Buried Rivers of Gold series - Victorian Heritage Site at 3371 CRESWICK-NEWSTEAD ROAD SMEATON
REPORT OF PROGRESS BY THE SECRETARY OF MINES
REPORT ON GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY, MINING, AND THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF VARIOUS PARTS OF THE COLONY, BY REGINALD A. F. MURRAY, J. JOSMO NEWBEUY, FREDERICK McCOY, AND ALFRED J. AGO, A. W. HOWITT, JAMES STERLING. MELBOURNE : PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY JOHN FERRES, GOVERNMENT PRINTER, 1879
If an observer takes a map showing the different gold-fields west of the meridian of Castlemaine, and notes their respective positions, he will not fail to be impressed by the fact that they lie in approximately parallel belts, having that meridional direction.
The portion of the Loddon Valley deep lead near and below Newstead is just below the course of the first geological belt and the lead should on that account be rich unless some break in the auriferous character of the belt occurs there. Next to the westward is the Elaine and Mount Doran belt whereof the N by W extension would pass Bullarook and near Smeaton Hill beyond which the shallow workings east of Campbelltown are about upon its course.
It is noticeable also that the Hepburn Home Paddock lead heads from about this zone the further production of which beyond Campbelltown would bear for the junction of Joyce's Creek with the Loddon thus affording a favorable indication as to the value of the deep trunk lead there. Gold has been found in the shallow ground on the course of this belt between Campbelltown and Joyce's Creek but the land being alienated has not been thoroughly tested it is likely that good shallow workings may yet be found in this locality and that leads in the beds of the larger tributaries on the east will be found to pass under the creek to join the leads beneath the basalt to the west of it.