Old news from Armidale and New England

Thursday 5 May, The Sydney Morning Herald

NEWS FROM THE INTERIOR.

BINGERA.

(From the Maitland Mercury Correspondent.)

Bingera, 26th April, 1853. I left Bingera to the middle of last December, and returned yesterday. On the road from Tamworth I met about thirty people returning from here, but that did not discourage me, for last year instead of meeting returning Bingera visitors in tens, I met them in hundreds, and yet I found it to be the best diggings that I had tried. In this I do not wish to infer that I had more perseverance than those parties I have mentioned, but circumstances made me remain sufficiently long on the field to give it a trial, which I would not otherwise have done. The miners here only require perseverance to ensure success, for all those, so far as I am aware, who have given this field a long trial, have found it a remunerative one. And if the old hands who are here do well, why should others not do so likewise : One of the first fortunate discoverers of this gold field, found, yesterday, a fine large piece of pure water worn gold, which he showed me to-day, and which he said weighed rather upwards of seventeen ounces. He found it near the surface, on a high part of the western side of the ridge, on a spot which is about twenty yards from Wm. Thomson’s old water hole. A number of men washed a considerable quantity of earth, some twelve bags, all round the spot where it was found, and only got a small particle of gold for their trouble. This is a strange goldfield ; the diggers are so scattered over three miles of this table land, that one seldom sees above one party at work at any part of it.

We have had a great deal of rain, and I have no doubt that there will be a sufficiency of water in the water holes to last out for the winter, for those of the diggers who have the means of carting their washing stuff to them. The great drawback to the diggers here is the scarcity of water, and those who have any idea of trying these diggings should try them now, for it is a fine climate to winter in, and during the season I should not think there would be any difficulty in making reservoirs.

The Rev. Mr. Clarke has visited this field lately, and has, I believe, expressed a high opinion of it. From what I have been able to learn I think there will be about two hundred ounces of gold send down next escort, which is a first-rate yield for the small number of diggers at work.