Sofala

We had fun today exploring what remains of the gold rush town of Sofala. Following the discovery of payable gold in the district, hopeful miners flocked to Sofala and in 1851 the population peaked at 26,000. Today it’s little more than a ghost town. 
This is a replica of part of the iron footbridge across the Turon River at Sofala. It’s said the bridge was needed to link the two sides of Sofala because the police station was on one side and the pub on the other. The original bridge was built in England and transported across the Blue  Mountains in sections. 
The old bridge was swept away in a flood in 1986. Joyce Pearce was a local resident who campaigned for years for the restoration of the bridge. (She was also known for tending the grave of the last Chinese miner in Sofala, Wong Gee, who died in 1907.)