108 



Tliere is thus an average length of over 40 miles of main trunk lead traversing auriferous rocks fed ty rich 

 tributary leads and witli numerous rich shallow workings in the bordering country on either siile. That portion 

 extending from the southern line of a series of bores put down at boundary of Lexton to the Homebush leads, a 

 distance of 20 miles, deserves special attention, being well defined by borings and being bordered by rich auriferous 

 country. 



Amherst and Maryborough Leads. — A series of leads from Amherst, Daisy Hill, Alma, and Maryborough, 

 nearly all trend towards Timor, where the course of the main lead is marked by the deep leads worked by the various 

 Duke companies. The Sadowa lead extends for several miles towards Talbot. 



Loddon Valley Lead. — This lead system, with its tributaries, is probably the most important yet worked in 

 the colony, extending from the Midas and Dowling Forest group of mines, a distance of 16 miles of linworked ground ; 

 then the marvellous Berry group of mines, with 4 miles of unworked ground. Northerly from the junction of these 

 two lead systems as far as the parallel of Carisbrook, the Mount (4reenock, Majorca, and Carisbrook leads come in 

 from the west, and the Loddon leads from the east. The boring near Moolort proved a large and well-defined trunk 

 lead, which extends close to Eddington, where the Bet Bet system probably joins it. In the total length of this 

 system there are BO miles of unworked leads. Dunolly and Burnt Creek Leads. — Leads trending down the Bet Bet 

 Valley, such as Chinaman's Flat and Four-mile t^reek, were very rich. 



Daylesford Leads.— These leads are all above the level of the present stream. The most noteworthy are the 

 Wombat Hill lead, Deadman's lead, Italian Hill lead, O'Hara Burke lead. Fern Tree lead, and Jim Crow Creek lead. 



Bendigo Leads. — The rich alluvial gullies fed by the Bendigo reefs ti end toward Bendigo Creek into a main 

 lead near the White Hills, which has been traced a length of 7 miles. Several tributaries enter below the White Hills 

 from the westward, trending northerly towards Huntly. It is estimated that for a distance of 6 miles from the White 

 Hills the lead yielded £2,000,000 worth of gold. A minor lead sy.stem extends north-westerly along the Myers Creek 

 Valley, receiving tributary leads from Eaglehawk on the east. Still further north a lead system extends for several 

 miles past Nsilborough. 



Heathcote Leads. — Melvor Creek has been worked for a number of leads ; most of the gold occurs in nuggets 

 — one of these weighed 658 oz. 



Castlemaine Leads. — Extensive gullies have been worked at Chewton, Maldon, Castlemaine, and down through 

 Yandoit to Newstead. 



Malmsbury and Coliban Valley Leads. — This system of leads extends from the Main Dividing Range between 

 Trentham and Blackwood. It is fed by various tributaries from Trentham, Lauriston, Taradale, and Malmsbury. 

 A line of bores near Carlsruhe proved deep ground at '.iiS feet from the surface. Four and a half miles northward, 

 near Lauriston, a lead was proved, and 2 miles further north a third series of bores proved wash at a depth of 371 feet. 

 Near Malmsbury, the Taradale lead junctions with the main lead. Following down the valley of the Coliban, borings 

 at Redesdale proved the bed-rock to be 223 feet from the surface, the fall of the surface from Kyneton to Redesdale 

 being evidently greater than that of the lead. From Trentham to Axedale, on the general course of the lead system, 

 the distance is fully 50 miles, and from near Carlsruhe to a little beyond Redesdale the distance is 25 miles. 



Plenty River Leads. — Rising in the Plenty Ranges, where several creeks and gullies have been worked with 

 satisfactory results, notably Jack's Creek and Deep Creek, the lead extends to Whittlesea, while at South Morang a 

 tributary lead had been worked for some years by means of tunnels. Boring is now being carried on to prove the 

 position of the lead, which it is thought might extend still further south towards Collingwood. Tanjil Leads. — Here 

 a lead has been traced for several miles along the valley of the Tanjil to a higher level than the present stream. 

 Neerim Lead. — A sub-basaltic lead extends tor a distance of about 20 miles along the water-shed between the Tarago 

 River and the Latrobe. Moondarra. — This lead system extends along the plateau between the Tyers and the Thomson 

 Rivers for a distance of 16 miles. 



Rutherglen Leads. — There are two main deep leads now being worked — the Great Southern, which is a 

 continuation of the Cliiltern Valley Lead, and the threat Northern. 'J'he principal companies now at work include 

 the Great Soutliern, Southern and Chiltern Valley United, Great Southern No. 1, Prentice United, North Prentice, 

 Great Northern Extended, and the Wahgunyah. The yield of gold for the Chiltern and Rutherglen districts has been 

 £2,282,384. 



Ovens River. — The Ovens River and nearly all its tributaries below Porepunkah have proved auriferous. In 

 the higher levels terrace washes, and in the lower there is evidence of a very extensive deep lead system, now being 

 proved near Palmerston by boring. Similarly, from the neighbourliood of Beechworth in the highly auriferous plateaux 

 situate on the water-shed line between the Ovens and tlie Little or Kiewa runs, a number of lead systems radiate 

 towards the main valleys on either side, as the Eldorado, Woolshed, and Staghorn Flat, and numerous others. 



Dargo High Plains. — Round the edge of this basaltic plateau, at an altitude of between 4,(M)() and 5,000 feet, 

 gold has been found and partially worked for many years. Recently tunnelling operations by Ryan and Co. have 

 disclosed what appears to be a deep lead system extending for a distance of over 20 miles. In the Kiewa Valley there 

 are miles of terraces which should repay mining exploration. Similarly in the Mitta Valley and all its tributaries 

 alluvial deposits and leads occur. Towards tiie head of the Murray, Buckwong Creek, and Limestone Creek, along 

 the Tambo Valley, terrace washes occur in the Mitchell and all its triVmtaries, the Wongungarra, Dargo, Wentworth, 

 Crooked River, Wonnangatta River, the Bemm Rixer in East Gippsland, the heads of the Broadribb, the Mackenzie — 

 in short, the heads of the Yarra, (4oull5urn, and all streams to the east rising in the Main Dividing Range — contain 

 auriferous deposits, either as creek and gully alluvium or as terraces. 



Bright Prospects op Mining. 



Who will dare to venture tlie assertion that Victoria's alluvial deposits and leads are worked out in the face of 

 such overwhelming evidence to the contrary? When we realize ho^\' small a portion of tlie proved auriferous ground 

 has really been worked as compared with that awaiting development, there can be but one feeling, and that of 

 unbounded confidence in the future mining prospects of the colony. In one square mile of ground in the Madame Berry 

 area gold to the value of £1,586,758 has been raised, £848,700 paid in dividends, £433,000 in wages, and £130,000 in 

 royalty. There is no special reason why other portions of the unworked leads should not yield similar returns. They 

 intersect similar belts of known auriferous territory, and when the location of the known ({uartz-bearing auriferous belts 

 are mapped out, and also the courses of the leads which intersect them, a new mining era will evolve, and science and 

 practice go hand in hand towards a more rapid industrial progress and continuous prosperity. 



