Who lived on the goldfields
how was life like on the goldfields
how was life like on the goldfields
Life was hard on the goldfields. When the gold rush began, many people left their jobs to find a fortune on the gold fields. As a result, shops closed down for there was no one in the towns to work in them, nor any people to buy the products sold, schools had to close down because there was no one to teach the children. When miners first came to the gold fields they lived in tents. The miner’s would sleep on makeshift mattresses which were stuffed with leaves. Outside their tent they would have a cooking fire, a bucket of water and something specific to the miners to help them identify which tent was their own, such as a flag. As time went on, bark huts and stone buildings were built to replace tents. The government built camps which consisted of a timber barracks for the soldiers as well as a log jail.
food and health
The miners diet was very light. The meal was called mutton which a butcher would sell to the miners to eat, damper which is made by flour and bread. With a cup of tea.
There were barely any real doctors so an injured or sick miner or child would have to deal with it.
who lived on the goldfields
People arived from North America, Europe, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Hungary and China.
An estimation from 1851-1860 about 500,000 people came to the Australian colonies from Great Britain to search for the presious metal and strike it rich. The white Australian policy disliked the Chinese and band them. The Aboriginals also sufferd from racism and were sent off their land by the diggers and the population of women was less than 20%.
Eureka stockade
The Eureka stockade was built in June 1854 the flag was a white plus with stars at the end of each line and in the middle. A gold licence costs 5 pounds but on rent it is 30 shillings ( 40 cents ) and miners didn't afford the licence and the police treated the miners in disrespect so the miners stood up and built a wall called the eureka stockade which is one of Australia's most hysterical moments.
Famous gold fields
Hargraves found gold in near Bathurst, New South Wales, and word quickly spread. Within a week there were over 400 people digging there for gold, and by June there were 2000. They named the goldfield Ophir after a city of gold in the Bible. The Australian gold rush had begun.
Techniques
The miners used panning to find little nuggets or specks of gold. A cradle is a large wooden tool used to wash out any gravel, water, soil and sand. Miners also used shovels and pickaxes.