Under the counter at the Swifts Creek General Store, 78-year-old Richard Darby has piles of steel pans with little shards of gold swimming in shallow water.
Key points:
- Swifts Creek lost its major industry when native timber logging ended in Victoria at the end of 2023
- There is hope among the community that gold mining could create new employment
- Swifts Creek started as a gold mining town during the 19th century
His East Gippsland town was born during the 19th-century gold rushes, but the native timber industry went on to become its economic lifeblood.
As that industry was shut down in Victoria at the end of 2023, Mr Darby hopes gold can be the town's economic saviour.
"I've had the [gold-seeking] disease since I was about six and I'm 78 now," he said.
"I'll take it to the grave and when I'm in the grave I'll probably be still having a bit of a look down there."
Between the mid-1800s and 1926, some 100,000 ounces of gold were extracted from the Swifts Creek goldfields.
But when the town transitioned into timber production after the opening of the first sawmill in 1945, forestry employment started to account for a disproportionate number of jobs in the district.
Town defined by timber
A report produced by the Victorian government, local council and RMIT found agriculture, forestry and fishing accounted for 40 per cent of Swift Creek's employment.
That compared to about 10 per cent for the broader East Gippsland region.
Ian Flemming, 47, moved to Swifts Creek to work in timber and was made redundant before the industry closed.
He has since found new employment in forest management, but said the change was difficult.
"It was daunting when we knew this was coming … and not knowing whether I could survive with my family and keep the kids and wife fed, and the fuel in the car," he said.
Local councillor Mendy Urie believed the town of 232 people had a bright future, but recognised the change had been difficult.
"There are some great opportunities which build on some of the already existing job opportunities, like unlocking agriculture, but there are some new initiatives coming out too," she said.
Revisiting the past
Mr Darby owned land just outside of Swifts Creek, in Snowstorm Gully, which he sold to gold exploration company First AU in 2020.
The company has since been drilling for gold.
"What we've found in recent months with this diamond drilling is that the old timers didn't get a lot — they didn't go to a great depth," Mr Darby said.
"So with modern technology, there's a chance that [gold] could go ahead again, if we can get government help."
First AU chief executive and managing director Ryan Skeen said the company had commenced exploration at three sites from Bruthen to Swifts Creek, including drilling at Mr Darby's former property.
"All the work indicates to us that the region certainly has potential to have enough ounces to support gold mining across the region," Mr Skeen said.
"The area has got the geology and we're very confident that you can find enough gold to establish a gold production industry in the region.
"We'd like to hope that this project could potentially save Swifts Creek as a town."