James Brothers photographers
The James family came to Molong, New South Wales, from London in about 1860; no exact date of their arrival in Molong is known. Around this time, Molong was like most towns west of the Blue Mountains – developing at a steady pace. The first dedicated public school was built in 1859, replacing other buildings previously used for educating children. Crown land in west Molong was opened up for purchase from about 1851 in two-acre allotments to encourage further settlement.
Gold discoveries were still being made in areas around Molong, although they were not big rushes like those experienced in 1851 at the Ophir goldfields between Orange and Bathurst. The area around Molong saw more and more people passing through, and some stopping to settle. Molong had already had a boom with the opening of the Molong Copper Mine at Copper Hill in 1848, but this did not last long. Some of its miners may have moved on to better prospects, but some did remain.
