The Montreal Goldfield Management Committee has fenced off two hectares and made the area safe for public access by placing strong mesh covers over some shafts and building a post and rail fence around the others so that visitors can see down the shafts in safety.

Entry to the site is by guided tour only to ensure visitors’ safety and of course to fill them in on Montreal’s rich history.

A tour starts from the Montreal Goldfield carpark at 2pm each day, takes just over an hour and costs $5 per person, $20 per family.

It is situated beside the Wallaga Lake Caravan Park, in Wallaga Lake Road, about seven kilometres north of Bermagui.

Visitors are asked to arrive before 2pm at the site.

One of its many success stories is that the old goldfield is being preserved by ‘Grey Power’.

The Montreal Committee that runs the attraction is a not-forprofit organisation made up of volunteers, retirees who can see the value of conserving the past for the benefit of present and future generations.

Work is underway at present to build a Heritage Centre/Keeping Place in which to display historical documents and artefacts relating to the old Montreal Goldfield.

This goldfield history includes the intriguing story of the complete disappearance of a Government Surveyor and his assistant in the early days of the gold rush.

Lamont Young and Max Schneider disappeared and were never seen again.

What happened to them, along with three other men from Batemans Bay, has never been known - neither has the reward offered for information at the time ever been claimed.

A tour through the Montreal Goldfield is a new experience and for a couple of hours enjoyment, just the place to go.