THE KIMBERLEY GOLDFIELD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1518, 12 June 1886, Page 4

THE KIMBERLEY GOLDFIELD.

Dr, Hedley, of Hamilton, near, Newcastle. has received intelligence’ Worn his brother at Kimberley that ho has struck a rich patch of gold, which has yielded 500 oz. Mr Robert Purvis, who lately returned from the Kimberley Goldfields, sendsthe following interesting letter to the Dubbo Despatch “As I have just come back from the Kimberley District, Western Australia, after nine months’ prospecting and exploring, 1 am able to give full information about it. We made up a paity at Port Darwin, and came over to (Jambridge Gulf. After waiting six weeks for the horses, we started—six of ua and twenty-two horses—up the Ord river, which we followed for about 200 miles through . well-watered and splendid pastoral grass growing to the height of sft and 6fi, and of a good fattening quality. Eor fifty miles or more, as far as the tide goes op, the Ord io infested with alligators, but beyond the tidal influence 1 the river is full of crocodiles. The blacks in this part of the country are cannibals, us they eat their own children, aud no doubt they would treat the white man the same, but they are too wild to attack, as they run like deer at the sight of him, but when they become half-civilised they will be troublesome no doubt. They are the fiercest race of blacks I have seen, in appearance. Most of them are 6ft high, with fine limbs and broad chests. We used to round them up ov horseback like a mob of cattle, but never illnsed them. We used to fire our rifles off at trees, which had the effect of frightening them in case they should feel inclined to attack ns. After leaving the Ord we struck up the Pauton river, and from that on to the Elvite. After six months’ travelling we came to this pait, which is the gold region : and I believe will be the future El Dorado of Australia. The party divided here, three of ns going south twenty miles, wbeie we got nearly lOOoz in three weeks, being compelled then to leave for the want of rations. In returning to Deiby from here, about forty miles, we got about lloz in a few days, but had to leave or starve. There never was a white man in this place before. The party we separated from got gold, and that was sixty miles north from where we get ours last. The intervening country is not half prospected. The gold if a beautiful sample, haying got £4 per ounce for it. We found a great many quartz specimens thickly impregnated with gold, in f»ct one half gold and the other half quartz, awd I believe it will turn dit to be a grand reefing country, as the country is full of reefs and leaders of good looking stone, but I had no time to prospect them. It is no use men going till tha wet season sets in, which was January with us, and lasts three months the rest of the year being dry and no water for gold washing, but sufheient for domestic me by carrying it three miles. It is also no use men going unless they are provided with provisions to last them through the wet season. They will require plenty of pack horses. They are dear at Derby, being £2O and £3O each. The distance'is about 4UO miles. On our way down we were compelled to live on boiled grass and grubs, and thought ourselves lucky it we couid catcli a snake or an iguana, wo being away from more desirable game, on account of haying to travel on the high ground, it being the wet season and the lower ground being flooded. After a great deal of trouble and privation we reached Derby, a good deal the worse t for having no boots and very little other olothes. The climate agreed wilii me, but npt so well with the others, owing to the hard faro no doubt. I am going back with another company at once.” he Melbourne Argus on Wednellay morning published .a telegram from its Weft Australian correspondent announcing that at present seventy men are employed at Kimberley, all surface working, and they have all obtained mose or less go|d.