Hidden treasures of Gulgong

​​SMLXL

It's been an interesting week here at the Ten Dollar Town Motel. What we thought would be a routine job as part of our current renovations has turned into a treasure hunt! I thought I would try and give a bit of a summary in one post so that everyone could catch up.

On Tuesday 17th October we decided to enter the old cellar that was part of the original pub that occupied our site prior to the Motel being built. We believe the cellar had not been opened since the 1970's.

When we went in there, we found a few exciting momentos- the front of a cash register, stamped 1918, a threepence and a fork! We hope that these pieces will make part of a wonderful story as we venture further into the past and dig deeper into the cellar.

Also during the renovation process, we needed to do some repair work to joists just 10m from the reception area. Here we found a strong box hidden in the wall. Inside the box we found a key, postcards from the first engine leaving central station in Sydney and lots of coins and notes. We are still going through this collection to work out how old the coins are and when they may have been hidden. I have been informed that as one of the coins has a kangaroo on it, the box will not date back any further than 1937.

As of today, 20th October, we have also found a hollow area in the floor of the cellar. We have located a reading of something other than piping under the floor. Obviously with Gulgong being part of the gold rush era, we have high hopes there is a wonderful historic find for the town however it could also be something as simple as a piece of lead... who knows! Well, we will know shortly. We are about to knock through the floor and, as long as it doesn't go down too far, we can see what is giving us that reading.

So, watch this space as they say and we will keep you informed of what we find.

UPDATE: It wasn't gold under the floorboards but goodness, it was fun checking it out. We are in the process of lighting up the cellar with the bits and pieces that were found inside so that when you come for dinner, you can check out what is underneath your feet! Cool hey!