DIAMOND WORDS AND PHOTOS KEV SMITH

BACK in 1827, Allan Cunningham came through the Gwydir River area of northern NSW and camped beside the river with his entourage as they headed north looking for new pastoral land. Over the next few years more people followed and Bingara was subsequently founded in 1840.

As with most new settlements, locals started searching the outlying areas and gold was found a few years later along with other gems like rubies, garnets and a few diamonds. Not long after, the word got out about another new goldfield and the town’s population grew, shops and pubs were built along with a police station, post office, flour mill and more. The gold and diamonds ran out by around 1950 and the miners,