Women of the Gulgong Goldfield

ResearchMarch 8, 2023209Views

Today, 8 March, is International Women’s Day, so let’s take a look at some of the women of the Holtermann Collection. Many are working class women who raised children and ran businesses like produce stores or hotels, while their husband’s mined for gold. Others are…

Melkjoer Mystery

ResearchFebruary 7, 2023159Views

A number of photos in the Holtermann collection have not been identified. Some are attributed to Gulgong or Home Rule but captioned by the State Library with an additional question mark. This week I set out to solve one of those mysteries.

Water Woes

ResearchFebruary 6, 2023199Views

The approaching summer of 1871 was an unpleasant time on the Gulgong goldfield. Two aspects of the dry hot weather caused major problems for miners and townsfolk - dust and filth - as these newspaper snippets attest: ‘Down with the dust’ is now the universal…

Golden Age

ResearchJanuary 11, 2023137Views

With the discovery of payable gold on Red Hill in 1870, came opportunities for all. No matter who you were or where you came from, if you could get to Gulgong you had a chance to find "wondrous treasure". And it was a golden age for hoteliers.…

Blanchard The Butcher

ResearchDecember 2, 2022148Views

This story has enough intrigue for a Netflix biopic, but don't worry, Blanchard was an actual butcher and not a serial killer or blood-thirsty murderer. He was so nice, in fact, that he went on to be Mayor of Gulgong! Alfred Blanchard can be seen in at…

Thiodon’s Exhibition

ResearchNovember 11, 2022149Views

As Henry Beaufoy Merlin and Charles Bayliss made their way around the streets of Gulgong in 1872 documenting the people and their homes and businesses, one mysterious figure kept cropping up: Thiodon!

Gondolf Family

ResearchOctober 14, 2022107Views

You might wonder what a gold bible on display in the Long Room could have in common with the Holtermann Collection. Our Research Team has the answer. A German immigrant living in Woollahra, Peter Gondolf, purchased the ornate bible with money earned from gold discovered…