Moliagul - Welcome Stranger Discovery Walk
The Welcome Stranger Discovery Walk is an easy circuit through the recovering bushland of the Moliagul Historic Area. The walk explores places associated with the Victorian Gold Rush and the discovery of the Welcome Stranger, the largest alluvial gold nugget ever found.
John Deason and Richard Oates discovered the nugget at Moliagul on 5 February 1869. A stone monument now commemorates the discovery, while numbered markers along the walk identify former house sites, mining remains, a Chinese camp and evidence of how mining affected the surrounding forest.
Distance: 850m circuit
Time: 30 minutes
Grade: Grade 2
Terrain: Uneven historic mining landscape through Box-Ironbark bushland
Track: Marked bush track with numbered points of interest
Start/Finish: Welcome Stranger Monument and Picnic Area
Welcome Stranger Discovery Walk:
The walk begins at the stone monument commemorating the discovery of the Welcome Stranger. Numbered markers along the track correspond with the following places and features.
1. Examples of Surface Mining
The first stop contains examples of the surface-mining methods used by prospectors searching for shallow deposits of gold.
2. Site of John Deason's House
This is the site of John Deason's two-room house. After finding the Welcome Stranger, Deason and Oates took the nugget to Deason's home and attempted to remove the quartz mixed through the gold.
They heated the nugget in the fire to make the quartz brittle and easier to break away. Approximately 26kg of quartz was removed and later crushed at a local battery to recover the remaining gold.
3. Site of Deason and Oates' Puddling Machine
Deason and Oates established a puddling claim on the side of the hill. They stripped topsoil from the claim and washed it in a puddling machine.
Puddling machines consisted of a deep circular ditch surrounding a central island. A pivot post on the island supported a pole pulled around the ditch by a horse. Paddles or iron rakes stirred the soil and water into a slurry. When the slurry drained away, the heavier gold remained at the bottom.
Deason built his house nearby partly to discourage people from stealing from the claim.
4. Site of Richard Oates' House
This marker identifies the former site of Richard Oates' house. Oates and Deason were Cornish miners who had grown up together on the Isles of Scilly, off Land's End in England.
They arrived in Bendigo in February 1854, spent approximately eight years there and later moved to Moliagul.
5. Wooden Headstone
The wooden headstone dates from the 1860s and is reputed to mark a Chinese grave.
The headstone and all other historical features along the walk are protected and must not be touched, removed or disturbed.
6. Site of a Chinese Camp
The first recorded discovery of gold in the Moliagul district occurred in September 1852. Prospectors from around the world subsequently travelled to the area.
This stop identifies the site of a Chinese camp and provides evidence of the culturally diverse community which developed around the goldfields.
7. Former Puddling Machine
This stop contains the remains of another puddling machine. Puddling significantly accelerated the process of separating gold from soil when compared with panning.
8. Forest Cleared for the Miners
Much of the original forest was cut down to provide miners with timber and firewood and to clear land for mining operations, camps and buildings.
9. Regrowth Among the Red and Grey Box Trees
This stop contains examples of new growth, known as coppice, among the Red Box and Grey Box trees.
Coppice develops when new stems grow from a tree stump or root system after the original trunk has been cut or damaged. It provides visible evidence of the forest's recovery from intensive gold-mining activity.
10. Black Gully
The final stop is at Black Gully. Miners worked upstream through this area while searching for shallow gold deposits.
The Discovery of the Welcome Stranger:
On the morning of Friday 5 February 1869, John Deason was breaking up soil on the claim when his pick struck what initially appeared to be a stone. After clearing away the soil, he saw gold only 2.5cm below the surface.
Deason and Oates did not want to attract the attention of their neighbours. They covered the nugget and continued working until they could move it safely.
The gold was stained black by ironstone deposits and contained a substantial quantity of quartz. After heating the nugget and removing much of the quartz, the remaining material was taken to Dunolly.
Revealing the Discovery:
Deason and Oates kept their discovery secret throughout the weekend. They revealed it to friends at a party on Monday and travelled together to Dunolly the following day.
The nugget was taken to the London Chartered Bank. It was too large for the bank's scales and had to be cut into smaller pieces.
No photograph was taken before the nugget was divided. The surviving illustrations were drawn from memory.
The total weight, including gold recovered from the crushed quartz and smaller pieces given to friends, was estimated at 72.5kg. The Welcome Stranger remains the largest alluvial gold nugget ever found.
Life After the Discovery:
Richard Oates briefly returned to Cornwall, where he married Jane Penrose and brought her back to Moliagul. He continued working the claim with Deason until 1875 before moving into farming.
Oates later lived at Dunolly, Bealiba and Woodstock near Bendigo. He died in 1906, aged 79, and was buried in Marong Cemetery.
John Deason continued mining and operated puddling machines and a quartz-crushing battery until the depression of the 1890s. He later moved with his family to a property near Moliagul.
Deason died in 1915, aged 85, and was buried in Moliagul Cemetery. His descendants continued farming in the district.
Picnic and Camping Facilities:
Facilities include:
- Picnic shelter
- Picnic tables
- Wood fire facilities
- Tank water which is not suitable for drinking
- Informal bush camping sites
- Space for tents, campervans and caravans
- A second picnic area with a table and wood fire facility near Stop 2
Safety:
This is a heavily mined historic landscape. Stay on the marked track because the surrounding area contains uneven ground, unstable slopes, dams and mine shafts.
Mine tailings may contain residues of arsenic, mercury and cyanide. These pose minimal risk when left undisturbed. Do not enter old mine workings, climb cliffs or cross barriers and fences.
Mobile phone reception is unreliable. Avoid parking, camping or resting beneath large trees because branches can fall without warning.
No drinking water is available. Bring sufficient water for walking, picnicking and camping.
Fires:
Fires may only be lit in the fireplaces provided and only when fires are permitted. Fires must never be left unattended and must be supervised by an adult.
Carry at least ten litres of water for extinguishing a fire. Use water rather than soil and do not leave until the fire is completely extinguished and cool to touch.
Do not light fires on Total Fire Ban days. Do not enter the reserve on Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating days.
Firewood collection is prohibited. Bring any permitted firewood with you.
Fossicking and Heritage Protection:
Fossicking, prospecting and digging may be permitted in designated parts of the Moliagul Historic Area. However, all artefacts and historic features in the Welcome Stranger precinct and along the Discovery Walk are protected under the Heritage Act 2017 and must not be disturbed.
Hunting is prohibited.
Access for Dogs:
Dogs are permitted but must remain on a leash at all times.
Toilets:
There are no toilets at the Welcome Stranger Monument and Picnic Area.
The nearest public toilets are at the Moliagul Rest Area and Campground, 1434 Dunolly-Moliagul Road, Moliagul, opposite the turn-off for Monument Road.
Opening Hours:
Access is subject to park closures, fire danger and local conditions. Check the current Parks Victoria access information before travelling.
Cost:
The walk, picnic area and bush camping are free. No camping bookings apply.
Location:
Welcome Stranger Monument and Picnic Area, Welcome Stranger Road, Moliagul
From the Dunolly-Moliagul Road, turn onto Monument Road and then take Monument Track or Welcome Stranger Road to the monument and picnic area.
Access is along gravel roads suitable for two-wheel-drive vehicles under normal conditions.
Coordinates: -36.760854, 143.652059
Location
Welcome Stranger Road, Moliagul 3472 View Map
Web Links
→ www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/sites/moliagul-picnic-area
