Garfield Water Wheel

The Garfield Wheel is one of the more spectacular artefacts of the gold rush days that can be found along the Goldfields Track.

The huge 21.5 diameter water wheel drove a 15 head quartz crushing battery, creating a deafening noise that could be heard in Castlemaine, 5km away! When it was build in 1887 it was hailed as the biggest water wheel in the southern hemisphere. But its sheer size led to its own demise. It couldn’t cope with high winds and the sheer force on the wear and tear on the gearing led to it being dismantled in 1904.

The track runs right past this site, so stop and take in this extraordinary piece of history.