Archie Gilchrist lived in dwelling #41 - and was an old man. Dick Short lived in dwelling #28 and was a young man in his 20s. Archie thought he could divine for gold and divined the site for the shaft. The shaft was dug to about 20 feet to the schist bottom. There is no blacksand or clay, just rubble on a broken bottom of schist. The gold was found in a patchy thin layer of red wash. A number of small drives were dug off the shaft. The bottom appeared to be dipping downhill and upstream. A curved drive was dug running downstream. Good gold was found in this section - flat pennyweight size. It was a very slow job, advancing about 1-2 feet a day, getting the material was very slow. It was decided to construct the whinze in the next downstream gully and work back to the shaft. This made for easier spoil removal. Wooden rails were used with a small trolley. Once at the base of the whinze the trolley was turned on a large steel plate, then winched up the whinze on rails.The steel plate is now at the whinze portal. The spoil was stockpiled. The gully below the winze was lined with flat rocks then sacking and more flat rocks. A small dam was built some distance above the whinze. An old water race was upgraded and water was stored in the dam. The water was then turned down a race to the rock tailrace and the spoil was ground sluiced. The pair spent about seven months working this claim, then Dick decided to go back to his previous job as a wool classer. Archie continued on, extending the whinze with small drives and lowered - steepened up the whinze, but did not do very well. The pair used small coal miners picks - short handles. Archie had been a blacksmith and he would point and temper the picks in a forge at Angus Crabbes place. Murray Dennisons woolshed (#48).

The shaft is overgrown with briar and hawthorn. It has loose protruding rocks and requires a rope to enter safely. The whinze entrance is partially blocked with a steel plate and tin, but is easily entered. A small amount of material has fallen off the roof but it is still quite sound. Dick's tunnel shaft to the whinze is very soundly constructed, and is narrow and tall. Archies tunnels are wide and 'U' shaped. Some large rocks have fallen off the roof (doesn't look too safe). These tunnels may be too wide. James Stewart's drive is still in good condition - narrow and tall.