Everyday Life On The Goldfields Essay
Everyday Life on the Goldfields
The gold rushes from 1851 until the early 1900s were very important to Australia’s History. Up to that time, Indigenous Australians occupied most of the country, although some had already been pushed off their lands. In 1788, the first settlers from Europe, mostly English and Irish, arrived and established new towns along the cost.
The First Rushes:
In 1851, a group of prospectors, led by a man called Edward Hargraves, found gold near Bathurst in NSW. Within days of the announcement of this discovery, a gold rush started. In the next few months, gold was found near Ballarat and Bendigo in Victoria, starting another rush. People came from all over Australia and overseas, facing enormous hardships and danger …show more content…
to search for their fortunes.
Australia Changed forever:
The gold rushes changed Australia forever.
Towns and farms sprang up across the country that had not been there before. These towns were joined by roads, railways and telegraph lines to serve the new settlers. By the end of the gold rushes in the early 1900s, goldminers had forced the government to change laws about who could vote, be a member of parliament or come to live in Australia. People began to think of themselves as Australians, with their own ways of doing things. Australia has changed forever.
Life on the Gold fields
Life on the goldfields could be exciting, but could also be difficult, dangerous and uncomfortable, so few women or children lived on the goldfields at first. To reach the goldfields, diggers walked or rode long distances over rough tracks, because proper roads had not been built. Diggers had to make their own shelters when they arrived. Most lived in tents or bark huts. Houses, hotels and shops of timber, tone or brick were built on the bigger goldfields when people began to settle there.
Daily Needs:
It was difficult for people to meet their daily needs on the goldfields. They had to carry most of their supplies to the goldfields with them. Few shops existed at first, and it was hard to get fresh food and water. Cooking, keeping clean and warm, and getting letters and newspapers were difficult tasks. When diggers were sick or had accidents, family or friends often provided the only medical
treatment.
Travelling to the goldfields
People travelled to the goldfields in many different ways. Many walked from nearby towns. If people could afford it, they ride horses, came by horse-drawn cart, or by coach. Others came by ship from places such as Britain, the United States of America and China.
Sailing:
Journeys in early sailing ships were long and uncomfortable. Passengers were crammed into small wooden bunks below deck, and ate together at a long table in the cabin. The food was very basic, and fresh fruit and vegetables were rare. In stormy weather, passengers could be shut down below deck for days with no fresh air. Diseases caused poor food and not being able to wash properly were common. People sometimes arrived in Sydney or Melbourne too weak and sick to set off for the goldfields.
Walking:
Walking from cities or towns was the most common method of reaching the diggings. Sometimes diggers walked hundreds of kilometres. It could be hot and dust was stirred up by passing horses and carts. It could also be freezing cold. When it rained, people struggled through mud, sometimes up to their knees. Miners often brought a waterproof coat and trousers, canvas for a tent, a pick, a shovel and a panning dish. Some miners brought these supplies in wooden wheelbarrows, but many carried their belongings over their shoulders, in a sack, or in a roll carried across the shoulders called a swag.
Riding:
Riding to the diggings was easier than walking, but it was expensive to buy a horse, a cart or a coach ticket. Horses could lose a show and often there were no blacksmiths to replace horseshoes along the way. Horses could also get stuck in the mud. Thieves or bushrangers sometimes stole horses. Coach passengers were jammed in and sat on hard wooden benches. Some passengers sat outside the coach on cheaper seats, which were exposed to the weather. Bushrangers sometimes held up coaches and passengers were robbed. Coaches also risked losing wheels on rough, rocky tracks. On boggy or steep stretches or road, passengers sometimes had to get out and push the coach.
The gold rushes from 1851 until the early 1900s were very important to Australia’s History. Up to that time, Indigenous Australians occupied most of the country, although some had already been pushed off their lands. In 1788, the first settlers from Europe, mostly English and Irish, arrived and established new towns along the cost.
The First Rushes:
In 1851, a group of prospectors, led by a man called Edward Hargraves, found gold near Bathurst in NSW. Within days of the announcement of this discovery, a gold rush started. In the next few months, gold was found near Ballarat and Bendigo in Victoria, starting another rush. People came from all over Australia and overseas, facing enormous hardships and danger …show more content…
to search for their fortunes.
Australia Changed forever:
The gold rushes changed Australia forever.
Towns and farms sprang up across the country that had not been there before. These towns were joined by roads, railways and telegraph lines to serve the new settlers. By the end of the gold rushes in the early 1900s, goldminers had forced the government to change laws about who could vote, be a member of parliament or come to live in Australia. People began to think of themselves as Australians, with their own ways of doing things. Australia has changed forever.
Life on the Gold fields
Life on the goldfields could be exciting, but could also be difficult, dangerous and uncomfortable, so few women or children lived on the goldfields at first. To reach the goldfields, diggers walked or rode long distances over rough tracks, because proper roads had not been built. Diggers had to make their own shelters when they arrived. Most lived in tents or bark huts. Houses, hotels and shops of timber, tone or brick were built on the bigger goldfields when people began to settle there.
Daily Needs:
It was difficult for people to meet their daily needs on the goldfields. They had to carry most of their supplies to the goldfields with them. Few shops existed at first, and it was hard to get fresh food and water. Cooking, keeping clean and warm, and getting letters and newspapers were difficult tasks. When diggers were sick or had accidents, family or friends often provided the only medical
treatment.
Travelling to the goldfields
People travelled to the goldfields in many different ways. Many walked from nearby towns. If people could afford it, they ride horses, came by horse-drawn cart, or by coach. Others came by ship from places such as Britain, the United States of America and China.
Sailing:
Journeys in early sailing ships were long and uncomfortable. Passengers were crammed into small wooden bunks below deck, and ate together at a long table in the cabin. The food was very basic, and fresh fruit and vegetables were rare. In stormy weather, passengers could be shut down below deck for days with no fresh air. Diseases caused poor food and not being able to wash properly were common. People sometimes arrived in Sydney or Melbourne too weak and sick to set off for the goldfields.
Walking:
Walking from cities or towns was the most common method of reaching the diggings. Sometimes diggers walked hundreds of kilometres. It could be hot and dust was stirred up by passing horses and carts. It could also be freezing cold. When it rained, people struggled through mud, sometimes up to their knees. Miners often brought a waterproof coat and trousers, canvas for a tent, a pick, a shovel and a panning dish. Some miners brought these supplies in wooden wheelbarrows, but many carried their belongings over their shoulders, in a sack, or in a roll carried across the shoulders called a swag.
Riding:
Riding to the diggings was easier than walking, but it was expensive to buy a horse, a cart or a coach ticket. Horses could lose a show and often there were no blacksmiths to replace horseshoes along the way. Horses could also get stuck in the mud. Thieves or bushrangers sometimes stole horses. Coach passengers were jammed in and sat on hard wooden benches. Some passengers sat outside the coach on cheaper seats, which were exposed to the weather. Bushrangers sometimes held up coaches and passengers were robbed. Coaches also risked losing wheels on rough, rocky tracks. On boggy or steep stretches or road, passengers sometimes had to get out and push the coach.