New Chum Hill - Early in the rush, some new chums arrived at the field. Asking other miners about good spots to try, they were jokingly directed to a most unlikely location. Their tunnel soon struck rich deposits and ‘New Chum Hill’ became the site of intensive mining.

The gold, deposited in a thick clay matrix by an ancient river, was best removed by sluicing. To provide water this operation several groups of miners built a network of races.

In 1878 some of the groups amalgamated to form the Kiandra Gold Mining Company, and in 1882 built the Three Mile Dam, commencing large scale hydraulic sluicing for the first time in Australia.

Source: NSW Parks & Wildlife Service signage

Stamp Battery - Most of the gold collected at Kiandra was alluvial and despite considerable efforts to find rich reef gold, none of economic importance was discovered. The ore was removed by digging a shaft along the steeply dipping rock strata. It was then taken to a stamp battery where it was crushed into a fine powder. Further processing separated the gold.

This stamp battery has been removed from its original location and reconstructed here by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Hydraulic Sluicing - A strong jet of water was used to undermine the hillside and wash the loose clay and gravel into wooden tail races, up to 500 metres long. Stones paving these races trapped the gold bearing sediment. A removable bottom on the race allowed this material to be collected easily and further processed.

Before the Kiandra Gold Mining Company ceased operations in the 1890’s, good returns were obtained. In three months alone, gold valued at £15,000 was won.