Kilmore Free Press at KellyGang 21/10/1880 (3)
In a few weeks Corry and party returned to open up their find. accompanied by Colin M'Dougall, who was taken by them as a mate; shortly after Cherry returned with a party and a general rush set in, principally, however, in the direction of the creeks, which proved to be very rich in alluvial, and Wood's Point, though only known as the Upper Goulburn township, became a busy settlement; Corry and party, which now included Colin MacDougall, commenced to open up their reef, and after thoroughly testing the quartz decided to erect machinery.
A machine was therefore ordered, no part of which was to weigh more than 1501bs. the whole to weigh about 6 1/2 tons, and Colin M'Dougall went to Jamieson to get it packed up, but though he offered more than the ordinary rate of carriage, which was £35 a ton from Jamieson, He was unable to get any packers to undertake the task, so difficult was it deemed to be. Things now seemed to be in a fix, the packers who knew the ranges refused to bring up the machinery, asserting that it was impossible, so M'Dougall had only one course left, namely to bring it himself, which he did. Up to this time the party were crushing the quartz by manual labor, and as it was immensely rich they made enough to pay all current expenses, which were heavy.
In the winter of 1862, while the snow covered everything, the first machinery ever brought to or erected in the ranges, commenced to crush, and from the first crushing of 150 tons of stone yielded 1,500 odd ounces of gold, or a little more than 10 ounces to the ton; subsequently crushings were equally good. By this time rich quartz had been opened up on Cherry's claim, and a trial crushing was made at the Prospectors, which yielded 10 ounces to the ton, on the strength of which Cherry put up machinery, and obtained splendid crushings, and in the beginning of 1863 more machinery was erected by other claims on the Morning Star Hill, which began to yield well, and as the alluvial claims had been giving splendid yields since early in 1861, Wood's Point, as the district now known began to be thought as one of the most rising and prosperous of the mining townships in Victoria.
In quick succession very rich alluvial and reefs were found, first the Loch Fyne reef, then B. B. Creek, the richest creek for its size in the colony, next the Jordan, on which Jerico was established, then the All Nations, the Royal Standard, the Leviathan, and other celebrated lines of reef. Claims, quartz and alluvial, were marked out on every side, and fetched fabulous prices; shares in the duffer claims, in many cases, fetching as much as shares in the richest. People seemed to think that the ranges teemed with gold, which was not after all so improbable, as it was only natural to suppose that all the gold bearing reefs and creeks could not be found in four years, which seemed the case, as since 1865 no auriferous reefs or creeks of importance have been found.
In 1865 Wood's Point was in the height of its glory, and the centre of a prosperous mining community, Jerico, ant numerous other small settlements on one side; the Gaffney district on the other; the Standard and Leviathan on the third; roads were opened up; four churches were built; law courts and police station were put up; a commodious hospital was erected; a borough farmed; two newspaper. established; and last, net least, seventeen public houses, besides numerous shanties, were in full swing. Had people only invested their money with justice and caution, Wood's Point would be equally as thriving to-day; but those who made money in the district as a rule spent it out of the district, and those who loft money in the district gave it a bad name; so the Wood's Point of to-day is a struggling, hut again, a rising township, slowly but surely developing its resources by the energy of the mining population, altogether without any aid from outside.
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