Beaconsfield,
the first town in Australia to have its water fluoridated,
is the main town in the West Tamar region of northern Tasmania.
It was established in around 1870 and was first known as
Cabbage Tree Hill and then as Brandy Creek before being
re-named in 1879 as Beaconsfield. This was done in honour
of Benjamin Disraeli who was Prime Minister in England and
also Lord Beaconsfield. Beaconsfield in the U.K. is in Buckinghamshire
and the name Beaconsfield is derived from the old English
word “bekensfeld” which means “field by
the beacon”.
The area was first explored in 1804 by officers under the
command of Lt. Colonel William Patterson.
In 1877 the cap of a payable gold reef was discovered on
the eastern slope of Cabbage Tree Hill by brothers William
and David Dally. This became known as the fabulous Tasmanian
Reef. In October 1877 the Dally brothers sold their claim
on the Tasmania Reef to William D Grubb & William Hart
for 15,000 pounds, and 1/10th share in any company formed.
From 1904 to 1914, an astonishing $400 million worth of
gold was extracted from the Beaconsfield mine by the Tasmanian
Gold Mining and Quartz Crushing Company.
At the peak of the gold rush 700 men were employed in the
gold mine and 26 tonnes of gold was recovered.
An early settler at the time, Mr. Campbell wrote that: “the
blacks were here in those days…. On each side was
nothing but thick tea tree scrub and snakes…. When
the rush for gold was discovered there was only two shops,
drapery and grocery but soon the little township swarmed
with people. More shops, hotels, dance halls and a hall
were built for plays to come to the town which they did
in plenty. There came circuses and the children got excited
and followed to see the horses and elephants going through
the town to get somewhere to camp and build their tents.
Those entertainments came very often because there was plenty
of money about”.
The Beaconsfield Mine & Heritage Centre has many exhibits
and preserved structures dedicated to the former glory days
of gold mining.
During the 1970s exploration drilling confirmed that the
reef continued at least another 200 metres below the old
workings. By 1991 the old Hart Shaft collar had been re-established
and water pumped out to 160 metres deep. The project was
suspended until 1992 when the mine's owners changed. Deep
drilling resumed in 1993 to review the resource estimates
and, from 1994, the Beaconsfield Mine Joint Venture has
carried out drilling of the depth extension of the Tasmania
Reef.
A permanent stage pumping station 181 metres below ground
has been lowering the water in the shaft since August 1995.
The permanent winder and head frame were completed in January
1996 and the shaft finished in late 1996.
On Tuesday 25 April 2006, a small earthquake caused a rock
fall in the Beaconsfield gold mine. Fourteen miners escaped
safely, one miner, Larry Knight, was killed, and the remaining
two, Todd Russell and Brant Webb, were trapped in a shaft
approximately one kilometre underground.
The two trapped miners were found alive five days later
on Sunday 30 April. Rescue operations continued for nearly
two weeks until the two miners were freed on Tuesday 9 May.
View video
by clicking here
In
association with:
Things
To Do Gold Coast, Tasmania
racing ,Accommodation
Las Vegas Hotel, Greyhound
Racing Systems,
Launceston accommodation, Hobart
Accommodation, Horse
Racing Staking Plans,
Horse Racing Systems, Horse
Racing Australia,
Accommodation Anaheim Hotel, Accommodation
San Francisco Hotel, Horse
Racing Ratings, Racing
systems software, Accommodation
Los Angeles Hotel, Credit
Card Debt Problems,
Things
To Do Adelaide
