Track for ore carts at Bendigo gold mine in the Knysna Forest, part of the Garden Route National Park, South Africa.
Millwood in South Africa was the site of a short-lived gold rush in the 1880s. Millwood Mining Village was located in the foothills of the Outeniqua Mountains near Knysna and had a population of a few hundred at the height of its small-scale mining activity which lasted only five years, largely due to the difficulty of following the vein in much-folded formations. In 1876 a certain James Hooper discovered what he thought was gold-bearing gravel in a small creek off the Karatara River on the farm 'Ruigtevlei' near Rheenendal, and his suspicions were confirmed by the town chemist, William Groom. The creek was later named 'Jubilee Creek' to commemorate Queen Victoria's Jubilee. The news spread quickly, luring fortune-seekers from as far afield as the United Kingdom, California and Australia, and within weeks a village of 135 stands, hotels, boarding houses, general stores, a post office, police barracks and a hospital had been erected. A weekly mail service was started between Knysna and Millwood, and this quickly became thrice weekly. The 'Bendigo Gold Mine' was one of a number which sprang up near the village. In December 1887 the 'Oudtshoorn Company' started using a large crushing plant. A mere 656 ozs of gold were recovered in the first year of mining operations, some of the gold being in the form of large nuggets. By December 1890 virtually all the mining companies had collapsed. The mine and town remnants are now part of the Garden Route National Park, run by Sanparks.
Size: 3056px × 4576px
Location: Bendigo Mine, Millwood, Knysna Forest, South Africa.
Photo credit: © Derek Gale / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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