tailings


On the Tailings.
Here I am yesterday in the historic tailings near Alexandra. They are rubble left over from gold dredging. It’s a dramatic place and I’ve been up there a few times, usually with the aim of taking a new photo, no luck so far.

On this occasion the trip was to see these trees. They were planted a long time ago and in their struggle to survive in this harsh environment some have developed a slight bonsai look. It was that look that I was interested in.

Thanks for the photo Haruna.

Tailings in Autumn

This is an industrial site on a large scale. Gold dredges worked through here and in great numbers. Some of the tailings left in these patterns are now part of a reserve. Recently I flew over this area in a light plane and took this photo through a window.

I’ve been working on autumn leaves quite a lot, especially as I only have another couple of weeks before these leaves completely change, they are changing now on a daily basis. A decent wind and the leaves could well disappear.

Today I walked into the tailings and took this Autumn leaves photo. I felt that it was good to combine two themes.


Gold Fever

Alexandra, where I am living is a town to a large extent built on gold fever.
While early methods of extraction were of relatively low ecological impact, eventually large dredges were built. These dredges sifted through large areas, leaving rocky tailings which are now a feature of much of the land around here, though many on them now hidden by willows and poplars.

The dredge in the photo above was one of the largest and one of the last to operate in the area, not ceasing work until the early 50’s. I like the way it looks like something from ‘Alien‘. The photo is from the Turnbull Library. I wish I’d taken it.

Some of the tailings a few minutes away from where I live are a reserve, they can be seen in the Google Earth image below. The river is the Clutha.


I have been walking over the tailings hoping that somewhere in there is a photograph.
I took several images, an example is below, but so far no luck. I think that I need more
elevation.