Upper Bingara

Upper Bingara was the biggest of the two settlements that occurred in the district after the discovery of gold in the 1850s.  It  developed more quickly than Bingara, but also faded quickly when the rich gold yields diminished in the 1870s.  Bingara then became the preferred site for a town.

Upper Bingara once thrived, with shops, two hotels, a dance hall, a racecourse, gold mines and processing plants.  It is hard to believe that what remains is little more than numbered triangles marking the sites on the side of the road, which pay testimony to its industrious past.

It is estimated there were up to 500 chinese mining in the Bingara district, particulary at Upper Bingara. Although it is known that they built a Joss House, the only real evidence of their presence is their cemetery and some scattered mine workings and water races.

The Chinese were very thorough and systematic miners.  This is only one of several stacks of stones that can be found at Upper Bingara.

The Tourist Information Centre has an excellent mudmap that details the Upper Bingara Historic Drive.  The marked sites have huge historical significance in the establishment of Upper Bingara and Bingara.