Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):	27° 33' 24'' South , 122° 2' 27'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):	-27.55679,122.04106
GeoHash:	G#: qeng1p7w4
Locality type:	Area
Köppen climate type:	BWh : Hot deserts climate

The Duketon Goldfield has been split into three sub-sections, due to the vast area the goldfield covers, and the geographic locations of the mines fall into three groups.

The Mulga Queen area is 50 kilometres north-west of the Duketon area, and 20 kilometres south-east of what we have named as the Erilstoun Creek area. It is centred on the Mulga Queen indigenous settlement.

This was erected in the 1980's to house people who identify their heritage to this portion of the land. There are about a dozen buildings, housing fifty people. The site started earlier in the century as a government food rationing station, next to a well used by the local tribe for water.

The area is not open to the public without authority from the Nurra Kurramunoo Corporation which runs the settlement. Several sacred sites are in the area some of which can only be accessed by people who have undergone initiation ceremonies. Portions north-east and south-west of the settlement are men only areas, culturally significant for men's business and hunting.

Early in the century Daisy Bates visited the site. This was a woman well before her time, who devoted her life to studying and protecting aborigines. She published in 1938 the book 'The Passing of the Aborigines'. Artist Elizabeth Durrack also visited later, painting pictures of aborigines and the landscape. Later in life there was controversy when she produced paintings in an indigenous style. Her view that all Australians have an investment in indigenous culture will come to pass as correct, but we still have a long way to go to reach that consensus.

Gold was discovered in the area around 1903. The Mulga Queen Gold Mine was established where the indigenous settlement now is. The Famous Blue and Famous were about 3 kilometres to the east. The Riccaboni, Parramatta and a small number of other mines can be found some 10 kilometres north-east of the settlement. Most lasted from around 1903 to 1907 before ceasing to be active.

During this period a small town and hotel called the Mulga Queen was established next to the gold mine of the same name. It suffered the same fate as the gold mines 'There has not been a single fight since I last wrote and the town has the sleepy look of a bored turnip' -1906.

Weekly reports were sent to the Laverton Mercury by a writer we will never know the name of, as he feared being murdered by local psycho Texas Jack. Some entertaining quotes giving an idea of the fights, drinking, and prostitutes of an early remote gold mining town are given below.

'Yesterday we had another direful threat from Texas Jack. His old opponent turned on him with nature's weapons. Texas responded with a huge parcel of rocks. The old opponent retaliated by sending a yorker of the same calibre. Result, hurried sprint for Nathan's revolver. Latest report is Texas is armed to the teeth with 2 Smith and Wessons, 1 Whincester, a pair of spurs, and medicine chest. Old opponent one pair of running shoes and a copious flow of language.'

'Texas came to light this week in a scene which would have been gory only the other man, a large hairy prospector, would not treat him as anything but a joke. Not withstanding that Texas had shed his shirt and stood in the buff from waist up'

'Texas Jack was very furious on reading my notes in your last issue. If ever it was discovered who is the foul vile fiend there is likely to be a tragedy of the most gory order'.

'The principal topic of conversation seems to be who is going to drive a certain young lady out next Sunday. A book is now open and offers of 2 to 1 the field found takers in several directions'.

'The only thing of importance I have to chronicle this week is a gory fight which took place last Tuesday. A mining Don Quixote set out to annihilate a person who had wronged his mate. Biting off more than he could chew, received a severe drubbing at the hands of his sturdy prospector opponent'.

'Again we have had a week of heat records and in consequence when pay day arrived the most determined efforts, mostly successful, on the part of many to set drinking records'

'A certain Adonis of the town had been paying attention to one of the miners. When she discovered he had clandestinely taken another Venus for a drive (we are not talking about cars here), the warlike little person, procured a revolver. She burst into the hotel, and demanded he marry her at gunpoint. One prospector fainted. The rest made a general stampede for safe regions'.

'Texas Jack thinks he has located the writer at last. To your
correspondent's dismay he keeps perdu. Kindly send your lowest quotes for dictionaries'.

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region.

Mineral List

Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

17 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

Rock list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

Localities in this Region

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References