Strike It Rich at Hill End

14 March 2021 / Stories by Brian Clayton and Bob Downing; Photos by Anda Clayton, Bob Downing, Giulia Schiemer, Brian Clayton

Strike it Rich in Hill End

10 – 12 March, 2021

Run Leaders: Giulia And James Schiemer

With a forecast for three days of rain and a walking tour planned, things did not look all that bright on the eve of our three-day sojourn to gold country.

Sure enough, Wednesday morning was cloudy with showers as we headed for the starting point at Batemans Bay. Undeterred we kept the top open and minor showers blew over the top. In Batemans Bay Giulia and Jim were waiting and we were shortly joined by Bill and Jan (and Goldilocks) and Michael from Bermagui. We headed towards Browns Mountain up the Kings Highway and before long we were enveloped in cloud and light rain, which persisted until we reached the top. Once on the other side of the mountains the weather changed to sunny with light cloud …. How long would this last. Morning coffee at Sutton, delicious as usual. Try some cinnamon bread sticks. Love to!

Then it was on our way to Binda via Crookwell where we were to meet two more cars, Geoff and Rose and Bob and Linda. The roads were relatively free of traffic and allowed us to the stretch the legs of our sturdy little steeds. All too soon we were in Binda after an exhilarating run. Barely arrived, our four friends drove up to meet us. It takes two minutes to walk the length of Binda, not much retail therapy to have here. Oh well, on to lunch.

Our next leg took us through Tuena to Bathurst where the Family Hotel was to provide our lunch. A great run spoiled by an ignoramus in a Mercedes who could only do about 50Kph in the bends but 120Kph on the straights. Full marks to the considerate driver of the four-wheel drive who took a ten second delay in his trip to allow the club convoy to pass. Fortunately, we turned off and the exhilarating driving continued.

At our lunch stop one member of the party managed to take a nose dive over a cleverly disguised step. Poor attempt at showing off and nobody was amused, but the pulled pork burger made the lunch stop both welcome and worthwhile.

The afternoon saw another fabulous run through the hills and dales of the country between Bathurst and Hill End, reaching our destination in late afternoon. Time to settle in, have a short rest and join the gang for “fivesies” in the motel lounge. As we sat down for dinner the sky opened up to a spectacular thunderstorm and the consensus was that umbrellas would be required for our walking tour the next day.  Dinner and a glass or two of red put any thoughts of a late night well out of everyone’s minds and it was early to bed after a long day in the saddle.

The motel is home to a menagerie of ducks and chooks, including a rooster whose idea of a good time was to start crowing at 3 am outside the doors of the most recent check-ins. Where is that axe!!!

We awoke the next morning to bright sunshine and so, after breakfast, it was off to the village for a guided tour. Our tour guide, Johb, is the son of well-known local historian Malcolm Drinkwater, and he regaled us with Henry Lawson’s poetry and stories of the early gold rush days. He was able to point out the remnants of the old village and tell stories of days gone by. Further along, we visited the cemetery where more Henry Lawson and bad luck stories of miners killed in accidents and the evidence of high child mortality rates in a town with no medical facilities and many traps for the unwary.

After morning tea in Hill End, it was off to Sofala for lunch and an independent walking tour of the village. On the way home we had the first signs of impending storms and they struck with a vengeance that night.

We all considered ourselves very lucky to have had a window of fine weather for our trip and our tour.

The trip home, however, was a journey through some torrential rain, at times requiring very slow and measured progress. We all arrived in good order for our final stop at Grand Ettie in Taralga and enjoyed a wonderful lunch. The parting of the ways was to occur at Bathurst, a short drive away, so we made our farewells and continued our journeys home.

Thank you, Giulia and James, for a wonderful adventure.

We have a small selection of the 200 odd photos submitted by the participants.

.... And another perspective of our adventure ...

From North, South and East, the 11 prospectors assembled at Binda, a dot on the map between Crookwell and Bathurst. The first order of the day was nourishment at Bathurst, to sustain our journey into the gold laden hills. During lunch a golden disc appeared in the sky, we took this as a good omen, removed our roofs and ventured west into the hills. Arriving at our quirky accommodation some members settled for a rest followed by a thirst quenching ale. Others ventured into the historic town and further afield along dusty tracks to Merlins lookout from where the old mine workings could be seen on the other side of the valley. As the golden disc descended into the west the venturers returned to their lodge and prepared for dinner. During the course of our meal a lightning show erupted and a deluge of rain ensued, not good omens for our searches the following day.

Our slumbers were shattered about 3am when the friendly local rooster decided that it was time to start the early morning wake up call outside our doors, it was quickly silenced, until, about 5am when the call was repeated. Lo and behold despite the dire meteorological warnings the golden disc reappeared in the sky before breakfast.

The services of an experienced local guide, Johb, were obtained to show us around the town and the nearby cemetery. During this walk we were entertained with many stories, history of the people of the era and some well delivered poetry by Henry Lawson on the local area. The 'boom' was relatively short lived, not surprising with up to 30,000 miners taking their chances. The discovery of gold these days is more 'luck' than 'likely'. However, our good luck talisman, the golden disc remained high in the sky. As it was nearing lunch time we ventured to the nearby township of Sofala for refreshment and nourishment. The chances of finding gold in this area were nil so an hour or so was spent taking in the ambience of the time in our rambles around the township. As we returned to the lodge for a rest prior to dinner at the local hostelry the golden disc disappeared from the sky and again was replaced by a lightning show with thunderous rumbles around the hills and again deluges of rain. After dinner at the local pub, it was back to the lodge in the incessant rainfall.

The deluge from the sky continued for most of the night and discouraged the local rooster from waking our group in the same manner. It was a soggy and somewhat bedraggled lot of prospectors who gathered for breakfast and the journey eastwards, the golden disc had disappeared from the sky and would not reappear that day.

Our homeward journey was in torrential rain almost all of the way, a brief respite occurred whist lunch was taken in Taralga where everyone agreed that the journey, whilst not throwing up any gold, was a golden experience. Great drives, in all weathers, great company and accommodation and meal venues made for a terrific few days away. Thanks to Giulia and James for organising this thoroughly enjoyable trip.

 Linda & Bob Downing