Tag Archive for 'Bathurst'

Hargraves Cradle – Used to Make Australia’s First Payable Discovery of Gold

Published on September 26, 2012 by Geoff Barker in Metal craft, Object of the week and Technology. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
Gold washing cradle, designed by William Tom Jr and Edward Hargraves, made by William Tom, Ophir goldfields, Australia, 1851, Powerhouse Museum H8859

Gold washing cradle, designed by William Tom Jr and Edward Hargraves, made by William Tom, Ophir goldfields, Australia, 1851, Powerhouse Museum H8859

This gold cradle was the first to be used in Australia to discover payable quantities of gold. It was made by William Tom Jr following directions from Edward Hargraves and was based on similar cradles (also called rockers) used to wash for gold in California.

Edward Hargraves was the man responsible for triggering the gold rush in New South Wales in the 1850′s and soon after his discovery even larger finds were made n Victoria. Although Europeans had settled in Australia in 1788 it took over 50 years for them to begin successfully extracting commercial quantities of the country’s vast gold resources.

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Cleopatra’s Needle or ‘Thornton’s Scent Bottle’

Published on June 13, 2012 by Geoff Barker in Object of the week. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
Bathurst Street from George Street', photo by Kerry and Co, Sydney, 1890-1900

Bathurst Street from George Street', photo by Kerry and Co, Sydney, 1890-1900

This photograph was taken from George Street, Sydney and looks up Bathurst Street. At the very end, where it joins Elizabeth Street and Hyde Park, the single most obvious feature of the photograph can still be seen today.

This is the obelisk was erected in 1857 and unveiled by Mayor George Thornton. This architectural feature is a clear indication of the Victorian craze culture for all things Egyptian post the decipherment of hieroglyphs in 1822, even in far off Australia.

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