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Marysville & District Historical Society
Document (item) - Research Document, Judith Vimpani, Hermit of the Cumberland Goldfield-George Ernest Locke, 2020
An account of the life of George Ernest Locke who was a gold miner on the Yarra Track near Marysville in Victoria.An account of the life of George Ernest Locke who was a gold miner on the Yarra Track near Marysville in Victoria. George was a well-educated young man and had some success prospecting in the Cumberland area before partnering with William Chester with whom he opened the Golden Bower gold mine in 1896. George and William then discovered a second reef which they named the Silver Bower mine. George lived in a log cabin in the Cumberland reserve and was known to be a loner. He was clever with his money and chose not to have a bank account in Marysville, where everyone would learn about his financial status. He banked at the ES&A in Fitzroy and at the time of his death in 1941 he had accumulated the princely sum of three hundred and sixty pounds. George Locke was known as "the Hermit of Cumberland Valley" and lived in his humpy until his last few days during which he moved into a Forest Commission's patrol hut because his old humpy had started to fall to pieces. When George passed away at the age of 81 years he had not visited Marysville for over 14 years. george ernest locke, gold miner, gold mining, yarra track, william chester, golden bower mine, cumberland goldfield, silver bower mine, chesterville, marysville, victoria, jackie lewis, baron somers, big tree, picea sitchensis exotic, box hill cemetery, john edward locke, annie caroline locke, hermit of the cumberland valley -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - Pompeii Fountain & Adjacent Structures at "Fortuna"
Fortuna Villa was initially commenced as a modest single storey home in 1861 next to the 180 Mine by Theodore Ballerstedt, who sold the mine and house to George Lansell in 1869. Lansell already owned the adjacent Fortuna Mine, and through deeper mining techniques greatly expanded the mine's operation, his personal wealth, and the house and grounds. Lansell was soon known as the 'Quartz King', Australia's first gold mining millionaire and credited as the driving force behind much of Bendigo's prosperity. He continuously added to and expanded the villa, decorating it extravagantly with the finest of artworks and materials, into a sprawling mansion with extensive landscaped grounds, to create a house and grounds of a size and grandeur with few rivals in Australia. After his death in 1907, his second wife Edith carried on with improvements, creating a house and grounds developed over 50 years. The attached mine also contributes to its significance, being one of the richest mines in Bendigo, and at one stage probably the deepest gold mine in the world at 3176 feet. The 1875 crushing works are attached directly to the mansion, and the mine's tailings and settling ponds (turned into ornamental lakes) represent a direct link between George Lansell's wealth and its source. Fortuna was compulsorily acquired by the Commonwealth in 1942 as the Cartographic Headquarters of the Australian Survey Corps during World War II, and many ancillary structures were added while preserving the main house and ornamental grounds. Victorian Heritage Database Report https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/68334/download-reportConservation report for the Pompeii Fountain & Adjacent Structures at "Fortuna" Chum Street, Golden Square, Victoria. Prepared for Fortuna Historical Committee. March 1996.Halina Eckersley, Architect & Conservation Planner, Kewpompeii fountain, greenhouse, fortuna lake, gardens