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Moliagul, VIC

Located on the Burnt Creek, north-west of Dunolly, Moliagul was named after the Aboriginal word for ‘wooded hill’. Although alluvial gold was first discovered in 1852, the town is best known for its nuggets of gold. In 1869, two fossickers, John Deason and Richard Oates, unearthed a large mass of almost pure gold, the largest ever found, and called it the Welcome Stranger. Moliagul was surveyed and proclaimed in 1859. Its population by 1871 was just over 700 but, ten years later, had declined to 97.

Anna Davine

References
The traveller’s guide to the goldfields: history & natural heritage trails through central & western Victoria, Best Shot! Publications Pty. Ltd, Torquay, 2006. Details
Bannear, David, Heritage Victoria, Historic gold mining information, Department of Sustainability and Environment. Details
Blake, L., Place names in Victoria, Rigby, Melbourne, 1977. Details
Watson, A.B., The lost & almost forgotten towns of colonial Victoria, A.B. Watson, 2003. Details