Pig Oven, Tambaroora

Pig oven on the Tambaroora Common on old diggings off Andersons Road at Washing Gully.

Image Courtesy of: Juanita Kwok and Gillian Oxley

In 2018, Hill End resident Robert Anderson was alerted to the presence of a stone oven on the Tambaroora Common on old diggings off Andersons Road at Washing Gully, almost due west of Hill End. He showed the oven to Lorraine Purcell from the Hill End and Tambaroora Gathering Group, who in turn gave the location of the pig oven to Warwick Taylor, who manages the Tambaroora.com website. Lorraine and Warwick alerted me to its presence.

The oven is constructed of stones arranged in an oval shape with an opening at the top and an opening at the bottom. Evidence of clay lining can be seen on the inside of the oven. It stands at about one metre and is in relatively good condition. It is similar in design and construction to the oven at Mookerawa photographed by Jack.

Juanita Kwok, A reassessment of Chinese pig ovens in Australia, Journal of Australasian Mining History, Vol. 21, October 2023, p.106.

Pig Oven, Tambaroora

Image Courtesy of: Juanita Kwok and Gillian Oxley