Junee Reefs as a locality is 20km north of Junee and now is identifiable by an excellent War Memorial and hall complex and the Roman Catholic Church across Houlaghans Creek in Church Lane.
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The area spreads over the common boundary of the 1850s Jewnee and Hurley’s Runs to the north.
Hurley had set up cattle handling facilities near Hurley’s Dam which is still intact and now known as Lake Noorla.
It was built by the State Government to provide for cattle being driven from Queensland to Victoria, bullock teams travelling the “Wool Road” and Cobb & Co coaches and other travellers.
Reuben Wallett, a shepherd, discovered gold by accident in 1866.
Wallett’s Reef, as the resulting mine was known, was a very profitable venture which paid the eight men involved 1500 pounds ($3000) each. Wallett’s Reef was close to the later garbage tip site, west of the Junee Reefs Hall. Some accounts state that copper and wolfram were also present.
Other discoveries followed and included Dust Hole, Just in Time, Rockdale, Doctor’s Reef and others including Pike’s Reef, north east of the hall.
Thomas Kirkpatrick set up a crushing battery near Houlaghans Creek and eventually crushed about 7000 tonnes of gold bearing rock. Before that, some rock had been crushed at Adelong. About 300 persons attended the commissioning of the crusher. A cyanide plant to extract gold from the crushed rock was also established.
Water, an essential, was needed for the growing mining community and mining practices and James Pratt, who had already opened a butchery, a general store and bakery, carted water from his dam downstream on Houlaghans Creek to the Reefs on his bullock wagon at four shillings (40 cents) per hogshead, about 240 litres. Water was also carted from Bethungra when necessary. A dam, known as Wallet’s, was constructed on the creek and although breached many years ago, remnants are still visible as is the huge mound of tailings from the crusher.
A well was dug on the creek’s eastern edge which at a depth of 27-28 metres, yielded good water. After mining ceased, the well was put into the care of a trust and later the former Illabo Shire Council. Later still it was filled in.
As more gold was discovered, more people moved to the Reefs. The first hotel, the Victoria, was opened by William John Johnson, a miner from Gundagai. He died of sunstroke on January 23, 1872 and is buried in the Pioneer Cemetery at Old Junee. He was not related to the John Johnston family of Murrulebale and Old Junee.
