Ophir gold diggings in 1851 - asset 3

Ophir gold diggings in 1851 - asset 3

Description

This is a hand-coloured lithograph made by Thomas Balcombe (1810-61), measuring 27 cm x 47.5 cm, and based on a sketch made on the spot by J Korff. It depicts gold diggings at the confluence of Summer Hill Creek and Lewis Ponds Creek at Ophir in New South Wales. A horseman is shown approaching miners standing near the creek, and they are greeting each other by waving their hats. Three flimsy tents are pitched in the foreground. The land in the foreground and the hills in the background appear to have been cleared of bush. On the far side of the creek there is a line of men panning for gold. Brown forms, which are alongside the creek, appear to be shelters - perhaps humpies or tents.

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