Mount Alexander, located in Central Victoria, is approximately 10 kilometres from Castlemaine and 120 kilometres north of Melbourne.
Although the mountain itself is not gold-bearing, the Mount Alexander Goldfield was possibly the world's richest surface alluvial goldfield.
In the early 1850s, 'Mount Alexander' was used to describe all the gold-bearing land around present-day Castlemaine. However, the location name was lost to the mountain itself, as the Castlemaine township became the centre of the goldfields.
Gold was first discovered on the 20th of July 1851 at Specimen Gully on Barkers Creek by Christopher Thomas Peters, a shepherd for Doctor William Barker on his Mount Alexander run.
Following a dispute with Doctor Barker, the workmen sent a letter to The Argus, Melbourne dated the 1st of September 1851, announcing the new goldfield with the precise location of their workings.
Within a month, approximately 8,000 diggers were working the alluvial beds of the creeks near present-day Castlemaine.
Forest Creek, which runs through Chewton, became particularly popular, and the first small village was established. By the end of the year, there were around 25,000 diggers on the field.
Within the first year of the rush, the Mount Alexander goldfield extended south to Vaughan and Guildford...and north to Barker's Creek.
There was a population of over 30,000 diggers, and the goldfield was known to millions worldwide.
Around 4,000,000 ounces or 110,000 kilograms of gold was found in the top five metres of ground in the first two years of the gold rush.
It had become the richest shallow alluvial goldfield in the world.
A large number of these diggings now lay within the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park.
The Castlemaine region remains a popular prospecting destination and is certainly worth a visit with your detector.
Many resources are available to begin research of the region before your visit, including Doug Stone's Castlemaine goldfield map and John Tully's Castlemaine maps. Both resources detail old workings and diggings, providing a great starting point.
To assist in researching the region Miners Den Australia has a range of resources available to buy online at
www.minersden.com.au
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