Earlier this year we travelled to the interesting town of Young in News South Wales to see an amazing object from a dark and difficult period in Australia’s past – the Roll Up Banner. As Chinese Australians celebrate Lunar New Year today – it’s worth looking back at how far we’ve come since Australia’s worst race riot.
What is it?
The banner – emblazoned with the words “Roll Up, Roll Up, No Chinese” – was carried by a mob of rioting gold miners in 1861. They were protesting about the influx of Chinese miners into the gold fields at what was then called Lambing Flat. The hardworking and clever Chinese miners were frequently successful and this was deeply resented by European miners. Their mining methods and way of life were viewed with suspicion.
During the riot – the Chinese were attacked and assaulted and their pigtails cut off. Their possessions were destroyed and their homes burned down. It must have been terrifying for them. The government dispatched troops to quell the riot.
The banner is made from cloth with a hand painted Southern Cross emblem. The slogan is painted around the edge with yellow, red and blue paint. It was originally trimmed with lace and tied with red and green ribbon, but the lace and ribbons have long since gone. It was painted more than 130 years ago and is one of the oldest banners in the history of Australia. Read More.
What we loved
It’s hard not to be impressed by this rare, fragile and thought-provoking object. It’s amazing for what it symbolises about Australia’s earliest xenophobic tendencies – something we’re still grappling with today. It’s amazing it survives at all really, let alone that it resides in a very unassuming little volunteer-run country museum.
What we did
Visit the museum
We took a wander around the museum which you will find at number 2 Campbell Street Young. It’s open 10am to 4pm most days. It’s run by volunteers from Young Historical Society and is housed in the historic Young National School (opened 1861) – but these days the buildings houses the museum and a community arts centre. It’s got an extensive array of historical objects from around the district – including the Roll Up Banner which was purchased in 1958 and still holds pride of place.
The scene of the crime
You can take a drive out to Blackguards Gully reserve – which was the scene of the riot all those years ago. It was here the Chinese miners were brutally expelled from Blackguard Gully Chinese camp. Evicted into the surrounding country with no equipment or provisions, the Chinese walked 20km south to seek refuge on James Roberts’s ‘Currawong’ property near Murrumburrah. The reserve is a couple of kilometres out of town off Whiteman Avenue. There are three hectares of old gold mining remains and gold rush relics including parts of old pug mills, water races and diggings. To be honest, we’re not sure what we were looking at – because it’s not well signposted, but it was easy to use your imagination to conjure up a time when the place was crawling with miners and the riot was in full swing.
Lambing Flat Chinese Tribute Garden
These gardens are a potent antidote to the rather depressing story of the riots and the treatment of the Chinese in 1861. They are located at the Chinaman’s Dam reserve four kilometres from the town centre. Building of the gardens began in 1992 and these days they are well established. Very peaceful and tranquil place to walk and there’s lots of places for picnics and barbecues. The gardens recognise the contribution of the Chinese community to the settlement of the town and to Australia generally.
What we ate
We had one of the most delicious Indian meals EVER at Tandoori Fish restaurant 2/44 Boorowa Street. This unassuming and unlikely looking restaurant surprised and delighted us with its wonderful food and we have been trying to invent reasons to go back to Young for some more of it ever since. It doesn’t look like much – but seriously good.
We had a lovely breakfast at the Kettle and Grain Cafe which is located behind the Lambing Flat Folk Museum. Not only was the food great and the service very good, the ambience of the historic school rooms was a bonus. We were there in winter so it was indoors all the way for us – but the courtyard looked awesome when the weather’s a bit warmer.
