Eldorado's Mining History

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The township of Eldorado was founded on mining, and for over a hundred years has ebbed and flowed along with the variety of mining methods.   The town's main gold extraction was through open-cut methods.  However, the gold discovered in the township area wasn't accessed as easily as that further up Reid's Creek (now known as Reedy creek).

After gold was discovered in the township in 1854 things moved ahead rapidly.  In 1857 there were almost thirty business houses listed in the Ovens Directory and an early mining application map showed 75 buildings.  By the 1870's there were around 4,000 people living in Eldorado.

In 1934 a further six homes were built, but in 1954 when the dredge closed, many buildings were sold and moved away.

Visit the musuem for a more comprehensive history of mining in Eldorado and its surrounds.