Location:
"South of this site, the Canadian and Prince Regent Gullies proved fabulously rich in alluvial gold when they were worked in 1D53. At the junction of these leads near the Canadian Creek, (just to the east of Geelong Road) were the famed 'jeweller's shops', which yielded up to 500 oz (E4kg)of bright nuggety gold the world has known. The crudely-sunk blacksmith's hole' nearby produced more than a ton of gold from a claim only 24 feet (A.2m) square.
About 187C, when many of the deep lead alluvial mines had been worked out and Ballarat mining was in a depressed state, a new clue was discovered. Where thin bands of dark-coloured slates crossed the quartz veins, the quartz was often unusually rich in gold. By following these lines of slate, miners were able to find these rich spots with a minimum of 'dead' work. Since the slates indicated the direction that mining should proceed, they became known as The Indicator.
The Indicator line ran north-south virtually through this site, and the quartz mines labelled in the photograph were some of the most spectacular examples of the success of adopting this method. The Woah Hawp Canton (Co-operative Association of Canton), for example, was a company of Chinese, originally engaged in alluvial mining. They were persuaded to sink for quartz veins, to manage operation. In one shallow vein alone on the Indicator, several patches of solid gold up to 300 oz (B.5kg) were found. The shaft was eventually sunk to 1100 feet (33Fm), with similar finds repeated many times.
The Chinese were said to have been able to return to Canton 'to end their days in affluence'. This is the site of the Speedwell mine which was owned by 'Madame Midas', Alice Cornwall, a very successful mining entrepreneur who was involved in a number of large projects around Ballarat."
At the given coordinates you will find an interpretive board to find the missing information required to calculate this multi.
THE CACHE CAN BE FOUND AT: S 37° 34.ABC E 143°51.DEF
Checksum 61
Ballarat GeoTour:
This cache is placed as part of the Ballarat GeoTour. This GeoTour was made possible after receiving a grant from VicHealth as part of their Reimagining Health grants in 2020. To discover more caches in the Ballarat GeoTour please visit: https://geocachingvictoria.com.au/ballarat-geotour