Over millions of years the Lachlan River has left behind a lot of river gravel as it drains westwards off the Lachlan Fold Belt.
Around Forbes these ancient river beds are now piled on top of each other to a depth of around 60 metres before bedrock is reached.
When it was discovered in late 1861, that these deep leads contained spectacular quantities of gold, the Lachlan gold rush was born and the town of Forbes sprang up overnight as a result.
With heavily laden consignments of gold being despatched east to Sydney week after week from the new town, the temptation to grab the gold lured the Frank Gardiner gang to rob the gold escort on 15 June 1862 at Escort Rock just past Eugowra.
One of the gang members that day was Ben Hall. Almost three years later, after Hall had gone on to carve his own mark in the annals of Australian bushranging, he was shot and killed some 25km north west of Forbes. Today his remains and headstone reside in the Forbes graveyard.
Below (map): Geological map of the Forbes / Parkes Goldfield 1910. Reproduced courtesy of NSW Trade & Resources, Minerals & Energy. (photo) Mine head with group of miners. Reproduced courtesy Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW. Call No ON 4 Box 3 no 18271. Digital:a2822206
Today as you follow the meandering course of the Lachlan River it’s easy to picture how the main channel of the waterway would move around in the landscape over time.
This meant that while the initial riches of the Lachlan field were won from areas now part of the broader Forbes town precinct, other ancient leads across the floodplain north towards Parkes were also discovered and worked in the run up to the 20th century. This map of the goldfield from 1910 gives a good idea of its extent.
MORE DETAIL ABOUT FORBES
THE LACHLAN GOLDFIELD
Come 1862 and the newspapers were awash with news from the astonishing new goldfields on the Lachlan and the new town of Forbes. Read all about it here!
DEATH OF BEN HALL
The final chapter in the life of Ben Hall makes for compelling reading via contemporary newspaper accounts that explore both his death and also his legacy.
FORBES TOURISM WEBSITE
The Forbes Shire Tourism page is a vital resource for information on Forbes museums, where to stay and what to do to explore Forbes’ golden heritage.
Forbes Railway Arts and Visitor Information Centre ph:02 6852 4155
Just what was it about Ben Hall that set him apart in the public mind from his brutal compatriots like Johnny Gilbert and Johnny Dunn?
Some bushrangers left in their wake a sense of excitement – the notion that an individual could take on the oppressive power of the establishment and by their daring and cunning become an icon for the frustrations of the common man. Ben Hall was definitely one of these.
Certainly his death was received with almost a reverential reception in Forbes, located as it is just across from Hall’s native country around the Weddin Mountains to the south.
By comparison, when his partner in crime – Johnny Gilbert was shot and killed at Binalong a week later, the matter of his burial was despatched in a most brisk and unemotive manner befitting the state’s most prolific robber and murderer of Police Constable Parry.
Today you can discover the Ben Hall legacy at Forbes by visiting his grave in the town cemetery, travelling to the site of his death 25km north west of the town and also exploring a range of museum displays.