 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
|
|
Buller
Gorge Goldmining History |
||
|
||
People
and Lifestyle |
||
|
||
Serving a scattered popluation of miners, the White Creek settlement never grew to the size of Lyell or Hampten (now Murchison). While they were important supply centres with many shops and hotels, White Creek had tents and shanties, plus one of the small post offices situated at intervals along the main road. There were miners of many nationalities, including Chinese such as Lai Lum who worked a claim a short distance downstream from the Buller Gorge Swingbridge Adventure and Heritage Park. numbers of women and children increased later in the 19th century. |
||
|
||
Biddy
of the Buller |
||
|
||
One
of the gorge's most famous characters, Biddy lived in the hope that one
day she would find the 'mother lode' or at least a sizeable chunk from
it! |
||
|
||
 |
||
|
||
Towards
Permanence |
||
|
||
A
transition from mining to farming that occured on other fields was
limited by a shortage of flat land in the gorge. Some who did till the
land still needed to supplement their income by working gold claims - including
on the peninsula where water was piped across the bridge where unworked
ground remained. |
||
|
||
