The Holtermann collection: the greatest wonder of the world

In mid 1873, Beaufoy Merlin returned to Sydney to continue photographing the city for Holtermann. The Sydney Morning Herald 2 August 1873 noted, "Mr. Beaufoy Merlin has taken a considerable number of photographic views of Sydney for the first section of 'Holtermann's Intercolonial Exposition.'" This image from Dawes Battery, past Campbell's Wharf to Circular Quay can be dated to early September 1873, as the Haddon Hall (r) from London, is loading for San Francisco at Campbell's wharf. Behind it is Aviemore and the ship in background in front of Customs House is La Hogue. Both Aviemore and La Hogue left for London on 13 September 1873.

The outlook from the tower of Holtermann's mansion on 8 acres [2.5 hectares] at St Leonards was spectacular. This view across Lavender Bay, Sydney is one section of a 5 foot [1.5 metre] panorama taken by Charles Bayliss with Holtermann's help in 1875. It was a small part of an extensive collection of photographic views of the scenery and public buildings of New South Wales and Victoria, which Holtermann commissioned from Beaufoy Merlin and later, Charles Bayliss. According to the Argus 27 October 1875 they were taken "with the idea of one day making a tour of Europe, and exhibiting a grand panorama of the Australian colonies, - especially New South Wales - as a field for emigration."

This panorama of Hawkins Hill was taken by Beaufoy Merlin, who erected his camera in a tree more than a kilometre away across a gully nearly 300 metres deep. In the centre of the image is Krohmann's mine, with the twin buildings and two storied structure of Beyers and Holtermann's immediately to the left of it. These two mines contributed to the 12.4 tonnes of gold extracted from Hawkins Hill, but such are the vagaries of goldmining, that Rapp's, on the extreme right, returned little to its investors, despite digging to a depth of over 380 feet [115 metres].

Bernhardt Holtermann (second from left) Richard Ormsby Kerr (centre) and Louis Beyers (fourth from left) posed with 3,663 ozs [114 kg] of gold specimens from their claim. The specimens were described in the Sydney Morning Herald 28 September 1872 ; "To say they were good would be to say but little - they were almost without rival - magnificent - the talk of this town, where specimens are not unknown." Holtermann took the best to the Sydney Mint for smelting, "as being clotted with gold it would be almost impossible to crush it in the ordinary way."

Pullen and Rawsthorne's new battery, seen here surrounded by cords of timber to power its steam engine and a pond to supply water to its machinery. The most modern in Hill End, it operated fifteen heads of stampers, each weighing 4½ cwt [229 kg], specially built by engineers P. N. Russell in Sydney. It had a fifteen horsepower engine noisily driving the stampers at seventy blows per minute. The new battery commenced operation in February 1872 and by the end of the year, 1943 tons of stone had been crushed, yielding 15,333 ozs [477 kg] of gold. The remnants of Pullen's old battery can be seen in the foreground.

Architect and surveyor Charles Mayes' unusual portable building was situated at the corner of Denison and Tambaroora Streets, Hill End. Before this, he practiced as an architect, surveyor and civil engineer in Melbourne and Sydney and from 1862 had published six editions of The Australian Builders' Price-Book. Mayes didn't stay long in Hill End and in 1873 he was employed as an engineer on the Orange Extension Railway. Mayes later designed three Sydney public schools (Darlinghurst, Forest Lodge and Double Bay) during a boom time of government school construction, following the introduction of the Public Institution Act in 1880.

Ludwig Hugo (Louis) Beyers, his wife Mary and daughters Sylvia and Gertrude were photographed in their backyard. Although earlier images show the family at the front of the neat stone house, which faced Clarke Street, Hill End, Beyers had the photographer record its backyard as well. Beyers was a mining partner of Holtermann for many years, and in 1868, they married sisters Mary and Harriet Emmett in a double ceremony at Bathurst. Beyers was a modest man, who despite achieving (and losing) great wealth, retained his simple tastes. In 1876 he became the mayor of Hill End and was elected a member of NSW Legislative Assembly 1877-1882 .

With his distinctive shock of hair, Mark Hammond stands with his wife Mary and daughter Minnie outside their neat four room cottage in Hill End. Tragically, young Minnie died soon after this photograph was taken, from abdominal tuberculosis, caused by drinking infected milk. Hammond had bought into the Star of Hope mine in 1871 and was responsible for finding the major seam. In the Sydney Morning Herald 21 September 1871, he gave a detailed description of gold veins in the mine. At that time, he was a shareholder with Louis Beyers, Bernhardt Holtermann, Moses Bell, Richard Kerr and two others. Having made a small fortune, Mark Hammond left Hill End for Sydney in June 1873.

The Gulgong Guardian 20 November 1872 noted that Charles Bird had received a new disinfectant "which will be invaluable during the summer months to all who are unfortunate enough to live in those parts of town where stenches are pungent and plentiful."

These are detectives Charles Powell and Robert Hannan, outside their Gulgong office. They had plenty to do. In a letter to the editor of the Maitland Mercury 16 May 1872, William Collins stated "The people (except the bankers and storekeepers), are in general a rough and ready set, occasionally a fight is to be seen, but the very diligent police speedily settle such hostile engagements, by marching the pugilists to a place called the town cage, from which place they are brought in the morning before the magistrate, who has often heard of mercy, but does not know what it means…" Powell and Hannan arrested 14 Chinese for gambling in January 1872 and the Empire 20 January 1872 noted "In all these cases the lawyers reap a rich harvest, and it was somewhat amusing to witness their actively and interest within ten minutes of the time of arrest."

The establishment of William Thomas Lewis, Undertaker and Carpenter at the corner of Belmore and Herbert Streets was primitive, but his funerals were said to be carried out 'with his usual taste and completeness'. In 1871, Gulgong lacked a suitable place for burials and the Gulgong Guardian commented several times on the growing outcry for a cemetery. The locals had a valid complaint, particularly because of the considerable mortality rate among the young. In April 1871 alone, nine children died in a fortnight. Even Thomas De Courcy Brown, editor of the Guardian, lost his daughter Rose, age 7 months, in December that year. In January 1872, there were 37 deaths in Gulgong, (including 21 children under 5 years) and 17 births. The newspaper complained that the new cemetery was still unfenced.

J.H. Osborne, painter & signwriter of Gulgong also supplied decorative wallpaper. It seems he painted faux marble headstones as well. Osborne's bark clad establishment was located at 2 Medley Street, at the sparsely populated northern end of town, which explains the prominent display of his sign writing skill. The Empire 28 May 1872 commented on the temporary nature of buildings in Gulgong. "The shops and public-houses are, for the most part, of a very temporary and unsubstantial character, considered as buildings. A large proportion of them are capable of being removed, piecemeal, and set up again on a new diggings in the event of Gulgong declining in prosperity, and a rush taking place to another field within a day or two's journey."

Louisa Lawson, (mother of Henry Lawson), her son Charles William (born 25 June 1869) and her sister Phoebe Albury, (dressmaker), stand outside Mrs. Albury's dressmaking shop in the Gulgong area. Henry Lawson lived at Gulgong as a young boy and some of his stories are set in Gulgong, although the references are less than flattering. In 'Water Them Geraniums' post-goldrush Gulgong is described as 'a wretched remnant of a town on an abandoned goldfield'. In 'Brighten's Sister-in-Law' it is 'dreary and dismal enough'. On the other hand, his 1889 poem 'Roaring Days ' is a nostalgic ode to the gold rush days. The same year Louisa launched the campaign for female suffrage and announced the formation of the Dawn Club.

Sam Hand's boarding house was next to a butcher's shop in Home Rule. According to the Gulgong Guardian 13 July 1872,"The irrepressible Chinese have taken the lead in providing restaurants, and are well patronised especially on Sunday, when the patrons have to wait their turn outside." The Gulgong Argus, quoted in the Queanbeyan Age 4 January 1872, told the story of one Chinese boarding house owner being overrun by miners when he advertised roast beef, pork, turkey and goose for Christmas. He needed 10 extra cooks to cater for the 200 who turned up.