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Proclamation of the Town of SofalaPrint Page 
The monument commemorates the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the town of Sofala.
Sofala came into existence as a direct result of the goldrush which had been precipitated when Edward Hargraves discovered gold at Summerhill Creek on 12 February, 1851. By June that year a tent city spread across the valley and both the Royal Hotel and a General Store were built in 1851. By 25 June more than 200 ounces of gold taken from the Turon Valley had been sold in Bathurst.
Location
| Address: | Denison Street, Sofala, 2795 |
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| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -33.080728 Long: 149.688803 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
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| Monument Theme: | Landscape |
| Sub-Theme: | Settlement |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 14-August-1851 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 14-August-2001 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Tuesday 14th August, 2001 |
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14th August 1851 Sofala 14th August 2001
This monument was erected to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the town.
The items displayed are the thimble gear, buckets and chain that were once part of the Turon River gold dredging company`s dredge. Operations commenced in mid June 1899. Plant consisted of a floating pontoon carrying 20-hp boilers and a 16-hp engine, steam winches and a small donkey engine. For most of the time two dredges were used, recovering 29,319 ounces of gold, averaging 2.5 grains per cubic yard. The dredges worked until 1914 when they were dismantled near this site.
This project was sponsored by :
[ Names ]
Design & construction by R. A. Wigglesworth, F.A.I.H.A.
