The Buckland Valley Goldfield – Part 7: Red jacket

We save the best until last in this final episode of the Buckland Valley Goldfield series. In this instalment, we embark on a nautical journey — descending not quite to the centre of the earth, but deep enough underground to uncover rare archaeological traces left by the last miners who worked the Red Jacket mine in 1939. Hidden beneath the hills lie fragile remnants of a more recent chapter in the field’s long history — quiet evidence of the men who carried the story of Buckland gold into the 20th century. It’s a fitting finale to a journey that has taken us from shallow diggings and water races to dredges, reefs, and now deep underground. Stay tuned for our next documentary — one that anyone who has ever owned a Land Rover will certainly appreciate. Till then, happy exploring!