Our stop for tonight was Ross – an old mining town. The current population of Ross is apparently around 300 people and a signifcant proportion of them seemed to be in the Empire Hotel this evening – the only pub in town and the only place to get a meal! It was one of those pubs where you expect it to go quiet when you walk in as they all turn to look at you and with the walls adorned with hunting and fishing ‘trophies’, it certainly had that feel. However, despite being one of the quirkiest places we have visited in years, it was very welcoming.
The noticeboard in the pub had details of the activities of the Roddy Fishing Club. We assumed this was named after the founder of the club, but it seems that it is named after a nugget of gold. Though Ross was founded in the gold rush of the late 19th century, its fortunes waned as the gold ran out, so they mined quartz instead for a while. However, in 1909 two miners discovered a large 3.1-kilogram nugget, which was later named the “Honourable Roddy Nugget“, after Roderick McKenzie, the Minister for Mines at the time. The nugget was sold to a Ross storekeeper for £400 (equivalent to over $70,000 NZD currently), but the government then bought it in 1911. In their misplaced (as it turned out …) generosity the New Zealand government gave it to King George V in a ‘fitting setting’ as a Coronation gift. Subsequent enquiries have revealed that the Royals had it melted down to make a Royal tea service. That’s gratitude for you ….. At today’s gold prices, the nugget would probably be worth somewhere around $200,000 NZD.
We have stayed quite often so far in campsites which are part of the Top 10 Group. These have generally been very good and we have stayed in either lodges or self-contained rooms which they offer. However, the one in Ross was the quirkiest yet. This somehow seems to fit with the character of Ross! Tonight’s room was a converted container which they described as a pod. It was really well done with a bed, table, kitchenette and toilet and shower in one end.
