The Prospectors Documentary Script

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THE PROSPECTORS

48 mins

Written by

Graeme Beck

EXT. LEEUWIN AT SEA - SUNSET

OLD FILM LOOK SEPIA images

Of the Leeuwin in sail

Recreates a time gone by.

Close-ups of

Water

And rigging.

NATURAL sound effects.

DON V.O.)

This is the story of men and women

who have made nations great. Those

who had a dream, and in many cases

died for it. It is the story of

courage, perseverance, tenacity

and greed. It is a world story,

for these people belonged to the

world community.

EXT. LEEUWIN - EVENING

We match dissolve out of OLD FILM LOOK to COLOUR as our

Presenter stands next to rigging on deck of the Leeuwin.

Sunset background.

DON

And whilst this story is set in

Australia, it could be in any

country, where people driven by

the insatiable search for great

wealth risked all. The stakes

were high and the success rates

were low. Many characters became

part of our folklore, in some cases

the myth overtook the fact, but

there is no denying one fact, these

were no ordinary people, they were

the prospectors.

MUSIC up.

INT/EXT. GRAPHICS/MONTAGE - DAY/NIGHT

Stylised OLD FILM LOOK jittery titles:

ILW and GRUBSTAKE PRODUCTIONS

Present

THE PROSPECTORS

Over OLD FILM LOOK layered silhouetted images of:

Men pushing wheelbarrows,

Digging,

Panning,

Dryblowing

And the Leeuwin sailing.

This is the story about men and

MUSIC down.

INT. PAINTINGS

An early painting of sparsely populated Sydney.

DON V.O.)

Australia in the 1850's was a far

cry from today. Few people ventured

from the coast and to travel any

distance was an accomplishment.

EXT. DIRT TRACK - DAY

A OLD FILM LOOK image of an approaching man on a horse.

Small sub-title; 'Re-enactment.'

DON V.O.)

A bullish man by the name of Edward

Hargraves was about to change all

that.

EXT. BUSH - DAY

Continuing OLD FILM LOOK as Hargraves rides his horse

through the bush.

DON V.O.)

Hargraves had recognised the similarity between Bathurst and

the Californian goldfields which he had recently returned from. He

was certain there was gold there and after much ridicule from the

Sydney public the lone figure rode into the bush in the beginning of

1851. It was a ride into history.

Introduce another rider.

DON V.O.)

Along the way he recruited a guide,

a young man by the name of John

Lister, and on the 12th of February

they arrived at Lewis Ponds creek.

EXT. RIVER - DAY

OLD FILM LOOK of the two men riding along the river bank.

(They carry with them a small pick, tin dish, bricklayers

trowel, pen knife and grease proof paper.)

HARGRAVES V.O.)

I found myself in country I was

anxiously longing to behold again.

My recollection had not deceived

me. The resemblance to that of

California goldfields could not be

mistaken. I felt myself surrounded

by gold.

The young rider dismounts and scoops up handfuls of water.

HARGRAVES V.O.)

My guide went for water to drink

and after making a hasty repast, I

told him that we were now in the

gold fields and that the gold was

under his feet. I dug a panful of

dirt and washed it.

HARGRAVES dismounts and with his small pick digs at the

river bank.

He scrapes the dirt into his dish, adding water.

And swirling with a rhythmic motion.

Anxiously he palms away the top layer of gravel from the

dish and swirls again.

HARGRAVES V.O.)

The young boy stared in disbelief,

their in the bottom of the pan lay

specks of the precious metal.

With his pen knife he lifts the grains of gold and puts

them in a slip of greased paper.

HARGRAVES V.O.)

I then washed five panfuls in

succession, obtaining gold from

all but one. To describe my

feelings at that eventful moment

would be impossible.

EXT. ACROSS RIVER - DAY

OLD FILM LOOK image of the jubilant men panning for gold

as two young men, TOM and WILLIAM TOMS, ride up.

DON V.O.)

And so the first gold rush in

Australia was about to begin. The

two men were joined by Lister's

friends, James and William Tom and

Hargraves set off to claim his

reward for discovering Australia'S

first goldfield.

EXT. RIVER BANK - DAY

A match-dissolve from OLD FILM LOOK to COLOUR of DON as he

walks along the river's edge.

DON

Meanwhile the boys continued to

work along the river bank where

they achieved little success. In

April they moved several miles to

the junction of Summer Hill creek

where in five days they recovered

four ounces of the precious metal.

Finally this was payable gold.

INT. NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS

Old clippings of the time.

DON V.O.)

Word spread slowly when Hargraves

first announced his discovery.

INT. PAINTINGS

We pan through paintings of the early goldfields.

DON V.O.)

In May over four hundred claims

were being worked but in the

following months hundreds more

crazed gold seekers arrived. The

Government quickly imposed a tax

of 30 shillings a month on each

digger and in June the Commissioner

of Lands reached Ophir, as it was

now been called.

COMMISSIONER V.O.)

I saw over 1000 prospectors camped

along the creek and I collected

the tax with little trouble as

fortunes were being won by the

early diggers.

DON V.O.)

As the rich surface gold quickly

ran out and new ground was found

in the surrounding areas.

INT. PAINTINGS/NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS

July 1851, The Sydney Morning Herald reports on the massive

nuggets.

DON V.O.)

In July, fifty miles to the north

of Bathurst a prospector brought

into town several gold studded

quartz nuggets totaling over 1200

ounces of gold, and Bathurst went

mad again.

EXT. RIVER BANK - NIGHT

DON sits by a large fire.

DON

In recognition of the initial

discovery, Hargraves was given a

reward of ten thousand pounds from

the New South Wales government.

However storm clouds started to

appear on the horizon. Lister and

the Tom brothers protested about

Hargrave's reward claiming they

were the true discovers of the

first payable goldfields. The

tenacious Lister perused justice

for over forty years and finally,

just before Hargraves death, the

second inquiry found in favour of

the boys.

INT. OLD COURT ROOM - DAY

OLD FILM LOOK of a moodily lit wood lined room sits a judge,

in reflective mood and in period costume.

JUDGE

Although Mr Hargraves is entitled

to the credit of having taught the

claimants, Messrs W. and J. Tom

and Lister, the use of the dish

and the cradle, and otherwise the

proper methods of searching for

gold, which his visit to the

californian goldfields enabled him

to do, your committee are satisfied

that Messrs Tom and Lister were

undoubtedly the first discoverers

of gold in Australia in payable

quantities.

EXT. RIVER BANK - NIGHT

COLOUR and DON still sitting by the fire.

DON

After forty years and two official

enquiries justice was finally done,

or was it? For their efforts,

Lister and the Tom brothers received

the sum of just over three hundred

pounds each. But Hargraves find

had captured the imagination of

the population and thousands of

prospectors started moving into

the interior searching for gold.

INT. SOVEREIGN HILL - DAY

OLD FILM LOOK images of various dressed people in period

costume serve behind shop counters.

WENDY V.O.)

The finds at Bathurst spurred

Victorian businessmen into action.

Fearing the newly separated colony

of Victoria would loose its

population to New South Wales, it

also offered substantial rewards.

INT. SKETCHES/PAINTINGS

Relevant sketches and paintings of the early days in

Ballarat.

WENDY

In August of 1851 a prospector

named Regan took shelter from the

rain under a wattle tree. While

sitting there he idly scratched at

the mud with his foot and found

gold and the incredibly rich

Ballarat goldfields.

MUSIC UP

Continue relevant paintings.

Sketches

And

More paintings.

Reports in the MELBOURNE ARGUS

WENDY V.O.)

The early prospectors would dig

hundreds of ounces in a day, ten

years wages, while others would

return shortly to Melbourne with

twenty thousand ounces or more of

gold concealed in their Drays.

Melbourne went mad with gold fever.

INT. PAINTINGS

Prospectors leave Ballarat.

WENDY V.O.)

Within a month, Ballarat's thousands

of shallow pits were soon depleted

of their rich pickings.

EXT. SOVEREIGN HILL - DAY

OLD FILM LOOK of prospectors working sluicing cradles by

the waters edge.

Period dressed people go about there business while others

ride in stagecoaches.

WENDY V.O.)

It wouldn't be till later that the

huge underground reserves would be

discovered. The prospectors then

rushed to the next find just 40

miles to the north, at Mount

Alexander. Here 15 square miles

of rich ground was there for the

taking.

EXT. OLD SHOP FRONT (KAL. TOURIST MINE) - DAY

Old shop front MORPHS to COLOUR and WENDY, our female

presenter is now introduced as she walks out.

WENDY

Thousands walked away with tons of

gold dug out of the shallow ground

in the first few weeks. Victoria

rapidly took over from New South

Wales as the golden capital of

Australia as thousands of gold

seekers flooded to the new fields.

1851 was a big year in Australia

for gold discovery and in November,

Margaret Kennedy discovered another

massive find at Bendigo.

INT. PAINTINGS

MARGARET V.O.)

We got a great deal of gold in the

first few weeks while working alone.

We found a lot in the banks of the

creek and in the sods of the grass.

You could shut your eyes and get

gold in a dish anywhere.

INT. NEWSPAPER CLIPPING

The 'Argus' newspaper, 13th December, 1851.

WENDY V.O.)

When the journalist Henry Frenchan

announced the find as "The christmas

Box to the Nation" in December,

Bendigo was rushed.

EXT. OLD SHOP FRONTS (KAL. TOURIST MINE) - DAY

WENDY walks down the isolated street.

WENDY

The pedestrian population of

Melbourne was visibility depleted

as the town went crazy in the haste

to find their own El Dorado's.

Ships lay idle in the harbour as

whole crews deserted. Businesses

closed as staff and managers left

for the fields. The roads were

crowded with drays and wheelbarrows

in a mixed confusion of professional

people and labourers. The next

couple of years saw new fields

opening up all over the state and

Melbourne boomed as tens of

thousands of hopefuls arrived from

all over the world and the Governor

of the time became increasingly

concerned.

EXT. PAINTINGS

An authoritarian voice picks up the story over paintings

of Melbourne and the workings at Ballarat.

GOVERNOR V.O.)

The fledgling community is being

put to great inconvenience when

servants and labours head off to

the fields. Masters have been

seen driving their own drays.

Ladies of respectability and ample

means are obliged to do their own

washing.

INT. OLD BANK (KAL. TOURIST MINE) - DAY

Wendy walks into the deserted bank.

WENDY

To restrain the population and

raise more money for the cash

strapped colony, Governor Hotham

increased the licenses for digging.

For the large sum of three pounds

per month a digger was allocated

eight square feet and each square

rarely produced enough gold to pay

for the licence. By mid 1854,

events were escalating towards

what was to become Australia's

first rebellion against government.

INT. PAINTING

A uniformed man next to a shabby digger.

WENDY V.O.)

The prospectors were becoming

increasingly frustrated with the

harsh and unreasonable methods

used in checking licenses. Their

were other injustices too which

compounded their grievances. The

prospectors wanted the right to

vote, to parliament representation

and an enquire into police

intimidation.

DON

In 1854 a young prospector named

Scobie was kicked to death by the

owner of the Eureka hotel. He was

later acquitted by the corrupt

magistrate, but his hotel was burnt

down by the angry locals.

INT. NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS

November 25th 1854 the 'Ballarat Times' encouraged revolt.

DON V.O.)

The Ballarat times called for

revolt.

INT. PAINTINGS

Slow pan up a painting of Lalor.

LALOR V.O.)

The grievances under which we had

long suffered and the brutal attack

of that day flashed across my mind

[and with the burning feelings of

an injured man] I mounted the stump

and proclaimed "Liberty."

EXT. MINE HEAD (KALGOORLIE TOURIST MINE) - DAY

DON

A young Irishman by the name of

Peter Lalor became the prospectors

leader and in November of 1854 a

stockade of timber was built.

INT. PAINTINGS - AFTERNOON

Pan across a Eureka painting.

OLD TIMER 3

(poetic voice)

Brave Lalor with dauntless dare,

his men inspiring to wolf or bear,

defiance bidding he made us swear,

be faithful to the standard, in

victory or death.

Together 500 old timers swear the oath;

OLD TIMERS 500

We swear by the Southern Cross to

stand by each other and fight to

defend out rights and liberties.

EXT. TENT (KALGOORLIE TOURIST MINE) - AFTERNOON

A sweaty DON walks around a miner's camp.

DON

In these hot and humid conditions

the prospectors were preparing to

defend their rights and the Eureka

flag was raised. By december the

second, one thousand occupied the

stockade with four hundred troopers

and police in the hills nearby. A

tense stand off developed over two

days, and at three A.M. on Sunday

the 4th, when just one hundred and

twenty people remained, as most

had returned to their tents, the

troopers attacked.

INT. PAINTING

The Painting lit by explosive and flickering light.

Dramatic MUSIC.

Sound effects of

GUNS FIRING.

GUNS RELOADING.

Images of the fighting.

More images of fighting.

Several more images of the fighting are portrayed.

MUSIC down.

EXT. TENT (KALGOORLIE TOURIST MINE) - SUNSET

DON now sits around a campfire outside the miner's tent.

DON

Within thirty minutes the rebellion

was smashed. As dawn rose, the

carnage was obvious, the stockade

was burning and history had been

written.

INT. PAINTING

A painting depicts the aftermath of Eureka.

Solemn MUSIC.

DON V.O.)

Five police were killed and the

prospectors losses are not known

exactly.

EXT. KALGOORLIE CEMETERY - DAY

WENDY strolls into shot.

WENDY

Lalor listed 14 dead and eight

fatally wounded. The battle at

Eureka was a vital chapter in

Australia's history. The Government

finally conceded the prospectors

demands and replaced the expensive

monthly licence fee with a yearly

'Miner's Right', which also carried

with it the right to vote.

INT. PAINTING

A painting continues to depict the aftermath of Eureka.

Continue Solemn MUSIC.

LALOR V.O.)

I said my young Australian that

the fight was lost and won. But

oh our hearts were heavy at the

setting of the sun. Yet ere the

year was over freedom rolled in

like a flood. They gave us all we

asked for, when we asked for it in

blood.

EXT. KALGOORLIE CEMETERY - DAY

We see a close-up of WENDY only.

WENDY

From the turmoil and chaos came

recognition and Peter Lalor went

on to become a member of the

Victorian government.

INT. PAINTINGS

Relevant paintings of Europeans setting up camp while

Aboriginals look on.

DON V.O.)

Australia in the 1850's was

essentially a European settlement

in an Aboriginally dominated land,

but the discovery of gold changed

all that. Over the next ten years

hundreds of thousands of prospectors

converged on the country from all

over the world trebling the

countries's population.

INT. PAINTINGS

Relevant paintings of Chinese prospectors working at the

diggings.

DON V.O.)

The industrious Chinese arrived by

the thousands. By mid 1850 there

were over 60,000 Chinese on the

goldfields. At Ballarat, they

were making good money out of

abandoned European workings and

their presence began to be resented.

The Government, through taxes and

other measures began to restrict

Asian immigration. The Chinese

prospector were then forced to

supply more of the ancillary

services, such as market gardens

and laundries, as these were

occupations which offered little

competition to Europeans.

INT. OLD PHOTOGRAPHS

WENDY

The mines in Victoria went deep as

huge reserves were discovered in

the ancient creek beds below. The

'Welcome Stranger' nugget was

unearthed just 1 foot below the

surface. A massive lump of gold

weighing over 2000 ounces. The

largest nugget in the world.

EXT. TENT (KALGOORLIE TOURIST MINE) - NIGHT

DON still sits around a campfire outside the miner's tent.

DON

Australia was becoming an Alladians

Cave of precious metals as the

prospector made his way up the

east coast of the country.

Queensland had seen a few small

finds before and Conoona, 20 miles

outside of Rockhampton was rushed

in 1858, when 60 ounces of its

course dark gold was put on display

in a shop in Sydney. Gold around

the Bathurst region was being

overworked and prospective diggers

deluged ship owners with demands

for travel. Thousands descended

on the small field and the local

residents of Rockhampton believed

a second Bendigo had been found.

But the diggings dried up just as

quick as they were found. While

prospectors fought over a few ounces

behind them an 'Ironstone Mountain'

containing an astonishing 250 tons

waited to be discovered. Thousands

turned back for home and passed

the mountain and Rockhampton

returned to become what it had

before the rush. Four houses and

a pub. It wouldn't be till 15

years later that the town's rich

secret would be unlocked.

EXT. OUTBACK CREEK - (SWAN VALLEY) - DAY

OLD FILM LOOK image of James Nash panning for gold. His

billy boils nearby.

His ladened horse grazes nearby.

WENDY V.O.)

Australia's next major discovery

was in Gympie, in 1867. James

Nash, like thousands of others had

come north from the New South Wales

and Victorian goldfields. He was

a quiet and secretive man who always

travelled alone. At a creek while

waiting for his billy to boil he

panned for gold and hit some colour.

Further up the creek he found a

spot rich in nuggets.

EXT. OUTBACK CREEK - (SWAN VALLEY) - DAY

OLD FILM LOOK morphs to COLOUR with WENDY now in the same

location.

WENDY

Nash rode the 60 miles to

Maryborough to restock and buy

tools. He tried to pay this with

the gold he had found but had

trouble trading the nuggets.

INT. PAINTINGS

JAMES V.O.)

I tried several stores and two

banks but could not sell my gold.

Times were so bad that they hardly

knew what gold looked like. At

last I tried Mr Southerden's store

a second time and he allowed me

three pounds for it, one in money

and the rest in tools and rations.

EXT. OUTBACK CREEK - (SWAN VALLEY) - DAY

WENDY strolls around the creek bed.

WENDY

While at Maryborough, Nash managed

to keep his discovery at Gympie

Creek a secret, no mean feat in

those times when even the hint of

a gold find would have spread like

wildfire. He slipped out of town

making sure he wasn't being

followed. Back at Gympie, Nash

recovered 75 ounces of gold in six

days. Now convinced he was onto a

genuine discovery he raced back to

Maryborough to register a claim.

INT. PAINTINGS

WENDY V.O.)

Word spread and there was a stampede

with most of the stores being

cleaned out within a day.

Pandemonium broke out and fights

flared up all over the fields as

each tried to peg a claim.

EXT. OUTBACK CREEK - (SWAN VALLEY) - DAY

WENDY

Once the richness of Gympie field

was realised, even more people

came. Farmers left their land and

the sugar harvest came to a

standstill. Those too late moved

further north to the new discoveries

at Ravenswood and Charters Towers,

then eventually all the way to the

harsh tropics of the Palmer River.

EXT. ROCKY OUTCROP 1 (DARLING RANGES) - DAY

DON walks around a rocky outcrop.

DON

The 'Ironstone Mountain' still

held its secret. Traditionaly

Ironstone wasn't gold bearing rock

so the early prospectors who had

seen it quickly moved on. And

when the Morgan brothers brought

the renown Sydney geologist, Dr

James Robertson, to the area to

look over a couple of potential

copper prospects they showed him

the mountain too.

EXT. ROCKS - DAY

OLD FILM LOOK tracking shot of a granite outcrop.

ROBERTSON V.O.)

There's complete absence from the

stone. It's ferruginous in

character, without a trace of copper

in it.

EXT. ROCKY OUTCROP 1 (DARLING RANGES) - DAY

DON continues at the rocky outcrop.

DON

After several frustrating days

looking over various sites he became

increasingly annoyed at the Morgans

who brought him all this way to

"non-existent copper deposits."

Undeterred the Morgans went back

another day. Rain had set in this

time and the water glistened on

the rocks. Boulders that looked

deceptively ordinary before when

dry now sparkled in the sunlight.

They were too ignorant to share in

the geologists prejudice against

ironstone and had it assayed anyway.

And Mount Morgan went on to

contained 250 tons of the yellow

metal. A mountain of gold. It

was so wealthy in fact that one of

its owners financed further

prospecting in the Persian Gulf

area which eventually lead to the

formation of British Petroleum.

EXT. SALT PLAINS (KALGOORLIE SALT PLAINS)- DAY

At a desolate salt plain WENDY picks up the story.

WENDY

The prospector were a special breed

and in those early pioneering days

they tolerated incredible hardships.

They were at the mercy of the

elements both natural and human.

INT. PAINTINGS

The paintings portray confrontation with the Aboriginals

and early settlers.

WENDY V.O.)

The local aboriginals were

suspicious of these new people

walking their land and their

attitudes often led to fatal

confrontations.

INT. PAINTINGS/SKETCHES

Sketches of early prospectors dying in the desert.

WENDY V.O.)

Water was always a problem as the

prospector moved further north,

and the lack of it for most of the

year killed many in a painful death.

And when it did rain, floods and

disease wiped others out. Dead

prospectors would be found with

pounds of gold on them while others

had eaten there boots to survive.

INT. EARLY PAINTINGS OF TASMANIA

WENDY V.O.)

They encountered different hardships

in Tasmania. The arid hostile

desert and oppressive heat became

impenetrable forests, mountainous

terrain and freezing temperatures.

EXT. HEAVILY WOODED AREA - DAY

In a deeply forested area our presenter fights his way

through the bush.

DON

In 1871, James Smith ventured on a

five month trek into this almost

impenetrable region of Tasmania.

With nothing more than his bush

skills and a gut instinct he panned

the creeks that eventually led him

to Mount Bischoff and a fabulously

rich mountain of tin.

INT. OLD PHOTOGRAPHS

Old photographs of the mining company.

DON V.O.)

The Mount Bischoff Mining Company

was formed and Smith received over

four thousand of the twelve thousand

five pound shares. Years later

the price quoted never fell below

eighty pounds and dividends paid

by the company eclipsed those of

any other mine in Australia.

EXT. HEAVILY WOODED AREA - DAY

DON

Smith's discovery changed the course

of Tasmanian history and was the

forerunner of several mineral

discoveries which dragged the state

out of recession and laid the

foundation for what became a

thriving mining industry.

INT. PAINTINGS/PHOTOGRAPHS

Old photographs and sketches of the Adelaide to Darwin

telegraph line being built.

WENDY V.O.)

The first traces of gold in the

Northern Territory were discovered

in the early 1870's by workers on

the overland telegraph line between

Adelaide and Darwin. A prospecting

company formed in 1872 by a South

Australian grazier, X.X. Bagot,

found the first gold bearing reef

at Yam creek.

INT. OLD PAINTINGS/PHOTOGRAPHS

Old paintings and photographs depict Darwin during this

era.

WENDY V.O.)

A second reef was discovered in

the Howley district and these

discoveries caused the inevitable

rush as the word spread to the

other states. The town of Darwin

was seething with gold fever. New

parties arrived every week, but

many weren't equipped for the rigors

of the Territory's hot tropical

climate. Disease was rampant and

the incessant rain and humidity

had a detrimental effect on many.

EXT. ROCKY OUTCROP 3 (KALGOORLIE) - DAY

WENDY walks around another interesting rocky outcrop.

WENDY

There was no fresh food or

vegetables, flour and rice was

infested with weevils and like

life on many other goldfields,

alcohol was the undoing of many.

Some less scrupulous merchants

peddled a concoction of kerosene,

flavored with Worcester sauce,

ginger and sugar. Malaria became

wide spread with scurvy and

dysentery killing many others.

INT. OLD PAINTINGS/PHOTOGRAPHS

OLD TIMER 2

The misconduct in the Northern

Territory was beyond anything in

the history of gold mining. A

number of costly equipped

prospecting or picnic parties'

were established by syndicates

down south. Many of these men

were totally unacquainted with

prospecting and some never proceeded

further than Darwin. Others

advanced just 40 miles into the

interior or never lost sight of

the telegraph posts while others

planted themselves on the banks of

a creek and quietly received their

pay. When their grog and provisions

ran out they simply struck camp

and pronounced the Territory a

'duffer'.

EXT. ROCKY OUTCROP 2 - (KALGOORLIE) - DAY

At a rugged rocky outcrop DON continues the story.

DON

One of the most spectacular

discoveries in Australia's history

was made beyond these hills. It

was a discovery of such magnitude

that even today the company is

still one of the largest companies

in Australia. Three hills rose

above the barren landscape and

under them astonishing riches.

Riches that would exceed those of

Ballarat and Bendigo. In 1883 an

unassuming man by the name of

Charles Rasp discovered mineralised

rocks there. Assay results showed

silver and lead, but in uneconomical

quantities. Undeterred he formed

a syndicate with six other men and

a shaft was dug. A public float

was announced selling quietly to

the public. Eighteen months later

the rich silver loads were

discovered and in some places they

were over five hundred feet wide.

The original investors became some

of the wealthiest people in

Australia. Within ten years thirty

five thousand people were living

in Broken Hill.

INT. PAINTING OF BROKEN HILL

DON V.O.)

And BHP became the largest company

in Australia and held that crown

for over one hundred years.

MUSIC up.

Large slabs

Of glowing steel

Roll out of

The mill.

EXT. KIMBERLIES - DAY

It is spectacular country around sunset.

DON V.O.)

The Kimberly region at its best is

the most spectacular country on

the Australia continent. At its

worst, during the heat of the summer

wet season, it can be hell on earth.

As the initial booms in the other

states began to wane, the last,

and without a doubt the greatest,

frontier was about to be conquered.

EXT. KIMBERLIES - (NORTH KALGOORLIE) - DAY

At a scenic rocky outcrop DON appears.

DON

Western Australia had seen a few

prospecting parties before, but it

wasn't until Charles Hall, a frugal

and canny bushman, along with John

Slattery began to search for gold

in the north of the state that

Western Australia's incredible

richness began to be disclosed.

On their first trip they found ten

ounces. On their second they found

over eighty ounces, including a

nineteen ounce nugget. Within

months Halls creek became the magnet

to the longest overland gold trail

Australia had seen.

INT. PAINTINGS

WENDY V.O.)

Men and women from all over the

world trekked to the Halls Creek

find in 1886. They walked or rode

from Queensland, across the Northern

Territory or followed the telegraph

line up from Adelaide. Many

disembarked at Derby and walked

the three hundred miles to the

most remote goldfield in Australia.

EXT. COAST - DAY

A desolate isolated beach. The WIND blows ominously.

WENDY

Others were simply put ashore at

Wyndham, where not even a jetty

stood. Alone they set off for the

Halls Creek gold. Those who made

it found the flies, mosquitoes and

heat were plentiful. Gold and

water was scarce. Many died of

scurvy and dysentery. Within five

years the surface gold had played

out and the reefs could only be

worked by larger companies with

heavy crushing machinery. But by

this time the prospectors had

discovered gold further south and

had moved on.

INT. OLD PROSPECTOR'S CAMP (TOURIST MINE) - DAY

DON walks around the rugged interior of a prospector's

camp.

DON

Several legends were born during

this period. The ragged thirteen,

a lawless band of misfits terrorised

their way across the north. Russian

Jack hauled more than his own swag

to the fields and carried many a

burnt out digger on to the next

water hole. A group of Afghans

and a 'mountain maid' made a lot

of money out of fields and it wasn't

from selling gold.

INT. PAINTINGS/PHOTOGRAPHS

The paintings and photographs depict early workings.

WENDY V.O.)

Fields down South were opening up

quickly and Western Australia was

becoming the colossus of gold

mining. In July of 1890, J.F.

Connelly discovered a reef three

hundred miles from Geraldton and

the die was well and truly cast.

The Yilgarn was about to become

the gateway to the richest

goldfields Australia has ever known.

EXT. SOUTHERN CROSS - DAY

From a dust covered run down building in Southern Cross

DON appears.

DON

By 1892 Southern Cross already had

several small gold mines operating,

but in August things were at a

particularly low ebb. Ore treatment

problems, the lack of water and

trouble with mining machinery had

increased production costs on the

three main mines here. Wages were

cut and the miners went on strike.

Then Arthur Bayley rode in from

the East with 554 ounces of gold.

The slump in Southern Cross was

over and the town became the gateway

to the world famous Coolgardie

goldfields.

EXT. BUSH (KALGOORLIE) - DAY

OLD FILM LOOK images of Bayley and Ford riding through the

bush.

DON V.O.)

Earlier, Bayley and Ford had ridden

out into a particular hard area of

country East of Southern Cross to

prospect for gold.

EXT. BUSH - EVENING

OLD FILM LOOK of a darkening sky and our silhouetted

horsemen setting up camp.

BAYLEY V.O.)

We reached what is now know as

Coolgardie at 5pm. Water was

becoming scarce so we camped near

a small rock pool.

EXT. BUSH - DAY

OLD FILM LOOK of Bayley leading his horse through the bush.

BAYLEY V.O.)

In the morning we went for the

horses. I was leading my horse

back over what was later called

Fly Flat when I picked up a piece

of gold, about half an ounce. I

think we were more excited about

that little piece of gold than any

we found later. In the next hour

we picked up nearly a hundred

ounces.

EXT. MAIN STREET OF COOLGARDIE - DAY

Return to COLOUR and a very high shot of the main street

with DON walking across the road.

DON V.O.)

Fly flat later became the main

street of Coolgardie. It was a

triumphant discovery for Bayley

and Ford, but already the new field

had been touched by tragedy. The

area had already been pegged by a

mane named Ansden.

EXT. BUSH - DAY

OLD FILM LOOK reveals a skeleton.

DON V.O.)

But he never registered his claim

as his skeleton was found nearby.

EXT. MAIN STREET OF COOLGARDIE - DAY

Return to COLOUR and DON.

DON

When Bayley returned to Southern

Cross to register his claim he was

followed back here by most of the

population of town.

EXT. LARGE OUTCROP OF SMALL QUARTZ ROCKS - DAY

OLD FILM LOOK tracking shot of glittering specks of gold

in quartz.

YOUNG TIMER V.O.)

We found gold galore. We could

see it glittering in the sunlight

for at least twenty yards in front

of us. On top of the ridge was

the cap of the reef, studded with

gold.

EXT. OLD COOLGARDIE PAINTINGS/PHOTOGRAPHS

WENDY V.O.)

Thousands followed from around the

world and Coolgardie fast became a

town. Overnight the price of horses

rose from five pounds to fifty and

in no time 26 hotels lined the

main street.

EXT. MAIN STREET OF COOLGARDIE - DAY

DON walks down the footpath.

DON

Three Newspapers were established

and even A Zoo had even being laid

out. It was a mecca to over twenty

thousand people. Hundreds would

be seen wondering off into the

bush at the slightest mention of

gold. On one occasion Billy Martin

turned up in town with forty ounces.

DON holds forty ounces of gold.

DON

Siberia, about seventy miles east

from here was meet with the standard

rush. The trail lead some to gold,

and, as in many cases in the desert,

a painful death from lack of water.

EXT. CAMPFIRE - LATE AFTERNOON

DON sits by a campfire in the middle of the bush.

DON

Perhaps the richest patch of gold

came out of a small hole not far

from here. In a hole just 4 foot

by 5, 10,000 ounces of gold was

dollied and Coolgardie was spell

bound. The hypnotic spell that

the Londonderry lease cast was

THE PROSPECTORS 48 mins

Written by

Graeme Beck

THE PROSPECTORS

48 mins