Forty Miles From Nowhere

The Life and Times of Captain Charles Leopold Diamanti, 1818 - 1907

Sailor, Whaler, Colonist, Gold Miner.

“Charles had sailed the world’s oceans but upon the ship entering the Pelorus Sound he was amazed at the beauty of the landscape and stillness of the water. He had accepted that his calling was no longer to the sea and that his life as a mariner had breached its final shore” 
(1864)

“Hearing nothing but the creaking of timber and the sound of soil dripping down through the cracks, he discovered the cave-in had completely blocked the exit. He soon came to realise he was now trapped in a living tomb....”
(1879)

“No man or woman ever applied in vain to him for help
which he was able to give......” 
(Pelorus Guardian 1907)

Although the miners of the Wakamarina paid taxes on gold extracted they saw nothing in return, feeling both isolated and disenfranchised. Financial support was not forthcoming for much needed infrastructure; and the roads and the bridges over them remained undeveloped for years. Blenheim seemed so remote to so many that some jokingly questioned its existence, often referring to the Province’s capital as “Nowhere”.