By 1900 Essington and Native Dog Creek were well settled.  Mining was still very prominent in the area. On Sept 5th 1900 John Thomas Smith obtained a permit for 2 acres in portion 3 of the Parish of Arkell for mining purposes in the Charlton Estate. Could this be the land which became a bird sanctuary?  In March 1900 John Joseph Cash of Essington was granted a lease for 455 acres in the Parish of Adderley.
 
Phillipa Gemmell-Smith  in her Thematic of History of Oberon [p78] reports that "Most of Oberon’s copper occurred with zinc and lead, and was mined from the Wiseman’s Creek and Essington districts." One such mine was the Dingo Copper Mining Company which was formed as a No Liability Company by shareholders John Whear Roberts of Stanmore, G.A Down of Hunter St Sydney ,  A.W Walker of George St Sydney 4 clerks from Pitt St. The first place of operations was to be Native Dog Creek Rockley and they appointed a Mr George Sidney Buzacott as the first Manager. He was not new to mining in the area. In 1897 he was reported in the National Advocate 5/10/1897 reporting the formation of the Apsley Copper Mining Company No Liability to rework the old Apsley min on the Rockley Rd.   Other involved in the Dingo company were Charles Edward Stuart Robertson of Burraga, Edward Stuart Graham Hamilton of Sydney, William Alexander Snr and Frank Alexander of Essington. William Richard Smith had been mining copper on his property back in 1876.  There is an article published in the Lithgow Mercury on 24th July 1900 stating that young Frank Alexander had fallen down a 60ft mine shaft and sustained serious injuries. 10.30pm the previous Thursday Frank and 3 mates were engaged by the Dingo Copper Mine to put a "plat" in about 200 ft , at 200ft his foot slipped on the ladder. he had to be lifted via rope by his mates to the top and then carried one and a half miles home. It was the next day they took him to Bathurst hospital. He survived. Mining was a hard life.  Mr Buzacott only 4 days before on 20th July had paid for two copper leases of 40 acres each at Essington. The Dingo Copper Mine called for investors in the Sydney Morning Herald of 6th October 1900. The Government Gazette of NSW 12th June 1903 announces that a Mr G.S Buzacott plans to cancel 3 mining leases in Westmoreland Rockley.  Was this the end of the Dingo Copper Mine? Phillipa Gemmell-Smith [p115] states that the Dingo mine also known as Fullback "Produced 11 tons of 15% copper ore from 211 tons between 1901 and 1907."  Phillipa lists the mines in the area around this time:- Jackass Mine, Prosper Mine, North Essington mine, Cash-Essington Mine and Summerhill Copper Mine. Evidence suggests the family might have been involved in the Prosper mine [refer 1905 page] and the name Cash Mine really excites the prospect of a Cash relative's involvement.

Another small mining incident was reported in the 1901 Sydney Morning Herald on 9th November about an Andrew Sproul miner who fell from the wall of his mine sustained 8 stitches. It is through articles like this we can track at least some of the many people who passed through Essington and Native Dog Creek. 

The NSW Government Gazette of 20th April 1900 doesn't let us forget that farmers were present too. The Sheep Diseases Amendment Act of 1878 meant brands were published and in this Gazette a Thomas Walsh of Native Dog Creek Essington published his brand. The Gazette of September 27th 1901 outlines the rules for contracting of postal runs either by car or horseback. The runs relevant to Native Dog Creek were












TO BE CONTINUED