GOLD RUSH

The discovery of gold was in February 1851, first in Bathurst in New South Wales and then in the new colony of Victoria, and by May as many as 1000 diggers had immigrated to Australia. They came from across the globe and around the country, (mostly from Britain, Ireland, Europe, North America, and China) leaving their families at home and made their own homes as they travelled. They made their houses out of canvas, tree branches, and bark.

They also only washed once a week as well as beating their clothes with a stick to get rid of the dust, whereas the wealthier miners used washing machines that were run by Chinese immigrants. While their diet consisted of only damper, meat and tea, because the price of flour and vegetables was twelve times more than usual, since plenty of farmers went out to dig too.

Damper on a stick

Most diggers walked hundreds of kilometers, while the wealthier people rode horses and coaches. Making a fortune was not as easy as it sounded. Miners worked six days a week. They dug deep shafts and sifted the mud and soil in hope of finding some gold. Only a few of them got the fortune they wanted, but after the gold rush, they left. Most of them, however, stayed to see what other things the new country could offer to them.