History Notes - Upper Bingara mining area
History Notes
The markets on Saturday were a success although we could have handled a couple more stalls. The jams and preserves were back, and I hope there were enough sales, honey was popular, and a few plants found new homes as well as some books. The calendars and socks attracted some interest and readers will be happy to know that both are still on the market.
We have a meeting coming up on Tuesday and there is sure to be more discussion on the socks and calendars. The annual meeting is also coming up in October and will be close to the next market day.
Time is rather short this week, but I notice that the Tamworth history page in the Leader last week mentioned the new Upper Bingara township/mining area book which was written by a schoolteacher from the area.
The mining in this area commenced in the 1850’s and several of the miners moved from there to Woods Reef in the search of a big find. The reference I have at present is just what was written forty years ago so I am sure there will be much more in the new book.
George Hammond was managing a property in the area of Top Bingara when the gold was first found and he and his brother-in-law, Joshua Rose, soon found that there was more money in running a public house (hotel) and a butcher shop in the village which was growing at a great rate.
As news of the gold being found at Upper Bingara spread, stockmen, shepherds and local farmers all flocked to the area leaving the surrounding stations very short of labour. However, after the gold fever had settled down, the population worked for the surrounding squatters again and there are records of station wives selling food to the miners and some of the miners working on stations to earn a living and looking for gold in their spare time – others searched for gold and worked on nearby stations when they needed money!
The town sprang up around the diggings and a Post Office was opened in January 1855 – it was first known as the Bingara Post Office but changed its name to Upper Bingara Post Office in 1862. There was a mail contractor, Mr John Gill, of ‘Moonby’, who delivered mail by horseback each week in 1861. He later conducted the mail run from Tamworth to Warialda by coach and I suspect the mail was delivered to Upper Bingara by horseback from Oakey Creek or Dinoga in those days.
The new book is available from the Bingara Historical Society and of course the road goes up to Top Bingara from Oakey Creek and comes down on the norther end of Dinoga – a nice Sunday drive.