The Chinese tablet is probably from a gravestone, the characters state the origin (家鄉) of the person buried, down to the village (廣東省花縣馬溪村, Maxi Village, Hua County, Guangdong/Canton Province).
Many thanks for that information, Faiz - I can't read Chinese yet, so that information definitely helps. The Guangdong location confirms the info from the Golden Dragon Museum Wikipedia-page, and also suggests that the stone is likely to be at least 150 years old.
I have no idea how the stone came to be here on the property, or to be in its present condition. This area (Sailors Gully) was a gold-mining area (and still is - there's an active mine-shaft just up the road, a hundred metres or so from here), so it's possible there's a lost gravesite somewhere nearby, though given the gravestone's removal there's probably no way to find it now. At least the quality of the stone itself suggests a respectful burial, anyway.
Many thanks again for the information: these things do matter.
The Chinese tablet is probably from a gravestone, the characters state the origin (家鄉) of the person buried, down to the village (廣東省花縣馬溪村, Maxi Village, Hua County, Guangdong/Canton Province).
Many thanks for that information, Faiz - I can't read Chinese yet, so that information definitely helps. The Guangdong location confirms the info from the Golden Dragon Museum Wikipedia-page, and also suggests that the stone is likely to be at least 150 years old.
I have no idea how the stone came to be here on the property, or to be in its present condition. This area (Sailors Gully) was a gold-mining area (and still is - there's an active mine-shaft just up the road, a hundred metres or so from here), so it's possible there's a lost gravesite somewhere nearby, though given the gravestone's removal there's probably no way to find it now. At least the quality of the stone itself suggests a respectful burial, anyway.
Many thanks again for the information: these things do matter.