About Wangat
Wangat (also known as “Little River”) is located ‘approximately 8km North of the Chichester Dam near Dungog in the foothills of the World Heritage listed Barrington Tops National Park. The name Wangat derives from the Gringal Aboriginal dialogue meaning “Places where whispers were heard” which natives, prospectors, and cedar-getters often heard further North at Whispering Gully.
Wangat village
Structures at the original Wangat township included a hall, hotels, a school, a blacksmiths and miner’s dwellings. The cricket pitch was made from quartz crushing’s which sparkles on sunny days!
One of a few structure still left standing near old township.
Wangat Gold Rush
Wangat was officially surveyed in 1888 but from the 1870s through to the 1920s, the area near Wangat was the site of numerous gold mining claims with miners working the “Mountaineer Reef”. In peak times, these mines employed a few hundred men.
A typical mine shaft. Some shafts were as small as 18 inch and may run of 50 feet or more. Larger shafts could be 150 feet or more in length.
Town Relocation
The Wangat township was relocated to just below the Chichester Dam in 1916, with the construction of the Chichester Dam restricting access to Wangat. Low yields and restricted access lead to Mining ending in the Mid 1920s.
The new Wangat Village near the Chichester Dam. Source: Pipelines and People by Hunter District Water Board.
Wangat mining
Both steam and hydro powered stamper batteries were used in quartz crushing plants at various locations in the area. Near Wangat, a channel and trough system powered a waterwheel driving a battery. Gold was then screened out on a vibrating table.
A Battery Stamper at one of two quartz crushing plants remains at Wangat.
The timber industry
The timber Industry was also important to the area. With the depletion of the easier to get to cedar in early years, cedar getters slowly moved further up the Williams and Allyn rivers. Cedar trees found in the Dungog area could have a girth of as much as 11 – 13 metres.
Ruminants of the timber industry near Wangat. Cedar was the most popular timber due to its properties, particularly its ability to float and be transported.
Transport
Most transportation was done by Bullock Teams. Timber was taken from the region to Dungog or Clarence Town by Bullock Teams or floated down the Williams River.
Timber being transported to the local mill.
Dense Rainforest
Wangat is surrounded by rich luscious rainforests near the World Heritage listed Barrington Tops National Park. Thick bushland and steep countryside dominates the area around Wangat. Many people have become lost, or disappeared in this region and within the Barrington Tops.
BushRangers
Bushrangers were lured to the area by gold mines. Some notorious bushrangers that passed through Dungog and the Chichester / Wangat areas included Captain Thunderbolt, the Jew Boy Gang, Joe Burn (one of Ben Hall’s gang) and Jimmy and Joe Governor. The remoteness of the Dungog area saw Bushrangers frequent the area more than any other area in the Hunter Valley.
A wanted poster for Fred Ward known as Captain Thunderbolt. He was an excellent horseman with a keen eye for horses.
People of wangat
One resident to grow up at Wangat was war hero Herbert Latrobe, the son of a gold battery worker grew up and latter worked there as a policeman. Latrobe, who like “Simpson”, rescued wounded soldiers with his donkey “Barney” named after the Bullock he rode around the mine leases as a child.
War hero Herbert Latrobe.
