Map, Golden Gate

Golden Gate gold mining community sustained by Chinese market gardeners.

Map, Golden Gate

Image Courtesy of: Memories of Golden Gate, North Queensland by Jack Jones

Golden Gate was a small gold mining community sustained by Chinese market gardeners.

"A noticeable feature is the number of Chinese stores. There are even Chinese butchers, and these are gradually gaining an ascendancy over the European butchers. Seems extraordinary where labour in politics and a stringent advocacy for a "white" Australia is ever paramount. There are about 150 Chinese on the field, and these, out of a population, all told, of over 3000, could not possibly support the extensive stores of the Chinamen."

The Queenslander, 27 August 1904, p.18. 

"All told, there perhaps were fifty Chinese living at "The Gate", including businessmen and assistants and market gardeners. There were no Chinese women, though there were a few at Croydon. Nearly all the Chinese at "The Gate" wore pigtails, either hanging down their backs or curled around under their hats, and indoors they shuffled around in the usual Chinese woven cane or straw slip-on sandals. Many of them smoked opium, usually in their bedrooms out of sight."

"For fresh fruit and vegetables, the town relied mostly on half a dozen Chinese market gardeners, most of whom delivered their produce by horse and cart though some carried it around in two large baskets, one on each end of a strong bamboo pole across their shoulders." 

"The Chinese gardeners did a mighty job in supplying fruit and vegetables and their locally grown custard apples and mandarins particularly were of outstanding quality; their water-melons, lemons, etc. and a variety of vegetables were good, and cheap. Apples, pears, grapes, etc. came by ship from the south. They were very dear and only occasionally available."

"In their gardens they had deep pits đug containing water into which they put lots of old shinbones and other discarded meats to rot. They had a ramp down into the water; they carried it In the usual style with bamboo pole across the shoulders to which was attached large watering cans. The water was used as fertiliser and for watering the vegetables, evidently with satisfactory results."

"Sometimes at night we played "nick-knock". mostly on the doors of the poor old patient Chinese."

"The Chinese were very fond of playing cards and a game of their own that looked like dominoes."

"The Chinese businessman were good backers of miners working their own "shows" trying to strike a payable reef and gave then and their families tick (credit) when it was badly needed.

Jack Jones, Memories of Golden Gate, North Queensland, 197?

Golden Gate

Image Courtesy of: Memories of Golden Gate, North Queensland by Jack Jones

Chinese at Golden Gate

Image Courtesy of: Memories of Golden Gate, North Queensland by Jack Jones