ARRIVAL IN ADELONG 1853

William and his family headed south to Goulburn and to the Owens goldfields in Victoria, but after a series of accidents, they altered course and arrived in Adelong in 1853.

ADELONG

Adelong is situated 21kms west of Tumut in southern New South Wales. It was first settled by European landholders in 1837, thirteen years after the explorers, Hume and Hovell had passed through the area.

Hamilton Hume and William Hovell led an expedition in 1824 to see if any rivers flowed to the south coast. They travelled through settled country along roughly the route of the modern Hume Highway to Goulburn. They then passed the Snowy Mountains, crossed the Murray River and eventually reached the sea on the shores of Port Phillip Bay, near the site of Geelong, Victoria.
 

WILLIAM NICKNAMED "CHARCOAL"

When William and his family settled in Adelong, he once again set up a blacksmith business. As he needed a considerable amount of charcoal for the forge, he would usually go out each morning with his horse and dray up along the rocky hill which rose sharply from the right bank of the Adelong Creek.

As he was gathering timber to burn he found an exposed quartz rock which had something gleaming in it. He first took a small quantity out with his pick and pounded the quartz rubble with the aid of a mortar and pestle. On washing it in a dish, he was richly rewarded.

This led to the discovery of the Old Hill reef in June 1857 and the Victoria reef which extended down for over 1000ft. (305m).

It was as a result of this discovery that Mount Charcoal derived its name and William acquired the nickname "Charcoal" Williams.

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