In the 1930s, it was the third largest user of power in Victoria behind the cities of Melbourne and Geelong.
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Now, 80 years on, this mining monster sits silent and powerless on the outskirts of town serving as monument and tourism draw-card for the 250 people of El Dorado.
The Cock's Eldorado gold mining dredge opened during a depression era that witnessed prosperity return to the gold mining town on the outskirts of Beechworth.
This year marks the 80th anniversary since the dredge officially opened and commenced operations.
At the time of its creation, there was already a mechanical dredge operating in the Ovens River between Myrtleford and Harrietville.
It was soon decided to build a floating dredge in Eldorado, where big amounts of untouched gold and tin concentrate sat on the floors of Reedy Creek - hidden under thick layers of alluvium.
Eldorado Museum president Sue Phillips has been digging into the history of the biggest dredge left in the Southern Hemisphere.
Sue, a retired primary school teacher and principal, jokes that after more than 40 years in the town she is still not considered a true local.
She has volunteered at the museum for more than 10 years and is fascinated with Eldorado's past.
"It has a really rich history all the way back to 1853 when they first found gold here," she said.
"I think it’s important to keep history in some format and to keep putting it out in front of people.
"Otherwise it’s just going to disappear.
"It will be saved but it won’t be public and it won't be as obvious to people unless you continue to put it forward."
The Cock’s dredge only operated for 20 years, closing in 1954 as costs rose and gold became scarce.
Over the two decades, the dredge extracted 70,664 ounces of alluvial gold and 1383 tons of tin concentrate.
The dredge sits on the bank of the 90-foot deep water hole to the west of town where it was last left to rest.
As Sue leads our small tour of the dredge, there is a continuing crackling of of car tyres coming up the gravel road to visit the 2200 ton steel relic.
During an hour or so on a pleasant April afternoon, three or four different parties of visitors keen to learn more about the dredge.
Elderly Albury couple Ian and Dorothy Grayland, who are on an afternoon drive, say they always bring their visitors to see the dredge.
The water hole is now a popular swimming and picnic spot for locals and tourists.
These days, there is a bridge and that allows you to walk up into the body of the dredge and inspect the aging insides.
As you enter, you can see the control panel of the machine which has since had all of its copper knobs and levers stolen by vandals.
It reeks of rust and the beams are decorated in graffiti – a reminder of teenagers spending their summers swimming up inside the dredge and jumping off the top.
Even the graffiti is now a bit dated. The most prominent tag is by someone named Dicko who was left his mark in 1997.
The Cock’s dredge is owned by Parks Victoria, which last year helped to install a National Engineering Heritage marker.
Sue said the museum committee had "a bit of a wish list" of things to fix around the dredge to make it more visitor-friendly, such as a car park and toilets.
She would even just like to see some work go into lifting the dredge up out of the water to preserve it longer, but it all comes back to finding money through government grants.
“It’s important to celebrate and share the history of the dredge,” Sue said.
“It’s about developing a love or an interest for old things and unique things, it’s not like they are a dime a dozen.”
Sue pointed this writer in the direction of a weatherboard house, with a wrap around verandah two doors down, to learn more about the dredge from a true Eldorado local.
Geoffrey Milne remembers from days when the dredge was more than Sunday destination for out of town tourists.
Geoffrey and his wife Kathleen have been married for 60 years and have always lived in Eldorado.
“El Dorado is two words, I’m a bit crooked on that,” he tells me.
“It’s Spanish, meaning gold as far I know.”
At 89, he clearly remembers the opening of the Cock’s dredge when he was nine.
He recalled school children being taken down to see different stages of the dredge being built - starting with the pontoons.
“It was prefabricated in Castlemaine and brought up here in bits and pieces on the train," Geoffrey said.
“It’s not welded, it's all riveted and every little hole fitted.
“When you think about the engineering skill that went into that back in those days, they were pretty good engineers.”
Geoffrey said he remembered the roaring noise the dredge, which used to boom and blanket the town.
He said you simply got used to it.
“You knew when it was off, that’s for sure,” he said.
“It helped make Eldorado what it is, it kept it going and just really kept people in the town.
“People obviously weren’t happy when it shut but over the years it has become a great tourist attraction for the town to bring in some money.”
While the dredge no longer glitters, its golden heritage has a special place in North East history.
The dredge's 80-year celebrations get under way from 11am on May 1. Entry is free and activities run until 4pm. Call (03) 5725 1542 for details.
