morrow. Morse. Mortensen. Mortimer. Morton. Moses. Mottram. Moulds. Munro. Murdoch. Murdock. Murphy. Murray. Murton. Nankervis. Neal. Neuber. Newton. Nichols. Nielson. Nixon. Nolan. Norbury. Norley. Norman. Normanby. Norton. Nunweek. Nuttall. Nye. Oakes. Oliver. Orchard. Osborne. Ostagard. Outtrim. Ovens. Oxenham. O’Brien. O’Connor. O’Day. O’Donnel. O’Grady. Pally. Palmer. Panlook. Pardoe. Parker. Parkhill. Pascoe. Paterson. Peacock. Peel. Penny. Perkins. Perry. Peters. Peterson. Pettigrew. Phelps. Philips. Phillips. Pini. Pollard. Pool. Poole. Pope. Porritt. Porter. Power. Prentice. Price. Prince. Proctor. Prosser. Proud. Puckle. Puzey. Quin. Quinlan. Quoney. Radcliffe. Ramsey. Rayner. Raystrick. Redford. Reid. Rennie. Rhodda. Richards. Richardson. Riddle. Riley. Risk. Robb. Roberts. Robertson. Robinson. Robson. Rochow. Rodda. Rodgers. Rohner. Rollason. Rose. Roser. Ross. Rossington. Rossiter. Rowe. Roy. Rutherford. Ruwolt. Ryan. Sageman. Sales. Sandercock. Sandon. Sangster. Scannel. Schofield. Scott. Scratchley. Seabrook. Seilfeldt. Sellars. Senior. Sharp. Shaw. Shiels. Shoebridge. Showers. Shue. Shuey. Simons. Sinclair. Sing. Sloan. Sloane. Slough. Smallwood (also Smallman). Smart. Smith. Smithers. Smyth. Snell. Spargo. Spark. Spashett. Spaulding. Spinks. Staker. Stanton. Steele. Steinwart. Stenhouse. Stephens. Stephenson. Stevenson. Stewart. Stirling. Stitt. Stockwell. Stoddartt. Stone. Storey. Strachan. Stroke. Stuart. Stuckey. Sturzaker. Stuttard. Sudekum. Sumner. Surpless. Sutcliffe. Swain. Swan. Symes. Symons. Synet. Talbot. Tallow. Tanswell. Tate. Tavare. Tavernan. Taylor. Teed. Telford. Tewksbury. Thatcher. Thies. Thom. Thomas. Thompson. Tierney. Tinsley. Tobias. Tope. Tozer. Tracey. Traulsen. Travis. Trundle. Tucker. Tuckerfield. Turner. Tyers. Tymms. Tyson. Vickery. Vincent. Von Mueller. Von Richthofen. Waite. Wakby. Walden. Walkear. Walker. Wallace. Walsh. Ward. Warman. Warr. Warren. Waterhouse. Waters. Watters. Webb. Webber. Weedon. Weekes. Welch. Welsh. West. Weston. White. Whiting. Whittaker. Wickens. Wilcox. Wilkinson. Williams. Williamson. Wills. Wilson. Winter. Wise. Witt. Wolff. Wood. Woodside. Woolley. Worth. Wraith. Wright. Wye. Yates. Young. Zinke.

Full index available on library computers: Electronic resources \ indexes (alphabetically by name of place).