The coordinates given will lead you to the first
stage of this two stage Cache.
This is the first of the planned "Teviot Valley
Walkways Series"
The sign is on the roadside at the entrance to
the walkway and will be your starting point.
There is good off-road parking here:
Coordinates -S45° 31.675 E169° 18.574
Note the spelling, "cycyles"?
Also note that this is the old sign. There is a photograph of the
new sign posted by "GEONEDDY". This new photograph can be seen in
the gallery.
This is part of a large area on the east bank of the Clutha
River known by the locals as "The Tailings".
In 1900 the Ladysmith Gold Dredging Company commenced deep head
hydraulic elevating gold sluicing. This sluicing followed the
ancient Clutha River bed to a depth of about 90 meters below the
then ground surface level. This Company's claim joined the
Amalgamated Company elevated workings nearby the present day
poultry farm at the East end of Ladysmith Road. These two Companies
held water rights to 70% of the Teviot River; they made use of a
storage dam at Lake Onslow.
Both companies prospered and then ceased their activities about
1915. Their water supply and power generator were sold to the
Teviot Electric Power Board.
Young's Pond, by Caithness Orchard, was the Amalgated Company's
last working site.
The township of Teviot was situated between the poultry farm and
the ferry site. The ferry operated across the Clutha River from
where the present day Ferry Road, Roxburgh, came down to the river
bank. When the mining and sluicing encroached into Teviot Town the
township was relocated to the West bank of the river, the present
Roxburgh. The township had six hotels, coaching stables, police
station and courthouse. Most of the dwellings were of stone, mud
brick, cob wall construction with tussock thatch or canvas roofing,
and, in time, corrugated iron.
The area was ravaged by the gold miners in their day. The
Chinese and European people both left their mark in some form or
another.
Many people died from the poor living conditions and diet, some
from the severe weather, some just from fatigue. Some of the people
stayed on and spent their riches buying land and thus starting
permanent communities.
As time went by and different areas of gold deposits were found,
different mining systems were used, panning, sluicing, dredging and
the use of cradles. The mining changed the landscape in a major way
both here and down river from here. Around this area the land was
denuded of its topsoil and was left very stony. Down river got the
topsoil from the washings and hence that land is much more
fertile.
Your progress through the walkway will take you to places where
there is still plenty of evidence of that goldmining activity:
Liitjens Cottage
This cottage was made of local schist stone foundations, basic
weatherboard walls, duck board floors and a canvas roof. The house
was built into the bank for some protection.
William Liitjen worked for the Ladysmith Gold Dredging Company
Ltd., doing deep hydraulic elevating work on the bed of the ancient
Molyneaux River, this river is now known as the Clutha. When the
mining work finished William worked as a rabbiter.
Mrs. Angelina Liitjens was renowned for her cooking and baking; the
kitchen in which she did this was situated in a separate room away
from the house. The remains of this kitchen are on the other side
of the track from the house.
Liitjens Pond
This hole was formed during the Ladysmith Gold Dredging Company's
deep hydraulic elevating sluicing operations.
The work done here proved to be very profitable for the Company
from 1900 to approximately 1910
Western Outwash
This featured "herring bone" rock walled channels from the Wilson
and Party claims to the west. Vast amounts of hillside were removed
into the Clutha River through this outwash channel.
Bunny Cove
Today this is a popular swiming/fishing hole for the locals, mostly
children. In its day it was another busy part of the Clutha River
for gold dredging.
The dredge that was here was dismantled around the 1920's
Apparently two schoolboys spent a large part of their holidays
here, panning the remaining gravel and wash dirt getting 8 oz of
gold for their enterprise and efforts
Look for the distinctive stone stacks from the tailings
elevator.
Wreck of the Jubilee
Dredge
This dredge was normally moored and tied to the riverbank
overnight. One night the starboard pontoon took on water and the
dredge sank onto its side.
At the time of the sinking the dredge was providing very good
returns so it was promptly replaced by the "Roxburgh Jubilee"
dredge in 1906.
Word has is that the new dredge was taking 17oz of gold per week
but only worked this site for 19 weeks, at the end of 1906.
Southern Outwash/Perch Pond (also known as
Hidden Pond)
Here you will see the remains of the 20ft high rocklined walls and
a weir that were used to make this pond. The water was used for
hydraulic elevator sluicing. These rock walls were all hand stacked
and are in very close to original condition. The sluicings were
discarded into the Clutha River.
A wealth of information about this area may be found by clicking
onto the WEB via one or both of the following links:
Roxburgh Link or Central Otago Link
The container at the given (waypoint) coordinates is a small
"Berrocco" tablet tube wrapped around with black masking tape. When
re-hidden it contained a label bearing the coordinates to take you
to the Final.
Because of the tree cover you might not get a good fix at either
WP.
The Main Cache is a 200ml black Sistema "Klip It".
The new cache container was placed
with:
- A stash note.
- A small log book.
- A pencil & sharpener.
- A penny, Australian -1950.