Bombay Display Board: Glorious
The text, images and references of the 'Glorious' column as featured on the Bombay display board at Bombay Reserve.
Gold was first discovered in the Braidwood region in 1851, yielding immense riches for two decades. The local population boomed and grew to around 10,000. Extensive, shallow alluvial goldfields extended along the Shoalhaven River from Jembaicumbene in the south to Warri in the north. Major digging sites can be found along the river in Bombay, including east and west of the bridge, at Little Bombay Creek, Pipeclay and to the north near Columbo Creek.
The Braidwood goldfields were the most productive in New South Wales, producing 578,664 ounces (16.4 tonnes) of gold between 1858 and 1870. In 1861, it was reported five men were knocking out six ounces of gold per week near the Bombay crossing.
Sketch of Chinese Miners near Jembaicumbene in 1863.
Credit: Braidwood & District Historical Society
During the late 1850s and early 1860s, Chinese miners, primarily from Guangdong Province, arrived to work the goldfields in Jembaicumbene and Bombay. Many came under the credit-ticket system, where merchants in Hong Kong and Australia sponsored their journey. They often purchased mining claims from Europeans and were very successful due to their systematic and cooperative approach.
Two sizable Chinese camps were located on the Bombay diggings. Chinese communities generally had their own huts, temples, stores and cemeteries. Beyond mining, some were entrepreneurs, running local businesses and market gardens, with evidence of at least one garden opposite Sandholes Road.
Mining techniques evolved over time, beginning with basic pan and cradle methods and progressing to ground and hydraulic sluicing, which used high-pressure water to move large amounts of sediment quickly.
Despite early successes, mining slowed during the 1870s due to drought and water shortages. Two significant sluicing claims in Bombay - Rocky Race Co. and McGregor and Co. - constructed water races to improve mining efficiency. Ditches were dug and stone walls built by hand, running for several kilometres on either side of the river. In 1895, the Shoalhaven Sluicing Company added another 11.3km water race.
After this, mining activity became more speculative, with ruinous consequences for investors and the environment. Dredging, introduced in 1899, further advanced operations by using suction to remove gold from riverbeds. Five dredging companies were operating along the Shoalhaven River at one stage, but soon went bust, with dredges decommissioned between 1901-1908.
Once mining ceased, sites were abandoned with out any remedial action. More than a hundred years later, the scars remain a feature of the landscape. Some vegetation has re-established, but many mining holes, water races and paraphernalia can still be found along the river, including at Bombay Reserve.
Water race found upstream along the river in Bombay.
Credit: D Woods
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Glorious References:
- McGowan B, n.d., The Braidwood district's Chinese heritage Compiled and written by Dr Barry McGowan <https://www.braidwoodmuseum.org.au/Chinese.html>
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Article by Barry McGowan in journal - Australasian Historical Archaeology 14, 1996: “The typology and techniques of Alluvial Mining: the example of the Shoalhaven and Mongarlowe Goldfields in Southern New South Wales”
- Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (Great Britain), 1844, New South Wales, Sydney, Chapman and Hall <https://www.oldmapsonline.org/en/maps/e2e65f08-4e65-5404-93f6-f40c9e7b2cc5/compare?gid=34caf2ae-a500-5db0-98cf-410dd04f55d4&year=1833#position=8.5933/-30.249/149.049/0/16.72&year=1833>
- 1917 'Old Braidwood.', The Braidwood Review and District Advocate (NSW : 1914 - 1954), 17 July, p. 5. , viewed 10 Oct 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article119240165
- McGowan, Barry. 1996, Bungonia to Braidwood : an historical and archaeological account of the Shoalhaven and Mongarlowe goldfields / Barry McGowan. B. McGowan Canberra
This Bombay Landcare Information Board project was proudly co-funded by Bendigo Community Bank Braidwood, WaterNSW
Bombay Landcare Group and Upper Shoalhaven Landcare Council. With Special thanks to Sheep Station Creek Landcare's Christine Payne and Michael Gill for illustrations and design. Artwork © 2025 C Payne & M Gill. All rights reserved.