Araluen, New South Wales
In May 1865 the bushranger Ben Hall and his gang tried to hold up the Araluen gold coach. The coach carried gold from the Araluen gold fields to Braidwood. This was a very steep road and very hard for a wagon pulled by horses to travel along. Often the only way to goods in and out of the valley was to drag them up or down on sleds. The wagons could not go very fast, so this was a good spot for the bushrangers to rob the coach. The gold coach usually had a policeman with a gun sitting next to the driver. There were two more policemen on the back of the carriage. Four more policemen rode on horses in front and behind the coach. The gold was kept in a safe which was bolted to floor of the coach. (The coach has been restored and is on display at the Braidwood Museum)