Eldorado - Eldorado Dredge - North East

Eldorado - Eldorado Dredge

The Cock's large bucket dredge began production in 1936 and it worked the alluvial gold and tin until 1954. In its 18 years of operation the dredge produced 70,664 ounces of gold and 1,383 tons of tin concentrate.

The largest dredge in the Southern Hemisphere, it was a floating monster weighing 2,142 tons and pulling the third most amount of power from the State Electricity Grid after Melbourne and Geelong.

By the time it was decommissioned it had dredged 30,000,000 cubic metres from the river flats of the Eldorado Plain. It remains a formidable sight and graphically illustrates the extent of the mining operation in and around the town.

Cock's Eldorado Dredge is one of only two complete bucket dredges in Victoria and the largest, most intact gold dredge in Australia.

Getting There:
Eldorado is about 290 kilometres north-east of Melbourne. Take the Hume Highway and exit at Wangaratta. Two kilometres north of the town, turn right for Eldorado at the North Wangaratta Football Club Oval, just past the North Cedar Caravan Park.

Continue past the Vine Hotel for about 200 metres and take the road which veers to the left. Eldorado is about 10 minutes drive from here. The dredge is on the left, about one kilometre before the township. Watch for the sign.

Cost:

Free

Review:

The dredge is massive and a truly impressive monstrosity. You can walk across the gangway and look inside the massive innards of the dredge. There is an easy 750m (15 minute) walk around the pond with boards which tell you about the dredge, its operation and the environment. You can also see the dredge from different vantage points. There is an unshaded picnic table.

A hint to those visiting the Information Centre in Eldorado. I made the BIG mistake of suggesting that the dredge was "stuck" in the lake and copped the dirtiest look imaginable plus a history lesson explaining that it wasn't stuck. Don't mention the work "stuck" unless you want to spoil your day.