The Story of the Rocky Mountain Tunnel

The story of the Rocky Mountain Tunnel - One of the greatest engineering feats in Australia

The first gold discoveries began in 1852, the rush of miners started along Spring Creek. Alluvial gold was mined by traditional methods with manpower, the pick and shovel and the cradle was used to extract the gold, shafts were dug and the ‘dirt’ was washed directly in the creek.

As the surface gold run out parties of miners organised to use more advanced methods of mining, this included the construction of races to carry water beyond the immediate creek area and the beginning of sluicing, a method of using water under pressure to wash away the ‘dirt’.

In 1856 a small party of miners applied for the right to run a trailrace from the Newtown Falls (below the present Newtown Bridge) to the Spring Creek flats. This fist race was cut through to move water from the diggings, by 1867 with fresh capital and the float of the Rocky Mountain Mining Co., the trailrace was dug to 8’through 450 yards of solid granite, this was used successfully from 1869 -1876, with 6500 ozs of gold being recovered bring healthy returns to the shareholders.

As sluicing operations moved further up the creek, it was found the ground deepened and the tailrace became inoperable. A fresh company, the Rocky Mountain Extended Gold Sluicing Co. was formed with a capital of £6000. They decided to drive a tunnel straight under the town. Started in 1876 it was completed in 1879. The tunnel allowed the Company to continue sluicing and dredging along Spring Creek until it ceased operations in 1921.

Tunnel Dimensions:
Lenght tunnel through rock - 2100ft
Weight of stone removed - 8, 628 tons in 10920 truckloads
Holes bored - total lenght of 18 miles
Drills used - 98, 280
Length of use - 18.5miles
Shots fired - 32, 760
Total length of tunnel - 2,611 ft
Total Cost - £14, 600

Source: Burke Memorial Museum, ‘Trailrace to Tunnel’