By referring to Cat No 7237.2 will bring up all items associated with Thompsons. Two sheets of paper from Thompson Engineering & Pipe Co. Ltd. To Ordnance Factory Maribyrnong Dated 18/8/43. Signed off by (??) Martin. 1. Results for tests on roller paths for 3.7 AA Guns (Batch 15). 2. Results for tests on roller paths for 3.7AA guns (Batch 9). Signed off by (??) Martin.3.7"aa guns, ord factory maribyrnong, thompsons castlemaine

By referring to Cat No 7237.2 will bring up all items associated with Thompsons.Single sheet of paper. Tests on material for 150 Breech blocks for QF 17 PDR Guns. From: Thompson's Engineering & Pipe Co. Ltd. dated 19/10/1942. To: Ministry of Munitions A/C Ordnance Factory Maribyrnong. The tests cover Breech Blocks. (1508 - 1513) (1542 - 1547) (1554 - 1559) (1560 - 1565) (1571 - 1575) (1582 - 1587) Signed off at bottom by (??) Martin.17 pdr a/tn gun, steel testing, ww2

By referring to Cat No 7237.2 will bring up all items associated with Thompsons.Two sheets of test results. They are from Thompsons Engineering & Pipe Co to Ordnance Factory, Maribyrnong. They are signed off by (??) Martin. 1. Test sheet for Breech blocks 17 PDR Block Nos 1560-1565, Dated 21/9/43. 2. Test sheet for Breech blocks 17 PDR Block No's 1554 - 1559. Dated 21/9/43.gun barrels, 17 pdr, mechanical testing, thompsons castlemaine, ord factory maribyrning.

By referring to Cat No 7237.2 will bring up all items associated with Thompsons. 2 sheets of paper from Thompson Engineering & Pipe Co Ltd, signed by (??) Martin. 1. 25 PDR Breech rings No's 2671-2673. To Chas Ruwoldt Pty Ltd, A/C Ministry of Munitions. Dated 9/12/43. 2. 25 PDR Axles. No. 870-877-882-883. To Chas Ruwoldt Pty Ltd Ministry of Munitions. Dated 9/2/1944.25 pdr guns, chas ruwoldt p/l, thompsons castlemaine

By referring to Cat No 7237.2 will bring up all items associated with Thompsons.This is a set of 3 sheets of steel tests on 6 PDR anti-tank gun tests. From Thompsons Engineering & Pipe Co. Lt Castlemaine to General Motors Holden, South Aust A/C Ministry of Munitions. 1. Barrel NRS 2483 - 2484 - 2498 - 2499 - Dated 1943. 2. Barrel NRS 1809 - 1812 - 1826 - 1827 - Dated 1942. 3. Barrel NRS 1876 - 1877 - 1859 - 1871 - Dated 1943.Signed off by (?) Martin.gun barrel tests, pdr anti- tank.

Photograph. Cornish Collection - visit of Bendigo mine managers to Thompson's Engineering Works, Castlemaine. Article (undated) from Bendigo Advertiser (?) re visit one hundred years ago - with photos of 14 men with part of Thompson & Co brick building in background: : Mr Hicks (Red, White and Blue); Mr Glanville (Hustlers Royal Reserve); Mr Kidd (Shamrock Co.0; Mr Hollow (South Bellevue); Mr Rowe (new Chum Rail); Mr Jas Northcote (Lansell's general manager); Mr Edward (Fortuna-Hustlers); Mr Prior (Garden Gully); Mr J Lonsdale (Shenandoah); Mr Whitford (Lazarus Co,); Mr Harvey (New Chum United); Mr Bradshaw (electrical engineering); Mr Lonsdale (Lazarus Co.); Mr L B McGrath (Thompson's representative).bendigo, gold mining, miners

By referring to Cat No 7237.2 this will bring up all associated items with Thompsons.This is a set of nine pages of steel, marine engine parts and naval gun parts - testing. The sheets have the letterhead of Thompsons Engineering and Pipe Co Ltd., Castlemaine. The results are to the Commonwealth of Australia 1 - 4. Marine Engine Parts. Dated 1945- 46 5 - 6. 4" Naval gun parts tests. Dated 1942. 7. Corvette Marine engine parts. Dated 1942. 8. Breach blocks for CQF M4 XIX ?? Dated 1942. 9. Tensile & bend tests Steel. Dated 1942.steel testing, marine engine parts

By referring to Cat No 7237.2 will bring all items associated with Thompsons.1. Single sheet of paper. From Thompson's Engineering & Pipe Co Ltd to Ordnance Factory Maribyrnong. A/c Ministry of Munitions. Titled - mechanical tests - Test on 25 PDR Breech rings. Rings NR (1790-1793). Dated 26 March 1943. 2. Tensile tests on material for 95 (loose) Barrel forgings for 25 PDR Gun Howitzers. From Thompson's to Commonwealth of Australia - Ministry of Munitions. Barrel 14236/1 (Y2) - Barrel 635/3 - Dated 18 Feb 1942.1. Top has name "Mr. Johnson" written. In the middle is an unidentifiable signature dated 26-3-1943. Bottom has (??) Martin. 2. At bottom signed off by (??) Martin.25 pdr, thompson's castlemaine, ordnance factory maribyrnong.

By referring to Cat No 7237.2 will bring up all items associated with Thompsons.There are 8 sheets of test results for various heavy machinery. From Thompson's Engineering & Pipe Co. Ltd. 1. - 2. To C of A - Ord Factory Bendigo - Dated 1942 & 1943. 3. To Ord Factory Maribyrnong Dated 1944. 4. To Chas Ruwoldt Pty Ltd Dated 1945. 5. To C of A O.F.M (Maribyrnong) Dated 1945. 6. To Chas Ruwoldt Pty Ltd. Dated 1945 7. To Chas Ruwoldt Dated 1945. 8. To Ord Factory Bendigo. A/c Commonwealth of Aust. Dated 1945.Most have been signed off by (??) Martin. .5 has a red note - to be renormalised at 8.30c J. Adams 8/8/44.thompsons castlemaine, test results, ww2

By referring to Cat No 7237.2 will bring up all items associated with Thompsons.These are typed copies of work documents. They are on a lightweight pink paper. They are from Thompson's Engineering to the Bendigo Ordnance factory, Naval Dept. 1. Dated 7 Oct 1942 for tests on breech ring billed in "D" steel contract MON1775. 2. Dated 13 Oct 1942 for tests on Gun metal castings 4"Naval Guns, and Class "D " stee4l for breech rings for 4" Naval Guns. 3. Dated 29 Oct 1942. Test on gunmetal castings. 4. Dated 4 Nov 1942. Tests covered by 3 particular contracts. 5. Dated 25 Nov 1942, For Mechanical tests on a spcific contract. 2.3. & 5. Rubber stamp of a signature - illegibleww2, cannons, manufacture

By referring to Cat No 7237.2 will bring up all items associated with Thompsons.These are four test results on 6 PDR Barrels. They are from Thompson's Engineering and Pipe Co Ltd. 1. Polster barrels converted from 6 PDR Barrels dated 16/ 11/ 43. To General Motors Holden Ltd. Polster barrels No's 3083- 3085, 3087, 3090, 3091. Signed off by (??) Martin. 2. Bofor Barrel converted from 6 PDR Barrel. Dated 25/11/43. To Ord Factory Maribyrnong. Barrell No. V1589/1. 3. 6 PDR Barrel No. 3243. Dated 8/12/43. To General Motors Holden Ltd. Signed by (??) Martin. 4. Bofor Barrel converted from 6 PDR Barrel Dated 10/12/43. To Ord Factory Maribyrnong. Signed off by (??) Martin.gun barrels, testing, ord factory maribyrnong, general motors holden

Hand written copy of Specifications of One - Two Stage Horizontal Air Compressor and Intercooler (with Belt Drive) by Thompson's Engineering & Pipe Co. Ltd., Castlemaine per Mr. T. J. Jorgenson, Consulting Engineer. Dated 22/5/45. Detailed description of the air compressor.mine, gold, central deborah gold mine, central deborah gold mine, air compressor, mr. t. j. jorgenson, thompson's engineering & pipe co. ltd.

Brown soft covered book. Contents include: Winning Brown Coal at Yallourn Dredge Operation for Overburden Removal Boiler Plant at the Yallourn Power Station Electrical Equipment at the Yallourn Power Station Steam Plant at the Yallourn Power Station Yallourn-Melbourne High Tension Line Yarraville Terminal Station Transmission distribution High Transmission Towers for River Crossing Sugarloaf-Rubicon Hydroelectric Development Briquette factory Subsidiary Activities at Yallourn Future Developments thompson's engineering & pipe co. ltd, briquettes, electricity, power generation, yallourn, yallourn briguetting works, transmission lines, high tension switchgear, insulators, australian porcelain company, substation, brown coal, high tension line, sugarloaf-rubicon, plans, suspension tower, transposition tower, yarraville terminal station, condenser, newport power station, gippsland, hydroelectric

Typed notes for a tour of the area. Areas mentioned are: Hospital Hill, The Central Deborah Mine, New Chum Railway Mine, The Rocks, New Chum Hill, Victoria Hill, Central Nell Gwynne, Rae's Open Cut, Housing Commission Homes and Latham and Watson's. Description of machinery at the Central Deborah Mine, yields, dividends, depth of shafts and directions to get ot the various places is included.document, gold, victoria hill, bendigo branch historical society mine tour, all saints church, joseph la trobe, bendigo's first hospital, sacred heart cathedral, the central deborah mine, city council, londonderry west shaft, new red, white and blue consolidated (big blue), a roberts & sons, big deborah, the new golden fleece, new chum goldfields, central wattle gully mine chewton, virginia consols, black's quarries coldstream, thompson's engineering and pipe co ltd castlemaine, new chum railway mine, golden square methodist church, the rocks, e j dunn, gold monument, shamrock mine, mt alvernia hospital, j b lazarus, john brown knitwear factory, gold fmines hotel, david sterry, new chum hill, fortuna villa, geo lansell, theodore ballerstedt, a h q survey regiment headquarters, old chum mine, central nell gwynne, rae's open cut, theodore ballerstedt, new chum syncline, little 180 mine, victoria quartz, wittcheibe's 'jeweller's shop', adventure, advance, cinderella, j n macartney, bendigo goldfields registry 1870, wm rae, johnson's devonshire mine, snobs hill mine, ellenborough mullock heap, belmont mullock heap, sadowa, st mungo, united devonshire, mechanic's institute, log lock-up, court house, j b watson, housing commission homes, hustlers hill, latham and watsons', the great extended hustlers, a richardson

Siemens DC generator driven by a Thompsons two cylinder steam engine. The engine has vertical cylinders and there is a flywheel between the generator and engine. Generator painted grey, engine painted red. The system is connected to low pressure steam and can be run very slowly. Brass plate on generator "Siemens Brothers / Dynamo Works Ltd. / London Stafford / Direct Current Generator", followed by specifications. Thompsons Engineering in relief on steam engine side plates. "60" on base of engine.machinery; generator; steam engine; metalwork

Documents: brown manila folder. On front 'South Deborah Gold Mines NL. Machinery File' Contains letters and documents secured within folder with binder, from T.J. Jorgensen, consulting engineer and contractor, F.W. Milne & Son, General Engineers, Ministry of Munitions, Holland Bros.., Thompsons Engineering & Pipe Co., Castlemaine. All documents relate to provision of machinery work at the Deborah Gold Mines. Attached is a selection from the folder.variousorganization, mining, south deborah gold mines nl, mccoll, rankin and stanistreet: south deborah gold mines nl, t.j. jorgensen, f.w. milne & son, thompsons engineering & pipe co., gold mining, engineers, machinery

.1) Hinged lid wooden box with brass fittings and green felt covered rests inside. .2) "Fuller" type circular slide rule calculator Model No. 1. .3) Brass stand which slots into one end of box and holds calculator in position for ease of use. .4 ...7) Instruction booklets for operating the calculator. .8) Letter from importer re enquiry for circular slide rules to be used at Thompsons Engineering and Pipe Works.Imprinted on bakelite base of cylinder "Stanley / Trade Mark".trades, drafting, instruments, measuring

Black folder containing photocopied documents pertaining to the setting up and running of the Central Deborah Mine, Bendigo. 1939 - 1948. Original copies held in McColl,Rankin & Stanistreet Collection. Application for Permit. Ministry of Post War Reconstruction. War Organisation of Industry. Quotes, Tenders. Hume & Iser. T.J Jorgensen. Electricity Supply Department. Saunders & Ross. District Telephone Office. R Toma. Stock Exchange. Building Site Plan. Abbott Supply Co. F.W. Milne & Son. The Golden City Agricultural Implements. Department of Labour and National Service.Miller & Co. Thompson Engineering and Pipe Co. Gold Boring and Prospecting. Costs. J.l. Howard. A.J. William Electrical Instruments.bendigo, mining, central deborah gold mine

Pink Manilla Folder containing: General Correspondance Letters to and from suppliers of machinery and parts e.g. Electricity Supply Departments, Fred Milne & Son (Engineers), Thompsons Engineering & Pipe Co.Ltd, Miller & Co Machinery Pty Ltd, Alfred J Jorgenson, Bingle Machinery Co, The Richardson Gears Pty Ltd, Buckell & Jeffrey Pty Ltd, Commercial Union Assuarance Company Limited, Bendigo Machinery & Trading Co Pty Ltd, Ronaldson Bros & Tippett Pty Ltd (including a picture of a drawlift pump), J.G. Bloomfield, Ronaldson - Tippett list of 4583 Machines in Victoria & addfor crude oil engine, A.H McDonald & Co Pty Ltd & ad for crude oil engine, E Treliving letter & list of second hand materials for sale, J. Edwards-Retallack Machinery Manufacturers Representative, Hume & Iser Pty Ltd Timber & Hardware Merchants, Bendigo Timber Co Timber & Hardware Merchants, markings read 'Cent. Napoleon G.M.Co N.L Machinery', Correspondance dating from 16 July 1934 - 26 October 1950.organization, business, industrial - mining, mccoll rankin & stanistreet, mining, gold mining, central napoleon

George Milford, a long term staff member of Thompsons Foundry Castlemaine, remembers discussing Alexander Sinclair with this son, Alex Sinclair Jnr. "When Alex Jnr was a boy, his father, a senior design engineer, was sent to Malaya to oversee the erection on site of a suction cutter dredge for Thompsons. This was an adaptation of the idea of a bucket-dredge, where gold is won from alluvial gravels. In the 1915-1920 era, the Thompsons Engineering Department designed a suction-cutter dredge, by which hydraulic suction with a revolving cutter at the end of a long proboscis would collect the alluvial soil and deliver it into the dredge for recovery of the precious metals. Export marketing was then ‘all the go’, and the tin dredges were ordered from Thompsons, using the new cutter design. The dredges were, of course, shipped to Malaya in pieces, ready to be assembled on site. A number of Thompsons employees were selected to travel to Malaya to assemble the dredges. There were fourteen men in the gang. These men sailed on 1st July 1925, their number including Delmenico, McKay and Charles Albert Hauser, an engine driver. C A Hauser died of malaria in Malaya shortly after arrival. Components for a further three of these dredges were in transit or on site when the first suction-cutter dredge was assembled and tested. The designers had failed to take into account the fact that, in the jungle floor in Malaya, many trees grow up, and fall down, in tropical conditions, and become submerged still waterlogged in the floor of the jungle, and in the tin-bearing gravels. The suction-cutter dredge was found to be inefficient in these circumstances, the price of tin had fallen and the Malayan client reneged on the contract. Faced with an outlay of over £4,000 on which no money would be received, the company went bankrupt on 25th August 1925. Alex Sinclair Snr was at that stage in Malaya, and received the news of the bankruptcy by telegram. Upon telegraphing his employers for funds to return home, he received the reply that there were no such funds available. Alex Sinclair Jnr told the story of how his father worked as a labourer in Malaya for two years, while his mother took in washing and ironing during the same period, until together they had assembled enough money to pay for his father’s return Anyone who talks about “the good old days” is talking nonsense!"Large blue printed paper plan outlining the conditions of contract for the making of a steel boiler. The Blueprint includes design drawings and written contract specifying materials, time frame and costs. Signed on front 'Alec Sinclair Consulting Engineer, 31 Queen Street, Melbourne'. Stamped on verso 'Printed by Paterson & Co, Colonial Mutual Chambers, Collins St, Melbourne'. blueprint, designs and plans, yarrawee suction dredge, conditions of contract, thompsons foundry castlemaine, george milford

This picture is dated to 1906 and depicts an open cut sluicing site located in El Dorado captured looking west from the No.1 Bedrock Site. Sluicing was undertaken in the area from 1900 to 1942 with some short breaks between these periods. The image depicts a location mined by Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Sluicing Company (as recorded on the annotation on the card mount). It portrays open cut rocks with a crevice in the center of the image where the sluicing was being undertaken. The Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines N.L was one of El Dorado's two largest open cut sluicing mines of the 20th Century. The other was named the Cocks El Dorado Gold Dredging Company. The Cocks Pioneer Mines operated from 1901 until 1941 and found a total of 117,378 ounces of Gold and 1,673 tones of tin concentrates over these years. The Cocks company was formed in 1898 and operated until 1941. Open cut sluicing involved the use of high-powered hoses which used the centrifugal sand pump system (known as hydraulic sluicing) which broke down the soil which was then processed for gold and other precious metals. From 1914 , four years after this image was captured, the company reformed to Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL (previously it was known as Cocks Pioneer Sluicing Co) and undertook large scale sluicing operations until 1929 and then 1934-1941. El Dorado is located on Reedy Creek and is surrounded by forested country to the north and east. It is 20 km east of Wangaratta in Victoria's regional north-east. John Cock was the son of a Cornish minor who arrived in El Dorado in 1858. Cock founded his gold and tin mining company which ran successfully for many years in the El Dorado region. It was an open cut sluicing company because of the abandonment of underground mining after this was deemed too dangerous. In 1935 Cock's El Dorado Company commissioned the floating dredge which is still visible in El Dorado today. The dredge was built by the Thompson engineering works, Castlemaine, and weighed over 2,000 tones and today has a place on the Victorian Registers of historic buildings. Interestingly, the name El Dorado does not derive from the gold in the region, but from the Barambogie pastoral run completed by William Baker in 1840-1841. Gold was discovered in El Dorado 1854 but the gold was too deep for individual prospectors to find, it required the use of heavy machinery.The search for gold is ingrained into the history of Victoria and therefore, images like this one which portray an open cut sluicing site can reveal important information for society and technology for the date when the photograph was taken. This image is of important historical significance for its ability to convey information about sluicing and the methods used to find gold in 1906. It also shows a location where sluicing was undertook which provides insight into the impact of sluicing on the environment at a time when it was done. This image is important for current research into the history of El Dorado, a small regional location near Wangaratta in Victoria's North East. Therefore, this image has the capacity to be beneficial for research into society and the motivations of those living and working in this region during this period and therefore, has social significance. The Beechworth Burke Museum has additional images relating to gold sluicing and El Dorado which can be analysed and studied alongside images like this one.Sepia coloured rectangular photograph printed on gloss photographic paper mounted on board.Obverse: COCKS PIONEER Q + T SL CO, N.L. / 1906 / No.1 BED ROCK SITE LOOKING WEST Reverse: 1997 2612 A02612el dorado, north east gold, sluicing, gold sluicing, hydraulic sluicing, gold and tin mine, open cut mining, mining, gold mining, north-east victoria, beechworth, burke museum, 1906

The photo from 1907-8 is a sepia print, depicting a small valley with building at base. There are flumes visible above areas of water, trees on hills and a few small cottages on the hillside. Cock's Pioneer Gold & Tin Sluicing Co NZ No 2 Site. The photo was taken of Matthews Gully looking west. Sluicing was undertaken in the area from 1900 to 1942 with some short breaks between these periods. The image depicts a location mined by Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Sluicing Company (as recorded on the annotation on the card mount) The Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines N.L was one of El Dorado's two largest open cut sluicing mines of the 20th Century. The other was named the Cocks El Dorado Gold Dredging Company. The Cocks Pioneer Mines operated from 1901 until 1941 and found a total of 117,378 ounces of Gold and 1,673 tones of tin concentrates over these years. The Cocks company was formed in 1898 and operated until 1941. Open cut sluicing involved the use of high-powered hoses which used the centrifugal sand pump system (known as hydraulic sluicing) which broke down the soil which was then processed for gold and other precious metals. From 1914 , four years after this image was captured, the company reformed to Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL (previously it was known as Cocks Pioneer Sluicing Co) and undertook large scale sluicing operations until 1929 and then 1934-1941. El Dorado is located on Reedy Creek and is surrounded by forested country to the north and east. It is 20 km east of Wangaratta in Victoria's regional north-east. John Cock was the son of a Cornish minor who arrived in El Dorado in 1858. Cock founded his gold and tin mining company which ran successfully for many years in the El Dorado region. It was an open cut sluicing company because of the abandonment of underground mining after this was deemed too dangerous. In 1935 Cock's El Dorado Company commissioned the floating dredge which is still visible in El Dorado today. The dredge was built by the Thompson engineering works, Castlemaine, and weighed over 2,000 tones and today has a place on the Victorian Registers of historic buildings. Interestingly, the name El Dorado does not derive from the gold in the region, but from the Barambogie pastoral run completed by William Baker in 1840-1841. Gold was discovered in El Dorado 1854 but the gold was too deep for individual prospectors to find, it required the use of heavy machinery.The search for gold is ingrained into the history of Victoria and therefore, images like this one which portray an open cut sluicing site can reveal important information for society and technology for the date when the photograph was taken. This image is of important historical significance for its ability to convey information about sluicing and the methods used to find gold in 1910. It also shows a location where sluicing was undertook which provides insight into the impact of sluicing on the environment at a time when it was done. This image is important for current research into the history of El Dorado, a small regional location near Wangaratta in Victoria's North East. Therefore, this image has the capacity to be beneficial for research into society and the motivations of those living and working in this region during this period and therefore, has social significance. The Beechworth Burke Museum has additional images relating to gold sluicing and El Dorado which can be analysed and studied alongside images like this one.Sepia coloured rectangle photograph printed on gloss photographic paper Reverse: 1997. 2613/ A02613/ No2 site/ Matthews Gully/ Cocks Pioneer G&T. ?? Co NZ/ No2 Site looking West/ 1907-8/ (7)sluicing, hydraulic sluicing, 1907, 1908, mining, cock's pioneer gold & tin sluicing co nz, nz, site no 2, matthews gully, west, valley, building, cottages, hillside, trees, water, gold and tin mine

Taken in 1906 this photograph shows the Red Rock Site of Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mine Sluicing Company with the view looking east. Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold and Tin Mine company was formed in 1899. By 1909 17,284 ounces of gold and 224 ton of tin ore had been recovered from the mine and it was deemed inadequate and uneconomical to continue. the mine was re-formed in 1914 and carried on large-scale hydraulic sluicing operations. Taken in 1906 this photograph shows the Red Rock Site of Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mine Sluicing Company with the view looking east. Cocks Pioneer Electric Gold and Tin Mine company was formed in 1899. By 1909 17,284 ounces of gold and 224 ton of tin ore had been recovered from the mine and it was deemed inadequate and uneconomical to continue. the mine was re-formed in 1914 and carried on large-scale hydraulic sluicing operations. Sluicing was undertaken in the area from 1900 to 1942 with some short breaks between these periods. The image depicts a location mined by Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Sluicing Company (as recorded on the annotation on the card mount). It portrays open cut rocks with a crevice in the center of the image where the sluicing was being undertaken. There is a large timber structure on the left hand side of the picture partially cropped in the frame. The Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines N.L was one of El Dorado's two largest open cut sluicing mines of the 20th Century. The other was named the Cocks El Dorado Gold Dredging Company. Open cut sluicing involved the use of high-powered hoses which used the centrifugal sand pump system (known as hydraulic sluicing) which broke down the soil which was then processed for gold and other precious metals. El Dorado is located on Reedy Creek and is surrounded by forested country to the north and east. It is 20 km east of Wangaratta in Victoria's regional north-east. John Cock was the son of a Cornish minor who arrived in El Dorado in 1858. Cock founded his gold and tin mining company which ran successfully for many years in the El Dorado region. It was an open cut sluicing company because of the abandonment of underground mining after this was deemed too dangerous. In 1935 Cock's El Dorado Company commissioned the floating dredge which is still visible in El Dorado today. The dredge was built by the Thompson engineering works, Castlemaine, and weighed over 2,000 tones and today has a place on the Victorian Registers of historic buildings. Interestingly, the name El Dorado does not derive from the gold in the region, but from the Barambogie pastoral run completed by William Baker in 1840-1841. Gold was discovered in El Dorado 1854 but the gold was too deep for individual prospectors to find, it required the use of heavy machinery. The search for gold is ingrained into the history of Victoria and therefore, images like this one which portray an open cut sluicing site can reveal important information for society and technology for the date when the photograph was taken. This image is of important historical significance for its ability to convey information about sluicing and the methods used to find gold in the early 1900s. It also shows a location where sluicing was undertook which provides insight into the impact of sluicing on the environment at a time when it was done. This image is important for current research into the history of El Dorado, a small regional location near Wangaratta in Victoria's North East. Therefore, this image has the capacity to be beneficial for research into society and the motivations of those living and working in this region during this period and therefore, has social significance. The Beechworth Burke Museum has additional images relating to gold sluicing and El Dorado which can be analysed and studied alongside images like this one.Sepia rectangular photograph printed on gloss photographic paper mounted on board. Obverse: COCKS PIONEER. G. & T. Sluicing Co. N.L./ 1906/ (9)/ No. 1 Bed Rock Site Looking East/ Reverse: 1997.2614 A02614mining, sluicing, gold, tin, john cock, cocks pioneer, sepia photograph, photograph, beechworth, goldfield, el dorado, gold and tin mine, burke museum

This photograph dating to 1910 depicts an open cut sluicing site located in El Dorado captured looking east up the open cut from the number 3 Barge site. Sluicing was undertaken in the area from 1900 to 1942 with some short breaks between these periods. The image depicts a location mined by Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Sluicing Company (as recorded on the annotation on the card mount). It portrays open cut rocks with a crevice in the center of the image where the sluicing was being undertaken. There is a small timber structure on the right of the image which could be an entrance to a mine or supports made of wood to prevent a cave in at the open cut site and above the cut rock there is bush. The timber structure has rail tracks on top of the bridge which could suggest the identification of this structure as a mine entrance. The rail tracks were used for little carts which hauled soil from the mine. The Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines N.L was one of El Dorado's two largest open cut sluicing mines of the 20th Century. The other was named the Cocks El Dorado Gold Dredging Company. The Cocks Pioneer Mines operated from 1901 until 1941 and found a total of 117,378 ounces of Gold and 1,673 tones of tin concentrates over these years. The Cocks company was formed in 1898 and operated until 1941. Open cut sluicing involved the use of high-powered hoses which used the centrifugal sand pump system (known as hydraulic sluicing) which broke down the soil which was then processed for gold and other precious metals. From 1914 , four years after this image was captured, the company reformed to Cocks Pioneer Gold and Tin Mines NL (previously it was known as Cocks Pioneer Sluicing Co) and undertook large scale sluicing operations until 1929 and then 1934-1941. El Dorado is located on Reedy Creek and is surrounded by forested country to the north and east. It is 20 km east of Wangaratta in Victoria's regional north-east. John Cock was the son of a Cornish minor who arrived in El Dorado in 1858. Cock founded his gold and tin mining company which ran successfully for many years in the El Dorado region. It was an open cut sluicing company because of the abandonment of underground mining after this was deemed too dangerous. In 1935 Cock's El Dorado Company commissioned the floating dredge which is still visible in El Dorado today. The dredge was built by the Thompson engineering works, Castlemaine, and weighed over 2,000 tones and today has a place on the Victorian Registers of historic buildings. Interestingly, the name El Dorado does not derive from the gold in the region, but from the Barambogie pastoral run completed by William Baker in 1840-1841. Gold was discovered in El Dorado 1854 but the gold was too deep for individual prospectors to find, it required the use of heavy machinery.The search for gold is ingrained into the history of Victoria and therefore, images like this one which portray an open cut sluicing site can reveal important information for society and technology for the date when the photograph was taken. This image is of important historical significance for its ability to convey information about sluicing and the methods used to find gold in 1910. It also shows a location where sluicing was undertook which provides insight into the impact of sluicing on the environment at a time when it was done. This image is important for current research into the history of El Dorado, a small regional location near Wangaratta in Victoria's North East. Therefore, this image has the capacity to be beneficial for research into society and the motivations of those living and working in this region during this period and therefore, has social significance. The Beechworth Burke Museum has additional images relating to gold sluicing and El Dorado which can be analysed and studied alongside images like this one.Sepia coloured rectangular photograph printed on gloss photographic paper mounted on board.Obverse: COCKS PIONEER Q + T SL CO, N.L. / 1910 / LOOKING EAST UP OPEN CUT / FROM NO3 BARGE SITE / Reverse: 1997 . 2611 / A02611el dorado, north east gold, sluicing, gold sluicing, hydraulic sluicing, 1910, gold and tin mine, open cut mining, mining, gold mining, north-east victoria, beechworth, burke museum