Norman Taylor — The Cudgegong Diamond Field. 405 



and north to the river at Guntawang, and then down it ; and it is 

 most probable that the drift, in which the diamond occurs, has come 

 from the same direction, although I do not altogether hold with the 

 view that the diamonds have been drifted. All the valleys and 

 lower country (probably synclinal troughs) to the north and west 

 of Mudgee, and elsewhere, appear to be occupied by pebble drifts 

 and beds which may be the equivalents of the above-mentioned 

 Mesozoic rocks. 1 



At the Reedy Creek junction, and south of the river, were situated 

 the works of the Mudgee Gold and Diamond Mining Company. 

 This Company had all their endeavours frustrated by the continuous 

 floods, which destroyed their dams, races, etc., and at last their 

 machinery. Following down the river south-westerly, we pass out- 

 crops of slates, with several large untried quartz-reefs, and near an 

 out-station of Mr. Rouse's, a small fringe of basalt on the rising 

 ground bounding the flat on the south side of the river. Another 

 small basalt rise is met with on the north side of the river', which 

 has here extensive alluvial fiats on both sides. A shaft on this hill 

 passed through 25 feet of basalt, and 15 feet of sand, drift and 

 boulders. A little gold and two small diamonds were obtained, but 

 the influx of water stopped further operations. Rounding a rocky 

 point at a mile and a half, the flats go to the north side of 

 the river, while slates and sandstones abut on its south side. The 

 higher ranges to the north contain numerous untried quartz-reefs. 

 Thence the river turns north-west for half a mile, with a large flat 

 on the south side, the surface strewn with angular quartz from the 

 neighbouring hills, concealing the older river drift beneath it, which 

 has been exposed in a few holes sunk. Passing Cunningham's Farm, 

 and going south-west over country composed of shales and brown 

 fissile arenaceous sandstones, a mile brings us to the Puggoon Creek, 

 coming in from the north. Jordan's Flat now lies on the south side 

 of the river, which is here crossed by some <: bars " of a very cal- 

 careous grit. In the centre of the flat, and resting partly against 

 the flank of the range to the east, is a hill (Jordan's Hill) of the 

 older diamond drift, capped by basalt. This hill is in the form of a 

 triangle ; two sides bearing nearly north-east and north-west, and 

 the third nearly east and west facing the river. From the north- 

 west angle a spur runs south at a lower level, also facing the river. 

 The principal sinking has been along the west side of this spur, for 

 a short distance from the basalt, and between it and a high slate bar, 

 outside which are the more recent river drifts. Some shafts have 

 been sunk through the basalt ; here about 25 feet thick, and beau- 



1 In the Annual Report of the Department of Mines, New South Wales, 1876, 

 page 173, Mr. "Wilkinson, the Government Geologist, states, "The Coal-measures are 

 seen again at the junction of Eeedy Creek with the Cudgegong Eiver ; they extend 

 into the Guntawang Paddocks, and then in a narrow belt as far as Beau Desert, 

 where, in a well sunk near Mr. George Rouse's residence, the shales show markings 

 of coal." As a much older geologist than Mr. Wilkinson, and having had a longer 

 acquaintance with the district referred to, I cannot help stating that Mr. Wilkinson 

 must be in error in placing these rocks on the same horizon as the true Coal-measures, 

 for the reasons given above. 



