Life on the goldfields
Miners would work from dawn to dusk, six days a week, the seventh day would be a rest day but most miners used this day to clean clothes and to clean equipment. In some goldfields where chickens were rare, the first miner to wake up would imitate a roosters crow until another miner woke, this miner would join in and the pattern would go on until the whole camp was awake.
Supplies
Life on the goldfields was very difficult. Stores would sell goods such as food, clothing, pan's, puddling pans, picks, shovels, spades, mining boots, clothing and bedding, tea, sugar, flour, fresh and salted meat, bacon and hams, tobacco, and forage for horses and cattle. Living far away from the big cities meant supplies were hard to get and were low in number, shopkeepers would raise the prices for these good and the miners had no choice but to pay those prices. Bacon chicken, eggs and ham were luxury items and only the successful miners were able to afford them.
Shopkeepers would accept payment in gold or in cash.
Shopkeepers would accept payment in gold or in cash.
Living Conditions
In the beginning of the gold rush, miners would make and live in roughly made tents, making goldfields resemble tent cities. If the miners would stay in a spot for a while, the miner would build a hut usually made out of bark and wood.
As the dig sites became established, if miners were able to make enough money, miners would build better huts made out of stone, after they built these huts, if the miner had a family, that miner would then bring his family into the gold fields where they would live in a stone hut, but sometimes the miners family would go and live in the roughly made tents. Sometimes miners would cooperate with each other in order to have enough money to build a proper home.
Miners with females living with them had a slightly better life than the miners with out females living with them. The women would sew, cook and clean.
No matter what building the miners would build, they would have had to build there homes far enough above the banks of the creek or river to avoid being flooded when it rained heavily and the water rushed down the gullies.
Living conditions improved in the early 1860's when miners who rushed around trying to find the easy gold settled, tent cities began to look more like proper towns with proper churches and schools, examples of these towns are Beechworth, Bendigo and Bathurst.
As the dig sites became established, if miners were able to make enough money, miners would build better huts made out of stone, after they built these huts, if the miner had a family, that miner would then bring his family into the gold fields where they would live in a stone hut, but sometimes the miners family would go and live in the roughly made tents. Sometimes miners would cooperate with each other in order to have enough money to build a proper home.
Miners with females living with them had a slightly better life than the miners with out females living with them. The women would sew, cook and clean.
No matter what building the miners would build, they would have had to build there homes far enough above the banks of the creek or river to avoid being flooded when it rained heavily and the water rushed down the gullies.
Living conditions improved in the early 1860's when miners who rushed around trying to find the easy gold settled, tent cities began to look more like proper towns with proper churches and schools, examples of these towns are Beechworth, Bendigo and Bathurst.
Health & Medicine
Accidents & Diseases
Diseases were common in the goldfields, it was difficult for anyone to stay healthy, but it was extremely difficult for children to stay healthy.
Since there was no proper way to get rid of mining and toilet waste, drinking water supplies were easily contaminated. When this happened peopled suffered from dysentery, typhoid and cholera, these dangerous diseases could easily kill children, already unhealthy people who were overworked and lacked proper food.
In summer miners often suffered with dehydration, and in winter miners suffered with hyperthermia.
Accidents were very common, many miners and curious children were injured or died in mining accidents. Miners or children could be injured in many ways such as, falling down mine shafts, poor ventilation in the shafts, flooding inside the mines, buried alive by collapsing shafts and being injured by falling debris.
Remedies In the early days of the gold rush, there were a lack of proper toilets, clean water and drainage, these problems led to outbreaks of diseases. Medicines from the 1850's had no proven efficiency, and could either be addictive or toxic. Qualified medical treatment was rare and expensive. Because of the lack of qualified health practitioners, miners often turned to patent medicine. 'Patent medicine' were medicines made by unqualified people trying to get rich, some of these "patent medicine's" were claimed to be able to fix anything from sore legs to cancer. Miners also turned to dangerous drugs that dulled the pain such as morphine and opium, these remedies sometimes made the sickness worst or even death at times.
Diseases were common in the goldfields, it was difficult for anyone to stay healthy, but it was extremely difficult for children to stay healthy.
Since there was no proper way to get rid of mining and toilet waste, drinking water supplies were easily contaminated. When this happened peopled suffered from dysentery, typhoid and cholera, these dangerous diseases could easily kill children, already unhealthy people who were overworked and lacked proper food.
In summer miners often suffered with dehydration, and in winter miners suffered with hyperthermia.
Accidents were very common, many miners and curious children were injured or died in mining accidents. Miners or children could be injured in many ways such as, falling down mine shafts, poor ventilation in the shafts, flooding inside the mines, buried alive by collapsing shafts and being injured by falling debris.
Remedies In the early days of the gold rush, there were a lack of proper toilets, clean water and drainage, these problems led to outbreaks of diseases. Medicines from the 1850's had no proven efficiency, and could either be addictive or toxic. Qualified medical treatment was rare and expensive. Because of the lack of qualified health practitioners, miners often turned to patent medicine. 'Patent medicine' were medicines made by unqualified people trying to get rich, some of these "patent medicine's" were claimed to be able to fix anything from sore legs to cancer. Miners also turned to dangerous drugs that dulled the pain such as morphine and opium, these remedies sometimes made the sickness worst or even death at times.
Clothing
Comparing the clothing used by people in the cities and towns were not suited to Australia's climate. Most of Australia's population came from European countries where the weather is usually colder. The Europeans wore several layers of clothing made out of heavy materials to keep warm in the cold weather. These types of clothing were uncomfortable in the heat and dust of Australia's summers.
In the early days of the gold rush, miners would where the heavy European clothing that was made for winter. Miners who had came from the Californian goldfields brought the strong hard wearing clothes with them and this type of clothing was quickly copied by the Europeans.
The type of clothing that was copied by the Europeans from the Californians were, trousers made from twill ( a heavy cotton cloth) or moleskin (a tough soft cotton), shirts that were mostly red or blue and were made from a woollen material called serge, heavy boots, a handkerchief around the neck to absorb sweat and most men wore wide brimmed hats, which were made from cabbage tree palm leaves.
Miners would get hot in these clothing and if they did not have enough clean water they would get dehydrated, thus taking them off mining until they got better.
In winter working men would wear waistcoats or loose jackets.
Chinese miners clothes wore loose light jackets and trousers and the iconic hats shaped like wide cones which were made from woven straw and varnished to keep of the rain.
Wealthy men such as successful miners, doctors, reporters, some shop owners, wore three piece suits with trousers, waist coats and long jackets. Some rich men wore extra items to show off their wealth, these items included watches on chains, tall top hats or checked trousers.
In the early days of the gold rush, miners would where the heavy European clothing that was made for winter. Miners who had came from the Californian goldfields brought the strong hard wearing clothes with them and this type of clothing was quickly copied by the Europeans.
The type of clothing that was copied by the Europeans from the Californians were, trousers made from twill ( a heavy cotton cloth) or moleskin (a tough soft cotton), shirts that were mostly red or blue and were made from a woollen material called serge, heavy boots, a handkerchief around the neck to absorb sweat and most men wore wide brimmed hats, which were made from cabbage tree palm leaves.
Miners would get hot in these clothing and if they did not have enough clean water they would get dehydrated, thus taking them off mining until they got better.
In winter working men would wear waistcoats or loose jackets.
Chinese miners clothes wore loose light jackets and trousers and the iconic hats shaped like wide cones which were made from woven straw and varnished to keep of the rain.
Wealthy men such as successful miners, doctors, reporters, some shop owners, wore three piece suits with trousers, waist coats and long jackets. Some rich men wore extra items to show off their wealth, these items included watches on chains, tall top hats or checked trousers.