Blackwood Police Stables

There are two accounts of the gold first found in Blackwood. The first was by teamsters, Harry Athorn and Harry Hider, who were searching for a group of bullocks that strayed into the bush. They found gold clearly visible in the stream in what is now known as Jacksons Gully (Golden Point) in November 1854. Then on 4 January 1855, Edward (Ted) Hill and his friend Isaac Povey reported finding gold, sparking the first real rush to Blackwood. Isaac Povey died soon after and was buried in a lonely grave on his claim – Blackwood was yet to build a cemetery. Ted Hill pursued the recognition of the discovery of the goldfield and, in September 1863, the Victorian Government rewarded him with 300 pounds for his pioneering efforts.

By April 1855, at least 2,000 miners were digging for gold around Blackwood. In June, this grew to 10,000 diggers and by September a crowd of over 13,000 were digging for gold. A reporter for The Argus wrote that at Simmons Reef, one of the four primary areas of the Blackwood goldfield, gold “was seen lying on top of the reef just as openly as you would see gold watches, trinkets etc. in a jeweller’s shop.”

The search goes underground

The first wave of diggers swept hastily through Blackwood. Once the easy gold had been collected, they moved on to new finds to the west and north. The remaining gold seekers soon turned from alluvial diggings to excavating shafts, so they could mine reefs of gold-bearing quartz rock. The Argus reported that by 1859 the miners were “anxiously” waiting for a crusher to arrive, so they could break up the quartz rock and extract gold.

At any point in Blackwood during this time, you were assailed by the sound of the stamping machines. One stamper can be seen in Martin Street, in the park opposite the Blackwood Hotel. This machine was used at two mines in Blackwood: the Rip Van Winkle and later the Easter Monday mine. It was recovered and erected by Herb and Ken Cann in the 1970s.

The Simmons Reef mining area was the initial focus of Blackwood’s quartz reef boom. You can glimpse its scale by heading down Simmons Reef Road and parking at the Jack Cann reserve. This great reef had many hundreds of miners working it and the gully is completely dug out as the reef ran for several hundred metres near the surface. This ‘open-cut’ still contains visible gold workings and filled-in shafts; although it’s not recommended to stray off-track.

By 1860, C. R. Longbottom, the local Mining Surveyor, reported 760 alluvial miners at work in Blackwood alongside 100 quartz miners. By then the diggers were running out of water, due to Blackwood having a run of very dry summers, and they had to stop sluicing work. Quartz mining also slowed, and the Surveyor reported that “Simmons Reef is very dull at present, presenting a striking contrast to the noise lately occasioned by the crushing machines.”

By this time, a significant number of Chinese miners had arrived and they continued with alluvial diggings in the creek beds, a job considered too hard and not rewarding enough by most European miners. While the Blackwood goldfields were very multicultural, they reported one of the lowest records of crime of the Victorian goldfields.

In time, miners pushed further north to Barrys Reef where significant reefs were discovered. These included the Sultan, Grace Edgerton and Annie Laurie. The richest of them all, the Sultan, had recorded gold takings of 65,801 ounces by the time it closed. At the mid 2025 gold price, this represents a value of over $330 million. Many more mines in Barrys Reef kept the mining population employed such as Tyrconnel, Sultana, New Sultan and Pioneer. Some were successful, many went bust, sometimes ruining their investors.

Blackwood and Barrys Reef had multiple schools and a thriving community up until the closure of the Sultan mine in 1880. By this time, the population had dwindled to mere hundreds of people, although many smaller mining parties were still operating independently. While mining continued as late as 2024, the town has largely become a holiday town since the turn of the 20^th century.

The new nuggets

Since 2020, Blackwood has seen an increase in population, mostly with the influx of young families. They are discovering the many jewels Blackwood still has to offer – historic buildings, wild nature and a sense of isolation and adventure:

Blackwood still retains many of its original buildings, some of which you will have passed during this walk. Particularly significant is the Martin Street streetscape, including the Blackwood Hotel, which has been continually licensed since 1868, the Post Office and the National Bank. These and other buildings have stood the test of time and have been kept in good condition.

For other people, nature is golden; from the top end of Martin Street the impressive ridges of Foster’s lookout and Big Hill beckon to the west and the volcanic dome of Blue Mountain to the north. The miners and sawmillers left hundreds of tracks to explore on foot or by bike. For yet others, the nuggets are here in the archives of the historical society: family history, social history, historic photos.  

The influx of young families has created a resurgence of Blackwood as a premier tourist destination with walking trails, camping grounds, awe inspiring views, but above all a vibrant community.

The Blackwood Town interpretation signs were financed by the Blackwood Progress Association Inc.