During the late 19th and early 20th centuries stamp batteries played an integral role in releasing gold from quartz ore. The ‘music of the stamps’ was a common sound throughout the mountains for many decades. Despite our modern perceptions, the noise of the stamps was considered the sound of industry, employment, and a strong economy, an economy that saw the development of the Great Alpine Road into what it is today.
To the battery attendants and all who lived on the goldfields the rhythmic falling of the stamps was the background music of their daily lives. Many residents felt at unease with the quiet that fell over the valley when the machines ceased for the Sabbath on Saturday evening.