Day 11 – Trial Harbour mine sites    

 We started the day late, sleeping in until 9:30 and not getting on the road until 11:00.  But it was good to sleep.  We spent the day driving around the area along 4WD tracks leading to old mining sites.   

The first site, cliff mine, wasn’t really much more than a cliff.  There was an old shallow mine shaft overgrown with shrubs, and a good view of the waves crashing on rocks below.  Pulpit rock could be seen in the distance, a large rock that looks like it’s standing up on its end overlooking the ocean.

 At Cornwall mine there was a short steep, and very overgrown walking track down to a small creek.  Across the creek was a tunnel that strangely went through the side of a hill.  There were also a few smaller tunnels leading into the darkness of the hillside and didn’t come out.  At the opposite end of the large tunnel an open chute ran down the steep hill to the beach below.  It was covered over with vegetation that leaned in from the edges, but could be negotiated to down to the bottom.  I climbed about 100 metres down to the bottom towards the ocean to find some waterwheel foundations that were on the map but I couldn’t find them.  At the same time Jo climbed up the hill a bit further to watch me go down the chute, but it was too overgrown to see from above.

 The third site was up an overgrown track with foliage scraping past like a carwash.  At the end were the remains of the old Federation mine processing site from the early 1900’s and late 1800’s cut into the side of a hill.  I think they were mining tin, silver, lead or zinc, I’m not sure which but it’s got to be one of those!  It’s amazing to think people once worked out there, so isolated, complete with little train lines for carrying ore and everything set up, and now it’s a hidden away wreck that would rarely be found unless you knew where to find it. 

The fourth side trip was up towards Lake Cumberland.  This track had obviously not been maintained for many years, and water running down had caused large washouts and erosion in the sandy base.  We climbed up the challenging hill as far as we could, but it proved to be too eroded to continue, so we went back.  We did manage to find the grave site of a bloke who died in 1881 while boiling his dynamite in a billy.  Back then dynamite was unstable when cold so couldn’t be handled unless it was warm, unfortunately for him his blew up as he heated it. 

 The day was getting towards it tail end, and we were a bit tired of bumping over rocks and gullies, so we headed for Rosebery.  We got ourselves a little cabin in the Caravan Park, nice surroundings, but average cabin.  The park is next to a train line and mine processing site.  Whenever the mining train goes past the whole valley echoes with the sound of steel on steel wailing,, and the roaring diesel engine vibrating along the track.  It’s a bit eerie.  We splashed out with pizza for dinner, and continued to curse our itchy bites and those horrible itchy bugs.  Tomorrow we go to Montezuma falls.

 4WD GPS Landcruiser explore