Tuckanarra—The Lights of Cue—Surprising Vegetation—Sweet
Flowers Again—High Wages—Splendid Meat—The Island—The
Mirage—Jolly Faces—Mount Magnet—Donkeys—A Tasteful Camp—The
Morning Star—Windsor Castle.
After a good rest at Nannine, which is 50 miles from Cue, we started off
for Tuckanarra, where I stayed for a day to see the much-talked-of spot
where so rich a find was lately made, my friends going on meanwhile to
Cue. The country around here is much broken and there are many large
caves. It was at the head of a huge gorge that the big find was made,
right on the surface, and many hundredweights of rich specimens were
quickly dug out. The lucky prospector communicated with Mr. Zeb. Lane,
in Perth, who went up, inspected the find, and took an option of the
mine for the British Westralia Syndicate, taking 4 cwt. of the rich
stuff home to England with him. However, the find proved to be a pocket,
and all the gold had centred there; consequently Mr. Lane surrendered
the option, as not being valuable enough for flotation. (He has since
floated in England the Anchor Consolidated Group, which includes several
good mines at Tuckanarra.) The original owners, Messrs. Taylor and Co.,
have now retaken the work of opening up the mine with much success, and
have recently struck a rich reef, a parcel of 34 tons of stone from
which have yielded 138 ounces of gold. Boyd’s Claim is the best one
here, over 3000 ounces of gold having been taken out of it by crushing
and dollying, while the tailings, concentrates, and blanketings brought
the yield up to a considerably larger amount. At present Tuckanarra is a
quiet little place, but there is no knowing at what moment the colony may
be electrified by more finds. It was Warden Dowley’s blackboy who first
discovered gold in the Tuckanarra district. Whilst travelling with the
warden to Nannine he showed a piece of gold to his master and pointed
out the place where he found it, on which the warden marked the spot and
afterwards circulated the news. The usual rush ensued, and many claims
were pegged out.
Only 25 miles of Bush travelling now lay between me and the town of Cue.
The coach driver favoured me with the box-seat, much to the disgust of
a male passenger, who wanted the seat and did not feel inclined to give
way to a lady. But the driver of the coach is always the boss (master) of
the box-seat, and this one, being fond of ladies’ society, gave me the
preference, not resembling in this point the driver in one of the other
districts, who said he “didn’t want no women sitting alongside of him.”
At last I saw the lights of Cue. Electric lights in the streets, horses
and carts, the shrill whistle of the railway engine, boys calling out the
evening papers, and the stopping of the coach to deliver the mails at the
brilliantly lighted and splendid post-office, told me that I had emerged
from the “back-blocks” and was once more nearing the metropolis.
[Illustration: Inclined Shaft, Cue One Mine]
I had heard a good deal about this centre of the Murchison, Cue, and, now
that I was here, found it an agreeable place to spend a few days in. The
living is in many ways immensely good, fresh milk is abundant, eggs are,
it is true, 5_s._ a dozen, but are obtainable. The meat is the finest I
have seen in the colony, and the vegetables are equally good. Passing
the door of the kitchen one morning I saw a pile of cauliflowers, the
outside leaves of which were 4 feet high, and the white flower on the
same scale. The cabbages were as hard as a rock and over a foot and a
half in diameter. Turnips and other kinds of vegetables were equally
surprising. The cook told me that they were grown at Mr. Rickett’s
garden, two miles out of town. To look at the barren country one would
think that nothing would grow, but it justifies the words of Sir
Frederick Weld, one of the first Governors, who, when people described
Western Australia as a sand heap, said, “If it be only sand, it is sand
that will grow anything if you give it water.” I was agreeably surprised
one morning to receive a lovely bunch of mignonette and a few violets,
the first of the season. I did enjoy the gift; no garden flowers ever
smelled sweeter or looked prettier to me, for it was a long time since
I had seen any. It was a perfect Sunday morning, and picnics and drives
were the order of the day; several parties were just setting out. The
people seem to be very happy, and, though so far away from their old
homes, have got quite used to goldfields life and get plenty of enjoyment
out of it. I drove out to some of the gardens and was surprised at the
green spots in the desert. Plenty of water is got by sinking wells and
the gardens are well irrigated.
There are two newspapers published at Cue. At a dinner given to the Press
while I was there, one of the toasts was as follows: “Woman, second only
to the Press in disseminating news.” Are we ladies to take this as a
compliment, or otherwise?
It is proposed to carry the railway from Cue on to Nannine. The Cue
people do not want this, as it would make Nannine the centre and spoil
Cue. A splendid court-house and warden’s offices are here, as well as
many other fine public buildings, shops, dwelling-houses, and hotels.
There are some good mines, but a great many of them are under exemption
at present; that means, allowed to stop working for a specified time
named in their application; consequently many men are out of work and
the town is comparatively quiet, because these men have to go out
back-prospecting, to keep their wives and children.
There are many families in Victoria and elsewhere who bless the day when
the goldfields of Western Australia were discovered, and a great many
miners in these districts have brought over their wives and families and
have made humble but comfortable homes for them. They all seem happy, and
I have talked with many of the women, who tell me that, though the life
is rather rough, yet they have money always regularly coming in, while,
on the other side, they had nothing to keep themselves with the failure
of the banks and general crash in Melbourne having ruined so many people.
Coming back from a drive I passed the racecourse, with such a funny
little grand-stand, perched on top of a rocky hill. There was to be a
wild-flower show soon. The ladies were working hard to make it a success.
There seemed to be a great many of them here, and yet it is only a few
years since the arrival of a fair lady in Cue was an event of importance,
in which almost the entire population showed their interest by crowding
round the coach. Wages are still very good. A housekeeper will get £3 a
week; barmaids, £3 10_s._; housemaids and waitresses, £2 10_s._; and a
lady to whom I was speaking told me she was extremely tired, from having
had to do all the washing for the family herself, as the laundrywoman
wanted £1 per day for doing it, or 15_s._ for half a day! Chinese are
sometimes engaged as servants, and, as a rule, give satisfaction. No
Chinaman or coloured man is allowed to mine; in Western Australia they
are tolerated as gardeners or servants only.
Mr. A. W. Walder has a large station called Coodardy, 20 miles from Cue.
It extends nearly 100 miles up towards Lake Way. There are always 1500
head of cattle and 4000 or 5000 sheep on it to supply the necessities of
the Cue and Mount Magnet districts. This number is supplemented by drafts
from the far north, even as far as Gascoyne and Kimberley. The feed is
good, as may be supposed from the beautiful quality of the meat. It is
chiefly salt-bush, of which the stock are very fond, and which does not
grow very high, but is most nourishing. The water supply for them is
drawn from wells by blacks kept for that purpose.
Day Dawn, where the largest mines are situated, is four miles from Cue.
One of these is called the Consolidated Murchison Gold Mines, Limited.
The machinery on these mines is magnificent, and has cost an enormous
sum of money. The cyanide process, all of which the assayer showed me,
was most interesting. The various articles used in assaying are very
delicate—scales that will weigh a breath and little wee china basins
the size of a doll’s cup. The splendid laboratory was full of different
chemicals; there were three immense rooms for the cyanide and assaying
processes.
Coming back to Cue, I called at the Lady Forrest Mine, which is in quite
a picturesque spot, and I was not surprised at the beautifully arranged
collection of wild flowers and ferns that the manager had picked around
the mine and dried. The mine not working, he had plenty of time to pursue
his favourite pastime of botany. He also showed me a fine collection
of choice orchids; these are found at the Granites, a few miles out.
Parrots, with brilliant colouring, and cockatoos, are to be seen about
here, especially when you are near a soak (well). Occasionally an iguana
glides along, looking like a tiny land-alligator. Iguanas, though not
agreeable to the eye, are considered almost sacred in the Bush, because
they destroy snakes.
The Island is a wonderful little place, a real treasure-house, 16 miles
from Cue. It is in the centre of the salt lake Austin (called after
Robert Austin, the explorer), from which it is separated by channels 1000
yards wide. The lake, like all Western Australian lakes, is dry; but when
the sun is shining on it it looks like a sheet of glistening gold.
The Mainland, dignified sometimes by the name of Salt Lake City, is
a few miles farther off. I do not know whether there are any Mormons
settled there or not. There are several good mines at the Mainland and
the Island. The reefs are highly auriferous. The Golconda is the largest
mine, giving very rich yields, and is now owned by an English syndicate.
The representatives of this mine are very careful not to let outside
people know too much about it; they keep the doors of the battery locked,
and no one is allowed to go in to inspect. The Island Eureka is a small
but rich mine owned by a syndicate on the Island. Mrs. Hurfit, who is
part-owner of the mine, lives close to it. This lady who is the first
white woman that came to these parts, showed me a fine collection of
specimens of all kinds of minerals found here. The gold quartz is very
beautiful. The jewellery Mrs. Hurfit has had made from it by Streeter, of
London, is unique, some of the polished quartz with veins of gold showing
through it being the handsomest I have ever seen.
[Illustration: COLONEL NORTH’S EXPEDITION TO MOUNT MAGNET]
Seeing a peculiar-looking place on a hill, I climbed up to see what it
was, and found a large hut composed of big flat stones. These stones were
lying around in great quantities. Some men were working near, but they
were Italians, and as they could not speak English and I could not speak
Italian, our conversation was nil. The view from the hill was charming;
the salt lakes shimmering in the sun, the flat country with the grass
and wild flowers, the low-lying purple hills in the background, a lovely
and most peculiar colouring in the sky, the rising stacks of the mines,
and the high metaphoric rocks in the distance, formed an uncommon and
pretty picture. Just as I was leaving, the sun came out with unusual
brilliancy, casting exquisite reflections on the glistening golden sand,
which seemed to crystallise into various forms. I almost felt as if I had
dropped into fairyland, but in a moment the sun hid behind a cloud and
the beautiful scene was gone.
There are about 150 people at the Island and Mainland, and they all
appear to be in comfortable positions. On the day I left it was raining
heavily, and I had to wait an hour at the station for the train, which
was late in arriving. This brought to my mind the story of a gentleman
who had promised to attend at a certain place and make a speech, but
found himself unable to do so on account of the heavy rains having
destroyed a section of the railway line. Accordingly he wired, “Cannot
come; wash out on the line.” The reply came: “Come any way; borrow a
shirt.”
At last the train made its appearance, and I took my seat and went to
Mount Magnet (not to be confused with Mount Margaret, which is in quite
a different part of the country), about 32 miles farther on. On arrival
there the railway station was so crowded that I could scarcely get out.
There were about 300 young men of all sorts and sizes, and with such
jolly smiling faces that I began to feel quite hilarious myself. They
turned out to be the successful footballers just returned from a match at
Cue. Several buggies and horses were waiting at the station, and I had no
difficulty in being conveyed to an hotel, which bore the significant name
of “The Oasis.”
My first impression of Mount Magnet next morning was that there were a
great many donkeys—I mean, of course, of the four-footed variety. They
seemed to perambulate the town in dozens, and a team of about 20 going
out of town with a wagon was a novel sight. I can assure you that, while
I was writing these words, two inquisitive donkeys put in their heads at
the door and almost said “Good-morning,” recognising a friend, perhaps.
The outlook from this place was very dreary, as nearly always seems to
be the case where gold is found. Several nice specimens had just been
brought into the hotel by a lucky prospector, some of the pieces weighing
several ounces. The Mount is about four miles from Magnet township, and
was named Mount Magnet in 1854 by Mr. Austin, because the stone was so
mineralised that it attract the compass to an extent which rendered it
useless. Despite the barren-looking country, there are many varieties
of wild flowers growing in the neighbourhood, and the desert octopus or
tiger-plant is most remarkable. It bears a fairylike pink flower, and
seems almost to be a living thing. The leaves of the plant are remarkably
sensitive, and there are numerous little caplike flowers fringed with
tentacles and filled with a sweet substance; any insect that approaches
is seized, and the plant, which grows only a few inches in height, and is
also known as “Rainbow” or “Fly-trap,” absorbs the life of it.
Five miles away is Boogardie, or Jones’ Well. A singular discovery was
recently made there. Portions of underground rock, on being broken, were
found to contain a living frog at a depth of 40 feet! Many of these have
been found. Query, how did they get there?
There are many tidy houses in the little township; one Hessian camp,
containing three separate rooms, was most tastefully arranged with pretty
art-muslin and cretonne, a nice carpet on the ground, and cane furniture
beautifully draped. The bedroom was quite elegant, and the kitchen had
cocoanut matting on the ground; there were, as usual, no floors. A bright
Peerless Cooker stove and spotlessly white dresser and crockery finished
as natty a little home as a man and woman could wish for. The men out
here all work their own claims, and are very comfortably off.
A few miles from Magnet is the Morning Star, a low-grade mine, but
still a paying one. Mr. Bryant, the manager, made me most welcome, and
explained to me very conclusively that, to make a mine pay, it is not
necessary to find gold in occasional very large pieces, and that a steady
quantity, though small, will, if the supply hold out, prove profitable.
The mine is worked almost entirely by men from Clunes, Victoria, where
Mr. Bryant formerly was; they have quite a camp of their own, and with
their reading-room and recreation-ground, where they play cricket and
football, they pass a very jolly life and seem quite contented. Total
abstinence is the rule of this mine. Before the train service was started
they had to cart all the machinery and stores 200 miles to the mine.
Farther on is Lennonville, another important mining centre, where rich
finds have lately been struck; and farther still, what is called the
10-Mile. There are many good mines in these localities. The Long Reef is
a fine mine, and with its magnificent new machinery looks imposing. The
plant is one of the finest in Western Australia, and there is enough good
ore to show profitable results for years to come.
[Illustration: Donkey Team, Mount Magnet]
Coming back from these mines I stopped at the Lennonville Hotel (to have
dinner), the landlady of which was the biggest woman I had ever seen, she
weighed over twenty-one stone.
The scenery of this district is far more pleasing than the barrenness
of Magnet township. There are plenty of enormous emus scudding through
the scrub, and occasionally a few kangaroos enliven the scene. Some of
the big hills are completely riddled with enormous holes made by the
earthworm. It must have taken centuries to make these tunnels. I thought
they must be mining excavations, but one of the mining managers, who is
a mining expert and engineer, and who ought to know, told me they were
the work of earthworms.
In another direction from Magnet is the New Chum Mine; farther on the Two
Chums, and others; all giving good results.
There is a fine hospital, with a skilful surgeon, such skill being very
necessary where mining accidents ate liable to occur. The country is by
no means unhealthy, and there were only four patients in the hospital
on the day I visited it. The nurses seemed to be very kind women, and
the patients said it was like being nursed at home to be in the Magnet
Hospital.
East Mount Magnet is about 50 miles away, and the coach journey to it is
tedious. There is a tidy little township, and some of the mines are very
rich. Mr. Zeb. Lane, before going to London last year, paid a visit to
this place, and took over the Windsor Castle Mine, a fine property, upon
which Mr. Lane estimates that there are 25,000 tons of good ore at sight
ready to pay handsome dividends. The Havelock Mine has given splendid
results, and a wonderful collection of specimens was recently lodged in
the Bank. Christmas Gift is another good mine, and not far off is another
rich find called Payneville. Several rich patches have been found and
hundreds of ounces of gold taken out of them. The district seems to have
a bright future before it. I was glad to return to Magnet, and to have
made my last coach journey for the present. One of the miners to whom I
was speaking looked so fearfully cadaverous that I asked him what was the
matter. He told me he had once been poisoned by lead in a mine, and had
never got the poison out of his system. I told him about the new cure by
electricity lately discovered. He seemed very thankful and said he would
see the mine doctor about it at once. Over 30 experiments with this cure
have lately been carried out successfully in England, and I hope it will
soon be generally known, and many cures made in the colonies.