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Gold Discovery MonumentPrint Page 
The cairn marks the discovery of gold at Mafeking and the site of the township. It was erected in the centenary year of the Shire of Ararat. A plaque was unveiled on the memorial in 2000 to commemorate the centenary of the discovery of gold at Mafeking.
Mafeking was the site of the last major gold rush in Victoria to new auriferous ground, which began in June 1900 after being discovered by P. E. and F. H. Emmett.
Prospecting for alluvial gold occurred along nearly every creek and gully to the north, south and east of the township of Mafeking. The field contains well-preserved evidence of shallow alluvial sinkings and hydraulic sluicing, but the features are very overgrown.
At its peak the township supported seven policemen and a newspaper, but the rush was short-lived and by 1903 many people had left the area. The township was destroyed by fire in 1939, and a memorial marks the township site today
Location
| Address: | Emmett Road & Jimmys Creek Road, 8km from turnoff at Grampians Road, Mafeking, 3379 |
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| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -37.380445 Long: 142.547598 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
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| Monument Theme: | Technology |
| Sub-Theme: | Industry |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Wednesday 25th March, 1964 |
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Plaque :
Site of Mafeking township & goldfield
Gold discovered by P. E. & F. H. Emmett in June 1900. Population 10,000.
Erected by the Shire of Ararat & subscribers
25th March 1964
Plaque :
This cairn was erected in 1964
The Centenary Year of the Shire of Ararat
R. Tully President
This plaque commemorates the centenary of the discovery of gold at Mafeking in 1900 and was unveiled on 25th June, 2000 by Brian Emmett grandson of Frank Emmett, one of the original party to discover gold at Mafeking.
Formation of the Mafeking Goldmining Company in 1900 by four Emmett brothers and George Mason heralded the last of Victoria's old style gold rushes.
