In the mid 1890s, West Wyalong became the last of the great NSW goldrushes – the final time time a major new goldfield would be opened and draw in the crowds of miners and merchants alike.

Born in the depths of the 1890s depression that devastated eastern Australia, the field provided a desparately needed stimulus for the broader regional economy, and left behind a legacy of fine Federation architecture as remains in West Wyalong today.

From the very outset, West Wyalong was a reef mining centre and this always promised a longevity for its gold operations that alluvial mining towns like Temora to the south could only have wished for. It also meant that significant infrastructure was developed and today traces of these operations survive across the landscape.

This makes a visit to the West Wyalong goldfields a very special event, as it provides a hands on oportunity to explore how gold mining had evolved and adapted over the previous 45 years leading back to the first goldfield being opened up at Ophir in 1851. It also provides a window into the way mining operations adopted new technologies as they expanded into the 20th century.

Below: Wyalong Goldfield, Geolgical Map. Reproduced courtesy of NSW Trade & Resources, Minerals & Energy. Inset:Neelds Gold Mine.