The Emmaville Museum
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The Crew of Gemseek uncovered over a hundred years of history lovingly preserved at the Emmaville mining museum in a 48-hour brief encounter. Ron and his dedicated staff are very happy to give you a guided tour complete with personal history on the gems the area and its people. |
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Personal histories full of adventure, wealth, love and passion, of real people like you and I, which dared to dream of better times.
The very being of the museum started from the estate of the late John Edward Curnow better known as Jack and his wife Janet (Jean). Having a lifetime of fossicking adventures, they bequeathed their entire collection to the people of Emmaville. Both from pioneering backgrounds matched through gem seeking.
They married in 1927 and settled in Emmaville. These love struck teenagers forged an incredible heritage that lasts today for all to see. Their Emmaville was very different, to what we find today, but with a little bit of imagination you can walk back in time and feel the passion of the era in this wonderful museum.
The rush to the New England area began back in 1872 when Thomas Carlean a travelling pianoforte turner found steam tin in alluvial deposits and recognized its worth. With in one year 2,345 tons had been mined and a tin smelting works established at Tent Hill, with the population soaring to over 2,000 European’s and Chinese with in a few years. By 1875 Cobb and Co were running a three times weekly coach service from Glen Innes via Tent Hill extending the service to include Dundee, Deepwater, Tenterfield, Wilson’s Downfall and Maryland by 1877 with an estimated worth around $3400.
The establishment of facilities coursed much rivalry and buildings were frequently relocated between Tent Hill and Vegetable Creek to appease the two communities. Foleys general store established in 1895 can still be visited at the back of the museum The Laws hotel was one such shift from Tent Hill, to one mile below Emmaville then to the site of the now Club Hotel which was established as a first class hotel in1909 with superior accommodation and stabling. This wonderful old establishment with its warm hospitality is home base for the Gemseek crew when on adventure in the area and is highly recommended. You may even get to see the stables used as the tradition of the over land pub-crawl by horse back continues.
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1910 "Duddy Club Hotel" Formerly "Miners Rest Hotel" |
Vegetable Creek (a name presumably adopted because of its location on Vegetable Creek) was until 1882 a private township, meaning it was never officially proclaimed a town. With out warning or consultation on the 17th June 1882 a notice appeared in The Gazette directed by the then secretary for Lands, John (later Sir John) Robertson stating that from 24th April of that year Vegetable Creek would be known as Emmaville. In honour of Lady Augustus Loftus (whose Christian name was Emma) the wife of the then NSW Governor Lord Augustus W.F.S. Loftus. The uproar of protest came to nothing and postal services changed to reflect the name change on the 20, Sept 1882 quashing most defiance, with the exception of the hospital, which due to financial gain from wealthy board members to this day is known as The Vegetable Creek Hospital. The Hospitals other claim to fame just prior (1881) was the first hospital benefits fund established in NSW, from the need to secure a doctor at Vegetable Creek. The power of Political and financial influence appear to never change.
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Vegetable Creek Hospital 1908 |
By 1880, eleven mines were operating along 3.5 miles of the creek yielding 11,253 tons of Tin. So began the era of company growth and big business. The landscape of old workings of alluvial tin mines looking like a deserted rabbit warren, as men began to work for company’s.
Seven miles out of town, silver was discovered 1884 creating yet another boom as shares rose to a premium. However, due to the difficulty in extracting, the complex ores contained in the deposits public faith waned and shares declined rapidly. The town having been established upon an ancient riverbed had many more secrets yet to unfold.
Emmaville 1880 looked bland just a collection of galvanized iron roofs and bark huts the only substantial building being the Post Office. The opium smells would have depicted the Chinese quarter with its many Joss huts, while the iron buildings were mainly European. This multicultural community existed side by side, in the middle of no were, with festivals the only means of breaking the monotony of life. To this day, a bond of kinship can easily be found.
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Joss House Emmaville 1907 |
By 1920, Arsenic was the mineral of the day being produced by the Cooper family. Famous as manufacturers of sheep and cattle dips, they developed the Ottery mine for production of white Arsenic the chief ingredient in their products. When the depression hit mining stopped as the prices fell, but with in a couple of years the flood of unemployed to the area in search of a living slowly started to turn things around.
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Emmaville Men Approx 1908 |
There are so many facets to this town one could ramble on for ages but it is not our intention to
re- produce it all but to ignite a flame with in you to go see, go fossick, go adventuring, there are still treasures to be found, Sapphires, Emeralds, crystals and other gems the size of Kelly’s head.
Gemseek.
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