Chapter 10.sailors Gully

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Chapter 10 Life in Sailor’s Gully 1855-1856

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he Cobb & Co Coach left Melbourne at 6.30 am, on time, with its 15 passengers…..mostly they were female and there were 2 children as well. Since the Bendigo service had started the

previous year, it was very well patronised by the women who were on their way to the goldfields to join their lovers or husbands. The coach was due in Bendigo in the afternoon, all being well. Margery settled in comfortably and thought how pleasant it was as they made their way through the settled part of Melbourne.. However it was not long at all and the nature of the roads changed dramatically. There had been considerable rain over the previous few weeks and in some places , the roads were very muddy and almost impassable. The coach on more than one occasion became stuck and everyone had to alight to make it easier for the horses to pull it out, with quite a lot of pushing and pulling by the drivers

If the roads

weren’t muddy, they were full of potholes! Three years after the discovery of gold in the area, the roads were very well travelled, with

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the horses hooves causing the most problems. It only took a little rain to cause havoc. What Margery thought was going to be a very restful journey was in reality quite a nightmare. Her thoughts were with her brother whom she had just left in Melbourne and, after seeing how happy and contented he and Jeanie were, she was happy, also. They had definitely done the right thing by emigrating and Margery hoped that after she had met up with her husband again, she would be able to feel the same way about herself. She was beginning to feel excited at the thought of seeing him soon, although a little apprehensive. What would she do if he was changed from the person she had fallen in love with? George Davis flashed into her mind. Had George, through perhaps, being a man, been able to visualize what it would be like for a recently married man to be living without his wife for 2 years? .On top of that Edmund would have been living hard with other men, so perhaps George had sensed that she would find him very different. . She had read some stories of happenings on the goldfields and she was not sure just how changed her husband might be. As quickly as thoughts of George had come into her mind, she wiped them away. It was not the time to be thinking of him. She started to think of Edmund again. What would be the first thing he would say? What would be the first thing that she would say? Fresh horses were obtained along the route, regularly, as the 100 miles was quite a distance to cover in one day. ‘Same day’ was the service that was advertised and that was what had to be adhered to.

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Fortunately there were no incidents with bushrangers. There were plenty of them on the roads, these days, especially around the goldfields. Lucky miners were easy pickings for them. James had been able to keep Edmund informed of the arrival date of the ship, which carried his wife and, also, a note was sent by Margery, immediately she had arrived, to tell him which day she was leaving Melbourne. Edmund had previously sent instructions, regarding the journey arrangements to Sailor’s Gully, in a letter, which had been waiting for her at James’ place. Since the regular coach service had been established, communications between Melbourne and the goldfields had become a lot easier and quite regular . After arriving at Bendigo, she was to take a smaller coach which serviced the Eaglehawk & Sailors Gully fields. This coach waited for the arrival of the Cobb & Co coach from Melbourne, every day. The roads over the last 7 miles were disastrous and quite narrow, compared to the road between Melbourne and Bendigo and this necessitated a smaller coach and less horses. The driver was to be asked to let her alight at “the junction of Pegleg and Sailor’s Gully”. Edmund would be waiting for her and it was not far from there, to walk to his claim. When the small coach pulled to a stop in a very bustling place, with quite a few large buildings, Margery thought that it must be Sailor’s Gully. She momentarily was pleasantly surprised to find it so ‘developed’ and pleasant looking. She was quickly informed that this was Eaglehawk and Sailor’s Gully was a further 2 miles. It was getting rather dark by the time the coach arrived at the Junction. Margery was the only passenger to alight at this spot and there was only one figure waiting. It must be Edmund, she thought, although at

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first glance, in the darkness, the figure did not represent anything that she had remembered of him. However, as they drew closer, all doubts were dispelled and she knew this was the man she had married. Edmund, with a lot of help and understanding from Lila, had made a very conscious effort to clean up his appearance and his clothes for his wife’s arrival. It had been a very long 2 years but, after Margery fell into his arms, Edmund and she were both sure that everything would now be alright. He had prepared some supper of mutton stew, knowing how hungry she would be. There was a ‘muttonshop’ close by and it was well patronised by the diggers. A local sheep grazier operated it as a sideline to his land holding and the same grazier’s wife cultivated a vegetable garden. There was a ready market on the diggings for the fruits of her labour, also. The newly reunited couple ate and talked for a while and then the years of separation faded away and Edmund Spencer Blakey and his wife Margery fell onto the bed and made passionate love. Nothing else mattered. There were just the two of them.

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The Junction of Pegleg and Sailor’s Gully, 1855

The next morning eventually came. Margery was awoken by the kookaburras which were making a terrible din. The trees, in which the birds perched, were close by, and this made the sound a lot louder than when she had heard the birds in Melbourne. The newly turned over earth out here, in the goldfields, was a great attraction for the birds who sweated on some beautiful, fat worms being dug over as well.. She wondered whether she would ever get used to the noise. The sun was shining brilliantly with not a cloud in the sky. The air was quite crisp, though, as this was autumn and soon the cold winds would be coming from the mountain ranges, which could be seen, in the distance. Edmund was still sleeping soundly and the new arrival in Sailor’s Gully, opened the door of her new home to gaze out at her surroundings. In the bright light of day, she was initially appalled at what she saw. The little one room house, which Edmund had eventually made to a liveable state, was one of only a few which looked anyways permanent. The rest of the area was just a sea of

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canvas tents and there were piles of dirt, which had been dug out from the shallow mines, everywhere, in amongst the tents. Their ‘home’ consisted of one room, with a bed and table and chairs. At the end of this was the stone fireplace and chimney which he had hastily built before her arrival so as to give some space for cooking a meal. Attached to the building was another small room in which he could keep his work implements and they would be well away from where they lived. Mindful of the flooded creek at the beginning of the year, Edmund had built his shack up on a slightly higher part of the gully and was confident that he would not have any problems if the rain came down in volumes again. At the moment, because he had run out of time before Margery was to arrive, he only had a canvas roof over the whole building. This, it was hoped, would be rectified as soon as possible. In the meantime, the canvas was quite weatherproof . It had rained since he put it up and not a drop came inside. Men, women and children were stirring and suddenly people were everywhere…all going about their daily chores. Alluvial gold had almost disappeared from Sailor’s Gully, after the three years since it had first been discovered and mostly now it was only found through shallow quartz mining. This was hard work, but the rewards were very good and only the tougher men had stayed who were prepared to make a go of it.

93 The Muttonshop

Shallow Quartz

Mining

“They certainly look very tough”, thought Margery. Most were dirty and shabbily dressed and their womenfolk, on the whole, seemed to not give any attention to their appearance, either. This was quite foreign to her as she had always taken pride in how she presented herself. This came from her association, always, with shoemaking, dressmaking and millinery people. She would have to learn these new ways and make sure that she would fit in with these people who were obviously very different. In no way did she want to appear as ‘uppity.’ Desperately, she did want this life with Edmund to work and she was determined that she would do everything she could to make it so. She was still very much in love with him and hoped that he felt the same about her, now that she was here. She saw a pile of kindling nearby and lit the fire. Very soon, the kettle was boiling. The minute she sensed that her husband was stirring, a pot of oats, for breakfast, was already cooking on the fire. “How refreshing to have this sight, first thing in the morning” said Edmund, as he reached for Margery to plant a big kiss on her mouth. She laughingly agreed and allowed herself to be pulled down onto the bed again. The oats cried out for some more water to stop them being burnt, but no one took any notice. Later that morning, Edmund showed his wife around the area and introduced her to the neighbours. Before leaving Melbourne, she had talked over with Jeanie about what clothes to take with her. Fortunately, their conversations were a big help and all of Margery’s ‘walking out’ dresses were left in Melbourne. Those items, which she had taken with her, were for every day use and quite suitable for life on the diggings.. Her travelling suit was now her only ‘good’ costume. So, this first morning, she did not feel out of place and the

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only thing which stood out from the other women was that she was ‘so clean’ and her hair was well combed. This, she was very determined, was not going to change. Every night before going to bed, she was definitely having a full body wash, even if only out of a small dish of water and every morning, the first thing to do, was comb one’s hair. These were the teachings of her mother and were always strictly adhered to. Edmund was very attentive to her for the first few weeks, even though at nights, when he finished his work, he was getting home for supper a little later and later, each day.. He had to have the company of the men and their drinking. . It was now a big part of who he was and he told himself that Margery would get used to it. Needless to say, Margery did not get used to it and she hated to see him stupid with alcohol.. His demeanour completely changed and he was inclined to become very aggressive. This was not the charming, thoughtful man whom she had married. Of course she was not aware of the problem with Lila, in Eaglehawk, either. After 2 months of staying away from Lila, with every good intention in his mind, Edmund told Margery, one Saturday, that he had business in the town and off he went, into the welcoming arms of his lover. As is wont to happen in stories of this kind, nature took its course and around this time of Edmund’s renewal of his liaison with Lila, Margery suspected that she might be pregnant. She sought the advice of a middle-aged neighbour, who had had 6 children and Grace confirmed that in all probability, ‘yes’ she was expecting a baby due around next February, if all went well. Margery did not know whether to be pleased or sorry when she heard the news. She was elated at the thought of becoming a mother. She had always wanted a large family because of never really having the experience of sisters or brothers, once James had gone

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from her life when she was 8 years old. But, how could she cope with a baby under these harsh conditions? The extreme heat in summer, which she had yet to experience and the bitter cold of the winter caused her to worry. Would it be fair for the child? There was no regular doctor close by in Sailor’s Gully, but she had heard that there was now a doctor who came 3 days a week to Eaglehawk. That knowledge relieved her mind a little. Grace told her of a midwife, who was very capable and always assisted with births on the Sailor’s Gully strip. Perhaps she was worrying unnecessarily. During the day, while Edmund was away, she worried about what he would say? Had he ever considered the possibility? There was no point in holding it back, so she told him that night when he arrived home from his session with the ‘men’. His reaction was one of delight and he decided then and there that he would have to change his ways. Having a baby meant huge responsibilities and he was determined to live up to them. Deep down, he was still the same caring person that he had always been… it was just this life that he had become addicted to….with a preference for the company of hard living men and a very understanding lover on the side. Being very healthy always, Margery had no trouble at all over the ensuing 7 months and on 2nd February, 1856, a little boy was born, in a hut on the goldfields of Sailor’s Gully, Victoria.. He was named, Alfred Edmund Spencer Blakey. The Alfred was after a cousin of Edmund’s.. The young couple were ecstatic at the new addition to their family. Margery had spent most of her days, while awaiting the birth, busily sewing clothes for the baby. With her prowess with the needle, Alfred was the best dressed child on the field. He was adorable and

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the nicest baby they had ever seen…or so the proud parents thought. Again, Edmund tried, for the sake of his child, to mend his ways but, once more, after a time of being good, it all fell away again and he was back to his old habits. In June 1856, when Alfred was only 5 months old, nature took a hand once more. The heavens opened and it rained and it rained for days and weeks on end. It was much worse than the previous year. All the rivers around Victoria were overflowing. It was especially bad around the Bendigo/Eaglehawk/Sailor’s Gully area. Tents and belongings were being continuously washed away. Recently dug mines were all filled up with water and no gold was consequently taken from the earth. Historical records say “In June 1856, heavy rain caused flooding at the Borough of Eaglehawk (the Borough included Sailor’s Gully and Pegleg)) and we can’t imagine the torment the miners and their families must have suffered living under canvas, with no made roads,, no fresh water (despite the torrents that fell from the sky during the deluge of 1856) and no reliable medical aid. It is often wondered how many of them did survive.” The swollen creek had gradually crept up to Edmund’s hut and the floor was awash. Disease was going to be the next problem as the pit toilets now had water in them and would be soon overflowing and running out everywhere amongst the remaining, liveable tents. Some mothers with very young children were moving out…they were the lucky ones who had somewhere else to go. The remainder had to stay in makeshift accommodation on higher ground until the water receded. Margery was one of the lucky ones. It was decided that she would take Alfred and go to Melbourne for a while to James’

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place. She begged Edmund to go with her but he would have none of it. His life was here now and he would tough it out.. Mother and son spent the next 6 weeks in Melbourne. The baby had developed a chest infection and this caused Margery to be quite alarmed. It was only with the help of the doctor and a change in the weather, that Alfred improved. After he was well again and enquiries were made of Edmund, Margery was told that everything was alright in Sailor’s Gully and it was alright for them to come home. The rain had stopped and the place was now reasonably cleaned up of all the debris. So, bookings were made for their return, on the coach. The break away in Melbourne had really not done either of them any good. Edmund’s behaviour was worse than ever. He found that because he was torn between his love for Margery and his love for Lila he was turning to the drink more than ever. He felt so guilty at the deception but he could not see any way out! Lila was ‘one of them’ and he adored her. Margery felt sometimes like a stranger to him, with her ‘different ways’. He had completely forgotten that they used to be his ways, also. Margery had only been back in Sailor’s Gully for 2 weeks when it all came to a head. She was told by one of the other women, who had an axe to grind about her being ‘different’, that Edmund had a lover in Eaglehawk and that is why he was always disappearing in that direction .

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The Countryside around Eaglehawk, 1853

Edmund was tackled and the whole truth was brought out. Margery said there was only one thing for it now and she would leave on the next coach with the baby. She could not tolerate sharing him with someone else and her leaving would let him be free to do what he wanted. Edmund did not try to stop her, although he was greatly saddened that he was going to lose a connection with his earlier life, as well as his son. On parting company, he made Margery promise that the lad would always be a ‘Blakey’ by name and that she must tell the child of his father, his family and his Yorkshire beginnings.. She agreed to this and, with a very heavy heart at the failure of her marriage, she joined the coach for the trip back to Melbourne. She told him if he ever wanted news of the child, to contact James in Melbourne and information would be gladly given of his whereabouts. There would be no problems with that. However, she never saw Edmund again and as far as she knew, till the day she died, Edmund had never made any contact with her brother in order to find out about his son. Margery always thought that this was typical of the new Edmund, who did not want to face up to any obligations. He was living life, day by day, with his head in the sand and it was easier not to know, or be worried about, what was happening, as far as his child was concerned. On the other hand, she always upheld her end of the bargain, with the help of George Davis. This initially caused a lot of questions from the entire younger generation but eventually was accepted.

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Margery’s child to Edmund Spencer Blakey remained Alfred Blakey until the day he died.

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