This tunnel shows the enormous lengths prospectors went to in search of gold in the 1890s. It was carved through over 100m of solid, unyielding rock by early gold hunters. Imagine the gruelling work involved in completing such a feat with the basic equipment available back then.
The gold in this area was found in rich pockets. 50kg of rock from the initial strike returned 3kg of gold.
Early miners in the Yalgoo area in the 1890s must have known the risk they took with searching for gold. Many leases took on names associated with popular card games such as The Full Hand, the King and Queen of Hearts and even The Joker.
There are a few suggestions for how Jokers Tunnel got its name:
- It was named after the Joker mining syndicate.
- It was named after the Joker gold lease although that lease is 100m away.
- It was named in reference to the many card games played on the goldfields.
- It was named in reference to a scam meant to bring in investors from England. The joke was on them.
A local prospector believes the tunnel was merely just a scam to get money out of investors. He said with his knowledge of geology, there would be no reason for the miners to tunnel in that area. "The joke was on the investors,” he said.
The idea that prospectors knew they were digging in the wrong place to find gold is not confined to Jokers Tunnel. Historian Alex Palmer says that, in the 1890s, misleading investors in the hope of striking it rich was a common practice.
He suggests it was always known there was no gold in Jokers Tunnel. It was merely a plan to get money out of English investors. It seemed to have worked. Constructed by English investors in 1896, the aim of the tunnel was to find gold but for 550 tons of rock only 3 kilograms of gold was found. Investor money was eagerly distributed amongst the local miners. These days we would also look upon this amount of work for so little reward as a joke.
The cache is a 500ml plastic screw top bottle. It is hidden under rocks. Please return it exactly as found and ensure you cannot see it as you approach. Please take all your rubbish with you. Enjoy your visit.