Welcome to Metz.
The sister town to Hillgrove on the western side of the gorge was originally known as Sunlight, then West Hillgrove, finally becoming Metz in 1897. It was home for the employees of the West Sunlight and Sunlight mines. The town possessed numerous shops, two hotels, the Gara and Tattersalls, a public hall, churches, school of arts and a school. Eight hundred people lived around Metz in 1889. Today, only three houses remain, a scene so very typical of many long-forgotten mining towns.
In October 1904, a tea party for the people of Hillgrove was held in Metz. The townspeople descended the gorge by the Baker's Creek tram, then ascended to Metz by the Sunlight tram. Mr P Jones, the Sunlight Manager, was thanked for the free use of the trams. The Baker's Creek tram was a 3-4 feet wide and could hold 2 tons of ore or about 10 passengers at a time. It descended at an initial angle of 43 degrees incline and 33 degrees incline further down. With nothing holding you in the vehicle, and no seats, you can appreciate this was a hairy ride!
Source: Mainwaring, R. (1986), "Tramways Down The Gorge: The Story of Hillgrove 1887-1921" Light Railway Research Society of Australia, issue 94 (pp 6-9); www.lrrsa.com.au