Interested? Well, a bit of background first. It might sound ‘old skool’ but we do still microfilm records here at State Records. Currently the gaol photograph description books are being microfilmed (and indexed) alphabetically gaol by gaol.
In the repository
In the planning stage is a new project relating to the Colonial Secretary’s records, the most comprehensive index of early NSW settlement. It was thought that the majority of these records had already been microfilmed and it was only during a recent stock-take of archives that we found some unprocessed boxes of records.
Accessioning – a treasure map discovered
The Manager of Special Projects was tasked with the job of sorting through the contents of these records and found a treasure map, purportedly drawn up by Governor Bligh leading to a stash of gold that was hidden during the Rum Rebellion.
Can you help decipher the clues?
We haven’t yet been able to verify if this is true or not! You have helped us with projects in the past and we thought, a treasure hunt might just be the thing to seize your interest. If any of you live or visit Parramatta regularly, the clues seem to point to this area, which makes sense considering Parramatta was one of the earliest established towns in the Colony.
The more of us to go ‘hunting’ the better chances we have of finding the gold!
Who’s interested?
lyn says:
hahaha You got me!!
beachcomberaustralia says:
A “Treasure Trove” search of the SMH for 1/4/1808 mentions a crock of gold at the end of Rainbow Street, Parramatta, closely guarded by a colony of leprechauns.
Oddly enough, John Degotardi Jnr., Government Photographer, inadvertently photographed the cache during Cleansing Operations c.1900 – http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/asp/photosearch/photo.asp?12487_a021_a021000029
I wonder if it the same crock of, um, gold? More info and Google Street view – http://bit.ly/f3sVlC
Anthea Brown says:
@beachcomberaustralia Hahahahahahahahahaha!
Debbie says:
Hilarious! Some of the facilities produced today are probably worth a pot of gold too! I don’t like being talked to by a stranger when I’m about my business if you know what I mean… it’s unsettling (=0
Iain Stuart says:
Do you need a miner’s right to go gold digging?
Fiona Sullivan says:
Ooops, you got us, we slipped up there! Maybe we can go fossicking instead ? If there were a lot of us and we did it over a long period of time we could almost comply with the regulations lol.