Araluen

Araluen is a small town near Braidwood in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. It lies in the valley of Araluen Creek. At the time of European settlement Araluen was described as a broad alluvial valley with many natural billabongs covered with water lilies. The name 'Araluen' meant 'water lily' or 'place of the water lilies' in the local Aboriginal language. Unfortunately, no such billabongs exist in the Araluen valley today as most of the natural landscape has been destroyed by rampant and destructive gold mining during the ‘gold rush’ As with most river and creek valleys in south-eastern Australia, the natural landscape of Araluen Creek and its valley were destroyed by rampant and extremely destructive gold mining during the 'gold rush' which started in the 1850’s. 

Araluen Gold Fields 1860-1870's - Floods and Bushrangers

In 1860, with many of the valleys stripped by overzealous gold-miners, the area was hit by a devastating flood which virtually destroyed the town, killing 24 people. The creek grew to over 1000 metres wide and, as reported :- 

"The loss of life was heavy. In one case a hotel and all its occupants were swept away, and the bodies of several of those in the building at the time were found afterwards on the beach at Moruya. Much later that year the workings were reopened but they never returned to their former glory or excitement."

Araluen experienced a great population increase during the gold rush. In the 1860's Araluen was booming with over 4000 people in the valley, and a reputation of being one of the richest goldfields in Australia. Gold worth almost $1 million per month in today's values was being taken from the mines. In the 1860s there were as many as 20 pubs on the fields, which contributed to the disorderliness of those wild and reckless days. By the 70's some 20 butcher shops, plus general stores, bakers, shoemakers, blacksmiths, jewellers, watchmakers, other merchants and a small number of churches served the needs of the population.

By the 1870's the Araluen gold fields was big and a bee-hive of activity. There was a higher population of Irish and Chinese than other gold fields and this Irish and Chinese mix – and the valley’s remoteness gave it its own distinctive feel. In fact it was said that Araluen had little or none of the racial violence which occurred on other Australian gold fields.

The Irish in Araluen worked hard, drank hard – and went to Mass. Religion was one of the major 'glues' that kept this mainly ex-convict proletariat together both personally and collectively. Fathers Kavanagh and O’Brien supervised the building of the first church in Araluen of timber slabs with a shingle roof. On Sunday half those attending Mass were on the inside of The Church (they’re the ones who received communion), half on the outside. All seemed to generously contribute to the Priest’s Hat (the 'plate') and their generosity was a major contribution to building the large granite church (St Bede’s) that still serves Braidwood.

St Bede's in Braidwood was the church where Henry Hansen married Mary Higgins the daughter of an Irish catholic ex-convict in 1872. While Henry was baptised into and raised in the the Lutheren christain faith, he converted to Catholicism in order to marry.

Not all Irish were Catholic, of course and not all Catholics were peaceful and law-abiding. Theirs is the story of bushranging that inevitably came along with all this new prosperity and wealth. The notorious Ben Hall and his gang unsuccessfully tried to hold up the gold coach at Majors Creek Mountain in 1862. In 1862 and 63 bushrangers raided Nerrigundah three times. In 1864 a gang operating on the road in and out of Nerrigundah took over the village itself. In a battle for the town they shot dead Constable Miles O'Grady. The Clarke gang famously, terrorised the Araluen goldfields for years leading up to 1867, the year Henry Hansen arrived at the gold fields. 

Australia 1867 - When Henry Hansen Arrived and travelled to the Araluen Gold Fields

In 1866 Hans Jorgensen Hansen was only 19 years old when he made the long 6 month journey by boat to Australia. Arriving in Sydney on the barque, “Queen of the Sea” he had altered his first names to Henry Olaf as he was escaping conscription into the Prussian army. When Henry arrived in Australia, he already had a trade as he had learnt the craft of jeweller and watchmaker from his neighbour growing up in Denmark. So Henry was prepared to some degree for his move to a new land as he already had an engagement with a watchmaker/ jeweller in Australia at the Araluen Gold Fields. According to the information passed down within the Hansen family, this was with the Jensen family who lived at Araluen in NSW. 

Research on Trove has revealed there was a Mr Fedder Jensen who was an Araluen Public house keeper in 1859. 

As well as a Public house keeper it appears from the newspaper reports Mr Jensen also had dealings in watches and jewellery.