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The Blacksmith of the Gold Rush Days

The Blacksmith played a vital role in an 1850's mining village. In the 1850's, nothing was mass produced and anything made of steel was either made in a small manufacturing forge or by the blacksmith. All his work was done simply by heating steel in his forge and shaping it while it was hot and malleable. In the early days he would have burnt charcoal. Our "smithys" use coke (partly burnt coal) for heat. In order to get the heat required to forge wrought iron, a large bellows is used to blow a stream of air over the charcoal or coke to make it burn faster. Once the metal is hot enough, the blacksmith will use a variety of hammers and other tools against his anvil to form the metal into the required shapes, or to weld pieces of metal together. The "Smithy" was important in that he repaired picks, axes, wheels, shod horses and made things such as hinges and hammers.

Blacksmith's Anvil & Grinding Stone Blacksmith's craft items are available in the Diggers Rest Tavern and can make a useful memento of your visit to Old Mogo Town.

Wheelwrighting in the Gold Rush Days

The Wheelwright Just as important as the Blacksmith was the Wheelwright, the artisan who created, or wrought, wheels. Wheelwrighting was an exacting profession, requiring a high degree of expertise and a deep knowledge of wood in order to build wheels that would last under heavy loads and on rough terrain. The Wheelwright would work closely with the Blacksmith, whose job it was to form and fit the iron hoop which bound the wheel together.

Blacksmiths and Wheelwrights of the Gold Rush Days

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between Batemans Bay and Moruya on the South Coast of NSW Australia.



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