Join our volunteer guide, Ray Stevenson for another interesting walking tour in the Maldon area. This time, we will meet at the picnic area beside the North British Mine site on Thursday 26 March ready to head off at 9:30 am.
This first and shortest part of the walk is a loop about the ruins of the North British Mine site and the workshop that produced the famous Oswald’s pneumatic drill. We will stand before the fenced main shaft that is 509 metres deep. We’ll see the mine dams and mullock heaps, sand hills, a pump bob pit, remains of the crushing battery (where Oswald, the owner, had his accident) and the stunning quartz-roasting kilns and cyanide vats. These are gold processing methods largely developed at this and other Maldon mines. Oswald’s story is remarkable; a tireless worker for his community, he was inventive, generous, visionary.
The second and longer part of our walk is to the alluvial fields, old stream beds once rich with gold. Here ‘wash dirt’ was panned, cradled and stirred by horse-driven puddlers. Shallow shafts aplenty keep us hugging the track.
No registration required, participation is free and the walk will last for about one hour. Contact us for more information. Bring a hat and a water bottle.
