BANFILL'S CREEK RUSH.

West Coast Times, Issue 623, 23 September 1867, Page 4

BANFILL'S CREEK RUSH.

For some time past rumors have been current here of gold having been found far up the Totara, and many men have been induced to seek the new ground, the reports from which were very contradictory. The locality to which we have given the prospector's name, is a creek flowing from the north into the Totara, next above the Forks of that river. At present about eighty men are on the ground — but as yet nothing has been found to justify even the small rush which has taken place. Most of the men have set-in in the creek bed, but some are trying the terraces ; the prospectors are working the creek, and are very shy of giving any information : they have been several weeks in that neighborhood, and neai'ly all their old neighbors have set in around them. They none of them admit that they are making more than small wages. The gold is of very various quality, the sample we saw was chiefly very much water worn, and from fine particles up to 1 dwt pieces, there was also some rough gold • with quartz intermixed. The valley has a level basin about three miles long, and less than a mile wide, covered with scrub. The washdirt varies so far as proved, from two to six feet in thickness, and rests in some places in hard sandstone, else where on pipeclay, and again on a slaty reef. Many parties are going and others returning — the latter admit that gold can be got almost throughout the creek and valley — but the prospects were not rich enough to induce them to undertake the labor of carrying their provisions over the difficult track, but if provisions could be brought on the ground they would stay.

Beyond the junction of this creek with the Totara the river appears to have a straight course for about ten miles, with creeks flowing into it on each side, and from the fact that all the creeks up to this point have been worked and found payable, we believe that a large extent of diggings will be opened, but this will depend much on the means of getting provisions At present they are packed over an abominable and'dangerous track to the Forks, and considering the labor, are sold at very low rates : — Flour, 21s per 501 b; meat, Is 4d per lb. We hear that a storekeeper has offered to cut a track into Banfill's Creek from the Totara •tore within a month from date of

getting protection, which we hope will be promptly granted him. The distance of the new diggings from the junction of Donnelly's is about fourteen miles ; the foot of the track is up tho river bed four miles to the store, then through the bush on the north side, about two miles ; here the sides of the river are very precipitous, and the bed has to be traversed to a creek called Mat's. From this point the track leads over a range to the Forks, where some surveyors az-e at work, and a party ground sluicing, for which purpose they have flumed water from the left-hand fork over the right-hand one at an elevation of 40 feet. They have not fully tested their ground, but the yield so far is payable. The surveyors are cutting timber for the construction of a depot for stores ; this being the limit to which pack horses have been brought, but by a different track to that described. The course now lays under the flume and up the creek about two miles, then up the range on the right to the crest, where a blazed track leads on to the diggings.

The Totara diggings were some of the first discovered on the coast, some of the creeks having been opened in November, 1864. How the river got its name it is not easy to say, as very little totara is to be seen, the river is very level for such a high country, the creeks on each side are numerous, and from Donnelly's upwards to Banfill's have all been proved auriferous. At present the following are being worked Camerons, M'Kenzie's, Hatter's, Fox's Havey's. The pack track leads for the last named, along the south side of the river to the Forks, it is in a wretched plight, and but a few days since one of the pack horses was so far buried that it took four men a long time to get him out. A line has been cut somewhere in the neighborhood by the Government, but like all the tracks cut in this neighborhood, it is quite useless. A wagon track could be made to the Totara store for a very small sum as the river bed would serve most of the way. There is no doubt a very large area of ground that will pay wages, and would be worked if stores could be delivered at moderate cost.