"Water Race"

G'day Fellow Prospectors.

Whilst prospecting looking for likely gold bearing ground via surfacings or mullok heaps etc,we're most likely to come across the occasional water race meandering on the sides of hills through gold fields,until it reaches a dam somewhere bellow the main surfacings,workings or diggings.The reason these water races were put in place by the old boys was not only to draw water for their rocker cradles and sluices,but also to draw water for major hydraulically powered sluicing operations as well.Anyway not wanting to dwell to much on the reasons as to why races were put in place,I want to say that Judging by the odd detector holes found on the banks or sides of bank walls on some of these races,Its apparent that prospectors believe there's a possibility of digging up a nugget or two on or in them.Well think again.Yes there's a chance that because races run through the actual gold fields possibly running through gold bearing wash,might produce a nugget or two,but most your finds will be junk.If one intends on following a race,study the race along its path of travel,especially when the race is running at its minimum incline angle or flattest point,observing for any signs of a low dip to one side of the races walls or banks.By this I don't mean a dip via a large unfilled detector hole scraping,but a section of race bank,which has been cut out or lowered to a level by the old timers,so as to have water drawn off to one side for the washing & processing of gold bearing wash,from a near by surfacing.Surfacing meaning a reasonably flat section of ground which has been dug down to clay or bedrock.Ive been lucky enough to encounter the occasional such surfacings in the past which produced several grams of gold. Anyway something to think about if you ever intend following a race prospecting for gold.

Cheers guys kon61.

Here in the tablelands and slopes west of the dividing range, Oberon, Bathurst, Hill End etc races were the only way for the diggers to get the gold. Without water it was impossible to shift the overburden and get to the gold on terraces 30-50 metres above the current rivers. On the steeply sloping creeks i love following races. They often lead to high terraces that have been surfaced to bedrock and its rare that some gold is not left behind for you to detect. I have a good spot where one race was built complete with over a 200 metres of clay lined aqueducts over some steep side gullies and steep slopes to get to a terrace. The diggers then found a higher terrace up the hill further and biult another race that starts 20 metres above the original one and slowly over a kilometre gets the 30 metres further up the hill to get to the higher terrace. So much effort was put in.

I don't bother detecting in races, but rush to the end of them. When you are in very remote steep terrain following gullies and find a race its exciting because you know there is going to be a place at the end where there was good gold at the end of it and the diggers have probably removed the loam off the top leaving you plenty of shallow ground close to bedrock to detect.

Tributer

Hi some of these may be constanes put in to find where gold vein comes out of hill diggers would pan them after rain I could never work out why they never led anywhere

marc wrote:Hi some of these may be constanes put in to find where gold vein comes out of hill diggers would pan them after rain I could never work out why they never led anywhere

Gday Marc,
Costeins are very different creatures to races.
You can be certain that where teams were employed to cut races,they led to extremely rich `dry diggings`. In the Turon district of NSW there are some long races. These were cut during times of drought,when the river was very low. Sometimes the diggings may have been on storm creeks,and only ran when there was a decent downpour or `Gully raker`as they were called.Or maybe it was uneconomic for the diggers to cart the paydirt to the available water,so they brang the water to the horse,so to speak.

Some months back, I crossed a water race on the way back to my car and as I did, a good signal made its presence heard. No gold but a really nicely preserved, 1826 George IV silver shilling lay buried deep in the downhill side wall of the race.

Were dry blowers ever used on the East side?

Hi Nightjar
Dryblowers were deffinatley used in the East, I have seen some dry blow piles up here.
Lee

No dryblowers used in the south east tablelands and slopes in NSW Nightjar. Although a couple spots have the right dirt consistency that would allow them to work. Out west Tibooburra, Milparinka way yes.

I think the the efficiencies of using water to clear alot of ground naturally led to many diggers in the slopes and tablelands of NSW to band together to make races, dams and to divert streams. Wonder how many dramas there were in dividing the gold and deciding where and how to get the water to the gold or where to divert the rivers or make dams.

Tributer