Housing

• Housing on the goldfields isn’t like todays .On the goldfields they slept in tents or huts. They usually had bark roofs. There mattress’ were stuffed with leaves. Sometimes the miners sat around the fire on a log singing songs.

Work done by men, women and children

• It was mostly men who went to look for gold in the goldfields. Women and children arrived later to join their fathers and husbands. Women mostly cooked and provided, while also entertaining the diggers. Women worked as hard as the men: washing, cooking, chopping-wood and helping with the search for gold as well. Many Children went to the goldfields with their parents, by December 1852 there was almost 12000 children. Young children didn’t work as hard but older children worked as hard as adults.

Clothing

• Men mostly wore straw hats, white shirts, frock coats, gloves, underpants, hard wear pants and rain protection. Some miners wore boots and shoes but most couldn’t afford shoes so they had to go bare foot. The Chinese mostly wore baggy cloths and large coolie hats.

Transport

• The way poor people got to the goldfields was by walking through deserts, swamp and mountain. The reason the poor people walked was because horse was to much money. The richer people bought horses and carriages. Some people rode on donkeys and bullock because they can carry large amount of weight

Food and water

• Food on the goldfields was very poor most people ate damper. Damper is flour and water mixed together. There was very little fruit and vegetables. Miners, diggers and panners had to find there own food themselves such as tuna, trout and meat for example. Lots of people became alcoholics. Some people also brought tea.

Leisure activities:Adults

• On Sundays the people on the goldfields, did not work because Sunday is the lords day. On Sunday everybody slept-in because that is the only time they get to!

Leisure activities:Children

• On Sundays children had to be very quiet and well behaved. In the morning they went to mass in the afternoon they had to go to school. On Sundays the one toy parents thought was suitable was Noah’s Ark. The things children played with were marbles, jacks, skipping games, imaginary games,puzzles, goldfield games.

Boys and Girls activities

• Some boys games were toy theatres, toy horses, pull-along horse and cart. Girls toys were dolls (wax dolls), playing Mums and paper dolls.

Education

• In 1850s and 1860s, the school day began at 9 O’clock. Children had two hours for lunch, from 12-2 O’clock and most children walked home and ate lunch with their families. The day ended at 5 O’clock and children did not were school uniforms.

Bibliography

• Life on the goldfields-1.ppt.pot• Growing up on the goldfields-Kimberly

Webber

• Gold!-John Nicolson