Woolshed Falls Granite Water Race

Description

Woolshed Falls on Spring Creek are a short distance north east of Beechworth in Victoria. A major attraction in the Chiltern-Mount Pilot National Park, they were once home to 8,000 prospectors seeking alluvial gold. The miners regularly drained a shallow pool at the foot of the falls to pan for flecks of the precious metal. While the winter water flows were voluminous, summer flows were often a mere trickle. To augment the water volume, miners used drills and explosives to hew a narrow channel through the granite rocks. This is known as the Granite Water Race.
Dai Wynn painted this view of the water race after a visit to the spectacular falls and surrounding region. Oils on linen on board. 40.6cm high by 30.5cm wide by 0.5cm deep.