Stone by Stone: Rebuilding History

Cromwell’s gold mining past is coming back to life with the completion of stage 1 of the first reconstructed Chinese miner’s hut at Old Cromwell, built above the site of the original settlement. The project, led by the Cromwell & Districts Community Trust, has captured the imagination of locals and visitors alike.

Project Manager Gary Kirk said the response has been overwhelmingly positive:
“The involvement of local businesses and volunteers has kept the costs down significantly. The positivity of everyone for the project has been fantastic. There wouldn’t have been a day during the construction that locals and out-of-towners haven’t come to have a look at what’s been achieved.”

That community spirit has been visible at every stage. There is a long list of people who have helped out for an hour, a day, or with providing things that were needed. The team at Harrold Building turned up to wheelbarrow concrete on site, former builder Geoff McFee helped complete the roof.

Stonemason Ben Carr of Rocktipu Stone crafted the walls by hand. After a conversation at the pub, he joined the project, and says it has been an honour to be involved.

 “It’s all about recreating local history. I’ve seen lots of Chinese huts up in the hills around here, and now I got to build one.”

He explained that traditional methods guided all his work:
“There’s no stringlines - everything is done by eye rather than with modern tools. It’s minimalistic, just as it was back in the day.”

With the first hut built, the Trust is now turning its attention to aging and landscaping this first hut, and partial reconstruction of other huts. Thereby ensuring this unique chapter of Cromwell’s story is not only remembered, but experienced - for generations to come.