Curiosity led us at intervals to visit Sebastopol Hill, the stronghold of rock punchers and water bailing, showing the strain on the muscles and pockets, and the patience of the miners.

We have watched and recorded the beginning and growth of this famous place, Sebastopol. We must record it bears now but a faint resemblance to its former self.

The piles of rock and clay, tailings and abandoned shafts indicate that it was once the scene of busy industry. The numerous ruins of turf and stone chimneys, the scattered heaps of bones, bottles, rags, earthenware and old iron, indicate that the surface was once the dwelling place of numerous population, but the grass is fast growing over the heaps of debris, silence and solitude are beginning to make themselves felt.

The great Dutch Harry Hotel, (which was opposite the present Ritchies Supermarket), more like a huge barn than a place of public resort for amusement and good cheer, and the solitary store over the way whose keeper is also the Postmaster, and his neighbour the publican in the National Hotel, are well able to do all the trade that is left.

The Cumberland, Durham and Cornish Companies' mine are at present the chief interest on the Frenchman's Lead.

The surface works are on the shaft, formerly occupied by the United Miners Company, with the usual engine and boiler house and steam puddling machines, which distinguished the larger mining companies. The ponderous beam of the pumping gear, of solid colonial timber 25 feet long, 20 inches thick, bound and clamped with broad bands of iron, trembling and vibrating, as it slowly swings up and down with each stroke of the engine, indicates at once the powerful machinery ate work, and the heaviness of the volume of water to be raised.

This rotary horizontal steam engine of 70 horse-power costing £1800 driving the pumps to raise 30,000 gallons of: water per hour was made by Tennent of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Accompanied by the secretary W G Fraser, we descended the Old Kangaroo Shaft on the south-east corner of Albert and Taylor Streets. The descent was by ladder, a novelty in al Ballarat shaft. By eleven of these ladders, each resting upon a slab at the foot, we descended the narrow compartment of the shaft, in which, with ease, a man could suspend himself b bracing back and knees against the opposite side. Part way, is quite dry, then water begins to drip.

By the time we landed at the bottom, it was a real shower.

The company sunk for a depth of 185 feet and lance shallow on the reef: -they drove an incline at a dip of three-and a-half to one through reef until the gutter was reached at depth of 312 feet. Down this incline or marvellous stairway b 444 steps cut in the reef; water and foot worn, until scarce footing is left.

We descend to the centre of the gutter and found ourselves in a huge chamber with the bluestone traprock bared, sloping towards the centre for a roof, ridges of reef under our feet streams of clear and sweet water trickling and gurgling in current along the gutter. The junction of the Frenchman's an White Horse leads was found here, but the access to these ol mysteries was walled up, to keep out intruders from other shafts, and partly to moderate the draught of air which no circulates for many thousands of feet along the abandons recesses of the old workings.

The trap rock overhead descended in the centre of the gutte to within a few inches of the bed rock, almost kissing the be rock (using the technical phrase) then rising at the side twelv: feet up, for a distance of 185 feet, we travelled the rocky drive, i over old logs, boulders, pools of water and mullock.

The drive was worked without the usual heavy timbered because of the bluestone roof which on the Township leads - Ballarat - shuts out the sight of the wonders of the deep ground; passing through a trap door in a wall stretching across the gutter, we entered the huge chamber opened out to admit the horizontal pumping engine for the drainage of the working drive, and emptying of the tram waggons and filling of the buckets at the bottom of the hoisting shaft.

At this point, the gutter has reached a depth of 340 feet, the pumps are working in the large well, the working drive is supplied at the face with air driven by steam from the surface through a double current.

A feeling of oppression is felt as we go from the shaft, a tramway runs along the drive, the waggons are drawn to the shaft chamber by an engine. The tremendous work accomplished impresses at each step, rock is all around.

The space driven out is large, like looking into a huge underground quarry where the wash dirt has been removed extending away into outer darkness as it were another 186 feet; along the course of the gutter we come on a peg in the roof of traprock which indicates the boundary of the claim of the United Miners, and Round Tower claim.

The space driven out becomes narrower, the volume of water increases, the engine ceases to operate on the increasing stream of water. We come on a man sitting astride a box draw pump and guide drain, water pouring on him from above: he tells us unconcernedly his spell on the pump is six hours, once every eleven days. Some of the earlier shafts working in the gutter without access to reef drives had to lift the water three times by hand pumps to reach the shaft as the lead dropped away.

Two hundred feet from the boundary peg we find the shifts of miners at the face of the drive, water is pouring around in torrents. Everybody is drenched to the skin, the water proofs are abandoned. There are twelve or more in this rain of water, sea of mud, drift and wash dirt, boring and blasting heavy boulders and ridges of reef. We can see no more, so, after a cheering cup of welcome, quaffed with gusto, which had been telegraphed for by the miners message carrier, a slate enclosed in wood and leather envelope, sent up in a bucket, we returned to the surface the way we came, bearing with us portions of the charred wood of one of those remarkable trees which on this lead were found growing out of the gutter, with trunks twenty inches in diameter through the solid bluestone trap, having been overtaken by the sea of molten lava which in t he far back night of time filled up the rugged valley.

When they discovered one of these trees in January 1857 they took out the old gum, wattle or she-oak it is anyone's guess, the imps of mischief let in a flood of water.

On top once more standing and looking west are the chimney stacks of the Round Tower, Defiance, Nelson and Wellington and Working Miners claims, short strong stacks, half stone and half brick. The brick portions looking like red Slides of a telescope, pulled out from a dark coloured sheath.

The United Miners Shaft, mentioned above, is the same one the Governor, Sir Henry Barkly, went down in January 1858, to be greeted at the plat in a perfect blaze of light, its black rocky sides sprinkled with candles.