Sandstone

We spent an hour or so this morning exploring the Main Street of Cue. Lots of old buildings in excellent condition 

Old gaol

Build over the old well which was closed up because it was a typhoid source

Where the first gold was found

The Shire Council had a wonderful photo exhibition on the history of the town which was well worth the time to see.  Then it was back on the road. First stop was Mt Magnet, another small town formerly a mine town.  Next stop was Sandstone.European explorers passed through the area in mid to late 1800's but it wasn't until the discovery of gold in 1894 that settlement began.  We had some lunch and a quick look at the museum. Geoff had a look around town. Lots of old cars. A beautiful, well kept town considering there are only 40 residents. 

On the way out of Sandstone we saw London Bridge

And then the Brewery. This was built on this rock in 1907.  The brewery was built on top of a breakaway about 3km south east of town in 1907 by an enterprising Irishman by the name of J. V. Kearney to provide beer for the miners working in the Sandstone area. At that point in time Sandstone had a population of between 6000 and 8000, but within a decade it was down to only 200 people – a near ghost town by comparison. The brewery operated until around 1910, when Sandstone became closer connected to the outside world through the completion of the Sandstone Branch Railway, which meant beer could more easily be delivered from elsewhere.  The way the beer was brewed, stored and kept cool is rather interesting, and just goes to show how difficult life was in the outback before modern inventions such as refrigeration! According to the net this is how it worked.  The brewery was located on top of the breakaway near the edge of the cliff, and a cellar to store the beer in was created by blasting a cave into the base of the cliff with dynamite. Water drawn up from a well was pumped to the top floor of the brewery, where the brew was mixed. From there it was piped down into coolers, then into two large vats on the ground floor. The finished product was then stored in kegs in the cellar cave. Up on top of the breakaway you can see a shaft in the ground that connects to the cave below, acting as an air vent to help keep the cave at a cool and stable temperature even in the most scorching weather conditions.

 

Looking up from the cave

From the cave

It was a late arrival at Leinster tonight.