The name 'Araluen' is an Australian Aboriginal word. It is believed to mean 'water lily' or 'place of the water lilies'.[3] When European settlers arrived Araluen was a wide alluvialvalley. It had many billabongs covered with water lilies. No billabongs exist in the Araluen valley today. The natural shape and look of Araluen Creek and its valley were completely destroyed by uncontrolled and very destructive gold mining. This took place during the 'gold rush' in the second half of the 1800s.
The first Europeans to explore the area were Kearns, Packer and Marsh in 1822.[4] Andrew Badgery started farming cattle in the area in the 1830s. The first European settler to live at Araluen was Henry Burnell. He was able to buy 1280 acres of land.[4] He started farming sheep and cattle in 1835.[2] With the help of convicts he was able to build a farm house and farm buildings.
Gold
Gold was found at Araluen by Alexander Waddell in September 1851.[2] Thousands of people came to Araluen to look for gold during the gold rush. This included many Chinese gold miners. One of these miners was Quong Tart who came to Araluen when he was only nine years old.[2] He later became a famous business man in Sydney. In the 1860s there were more than 20 hotels in Araluen. The gold was alluvial gold, found in the bottom of the creeks. In some places there was up to 12 metres of dirt and sand on top of the gold. In the 1870s the gold miners used hydraulic sluices (high pressure water hoses) to wash away all the sand and dirt. Big floating dredges (digging machines) were put in the creek. There were 11 there in the 1900s.[2] The last dredge stopped working in 1932.
A flood in the Araluen and Braidwood area killed 24 people on January 1, 1860.[5] The flood destroyed the town. After the gold rush was over most people left the town. The Court House, built about 1861, is now used as a place for tourists to stay.[6]
Ben Hall
In May 1865 the bushrangerBen Hall and his gang tried to hold up the Araluen gold coach. The coach carried gold from the Araluen gold fields to Braidwood. This was a very steep road and very hard for a wagon pulled by horses to travel along. Often the only way to goods in and out of the valley was to drag them up or down on sleds.[2] The wagons could not go very fast, so this was a good spot for the bushrangers to rob the coach. The gold coach usually had a policeman with a gun sitting next to the driver. There were two more policemen on the back of the carriage. Four more policemen rode on horses in front and behind the coach. The gold was kept in a safe which was bolted to floor of the coach. (The coach has been restored and is on display at the Braidwood Museum)
.[7] The police were able to keep the bushrangers away from the coach, but Constable Kelly was wounded in the shooting.
Fruit farms
The Araluen valley is now well known for its fruit farms and orchards. The fruit is sent to Canberra, Sydney and to other countries.[2]
Arts and Poetry
Australian poet, Henry Kendall (1839-1882)[1], wrote a poem called Araluen. This describes the quiet and peaceful mood of the valley. It includes the words "Araluen -- home of dreams...". He also called his first daughter Araluen.[8] She was named after the Araluen Creek. She died in 1870 at the age of 13 months.[9]
In November every year, the Braidwood Folk Music club have a weekend of folk music called Music at the Creek.[10] This is held at the Majors Creek reserve, near the site of the Ben Hall robbery.
Araluen Zieria
The Araluen Zieria (Zieria adenophora), is a small shrub about 50cm tall and 50 cm wide. It is only found in one place, a slope above the Araluen Creek. There are only 56 known plants.[11] It has been listed as Endangered under the Australian government's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. It is also listed by the New South Wales Government, Endangered (Schedule 1, Part 1) on the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. There is now a plan to protect the plant.[11] These plans include:
