The Trail of the Tin Dragon is the story of tin mining in the North East.
It is also the story of the transient nature of human endeavour,
and what that means for the generations that have followed.
After the discovery of tin in the late 1800s by Renison Bell, the North-East
became the site of a huge amount of frenetic activity. At the time tin
was a very valuable commodity, highly prized for its non-corrosive properties
and its usefulness in manufactured ‘tins’ for the preservation
of food. Literally hundreds of mines were established, ranging in size
from the large workings at places like Derby and Anchor Mine, to the many
smaller, transient mine sites that were worked by small groups of men
or single operators.
The discovery of tin attracted thousands of fortune seekers from all
over the colonies and many from overseas. Around nine hundred came from
China, and archeologists have identified nearly 40 sites throughout the
north east where remains of Chinese mines can be found.
The Trail explores the story of mining
at places like Derby, where the workings were so intense that they physically
changed the landscape. The valley the township now stands in was largely
created by the ‘hosing down’ of the hillside to release the
alluvial tin deposits. In the process, the course of the Ringarooma River
was changed. The mine created great
wealth for its owners, until the 1929 flood burst the Cascade dam above
the town,
and
washed away
the
mine
workings,
the low-lying parts of the township and a number of its inhabitants.
The Trail will also explore the Chinese influences, and our changing attitudes.
Although the remains of the many Chinese mine workings has been largely
lost, evidence of their presence can still be found, especially in Branxholm,
Moorina, and Weldborough.
Branxholm is famous for a confrontation that occurred in the late 1800s
on the bridge between groups of European and Chinese miners over pay conditions.
Moorina is where the most intact remaining example of one of several ‘ceremonial-ovens’ can
be found. Weldborough is the site of another ‘ceremonial-oven’,
and also where the original Joss House stood.
Although the mines have gone, they opened up the land to the next wave
of settlers. The rich agricultural areas around Scottsdale were cleared,
a railway was put through from Launceston, and the North-East as we know
it today was established.
1. Remains of a Chinese mine
near Mt Cameron
2. Derby and the Briseis Mine c. 1915
3. The water wheel at the Anchor Mine
4. Track laying the Scottsdale-Branxholm Railway c. 1910
