Located on the south west slopes of New South Wales, Australia, the tiny town of Young has a long and colorful history. The anti-Chinese riots that were associated with the gold rush of the 1860s played a huge part in the town’s development. More than 100 years later, the town decided to construct the Lambing Flat Chinese Tribute Garden in 1992 as a tribute to the contributions of the Chinese people to Young and the “ongoing contribution of the Chinese community to Australia as a nation.”
Today, the gardens are a beautiful monument and draw a number of visitors to the area even if the town is only home to several hundred. They include bronze and marble sculptures, a water mill, rock formations, winding paths, and a selection of plants that change with the seasons.
The gardens won’t keep you busy for an entire day, but they are one way that tourists and townspeople alike choose to spend a few spare hours. The gardens are small, but they also include a space for picnicking and have BBQ facilities that can be used by visitors. The picnicking space is located next the Chinamans Dam, which was singled out as the spot near which the Young Shire Council wanted to build the gardens.
With an initial capacity of just over two million gallons of water when it was first built and used as railway bridge, the Chinamans Dam was constructed in the 1860s by Dutch brothers to provide water for the sluicing of their Victoria Hill gold claims. The brothers, Herman and John Tiedeman, sold the dam the following decade to the Chinese group that was working the site. The capacity of the dam was enlarged in 1911 because the number of locomotives stopping in the area to replenish their water was increasing. They would get all of their water from the Chinamans Dam.
From the Young Visitor Information Centre exit onto Lovell St., turning right on Lynch St. Proceed across town, crossing the bridge and turn left onto Gordon St. Continue on this road for approx. 4 km and follow the directional signage to the Chinese Tribute Gardens.
Nicholas Jackson
