1886 Gold Diggers at Work – Gippsland FRAMED

By January 1860, a fossicker called Edward Gladman had started the Baw Baw diggings on the Tanjil River in west Gippsland. These were followed by exploration of the Upper Thomson and Aberfeldy Rivers.In December of 1862, a party of four prospectors were working their way south down the Thomson River from Fulton’s Creek. On December 26th, three who had persevered began prospecting up a creek that flowed into the Thomson River from a steep valley to the east, several kilometres south of Fulton’s Creek. They named it Stringer’s Creek in honour of Ned Stringer, the assumed name of Edward Randel, one of the prospectors and a “ticket-of-leave” man, or former convict. When they found very encouraging signs of gold at a fork in the creek, Stringer promptly left to register a claim before the mining registrar at Bald Hills on 12^th January, 1863.Although he eventually was to receive a £100 reward for his part in discovering the goldfield, Ned Stringer had little opportunity to enjoy the fruits of his find. Diagnosed as suffering from tuberculosis, he travelled eastward to Sale for treatment in September of 1863, and died at Toongabbie on September 25^th during his return trip to Walhalla.