VPRS 19192 Mining Registrar's Registers Of Water Rights, Spring Creek and Beechworth Mining Divisions

Full description

This series was created to record the receipt and outcome of applications for water right licences.  These were mainly concerned with the construction and use of water races and reservoirs on mining claims. 

As with applications for mining leases, applications for water right licences were received by the Mining Registrar in each Mining Division and eventually forwarded to the Minister for Mines who advised the Governor-in-Council whether to approve the application. 

The following information was usually recorded in the register:

- the number of the application (allocated by the Registrar)
- the date the application was received
- the name(s) and address(es) of the applicant(s)
- the nature of the application (including details such as whether the application was for a race or reservoir, the size of the reservoir and whether a water right licence would interfere with any other mining rights and operations)
- the amount of money which had been or was to be invested
- the proposed locality
- the term (ie length of time) of the licence and when operations were to commence
- the date the Mining Surveyor was instructed to survey the land, and
- details of the gazettal of the licence, if it was approved.

Registers of Water Rights were not necessarily created by every Divisional Mining Registrar.  In a number of instances this information was recorded in the register of mining licenses.