about life on the gold fields
Life on the fields were a lot harder than you think.
Many of the people on the gold fields were men and most of the men were bachelors. Many men thought that the dirty mining and digging were not a good place for women to live but back from the beginning women dug too. It was not easy digging for gold, some men got lucky and some didn't find any at all, even some of the people who found gold were only lucky enough to find a small spec. Everyone had to do things themselves.
It was very dirty and dusty on the fields there were also millions of germs as well as some diseases, you couldn't just go have a nice cold sip of water you would have to boil your water as it was very dirty with lot's of germs but some people didn't listen and got sick and many people died. Their weren't much doctors on the fields and the doctors that were there were not very experienced so if you got sick you could easily die from a fever etc. Laundresses took in the washing that men were too busy to wash themselves. Many store keepers were women. Actresses and dancers drifted to the gold fields and all of the fields eventually held thousands of people living there.
Most miners did not have any efficient transport and had to get to the gold fields by walking as well as carrying all of their belongings or pushing them in wheel burrows. Some came on horse back and some had bullock teams to pull carts. The Chinese had a very hard time with this and you can find more about the Chinese in the "Effect of the Chinese tab."
Before the hold fields became communities with shops to buy some foods and other items the miners would have eaten a very basic diet of things like damper and mutton or salted beef. The Chinese ate things like rice and cabbage, chicken soup and also learnt to cook damper.
Many of the people on the gold fields were men and most of the men were bachelors. Many men thought that the dirty mining and digging were not a good place for women to live but back from the beginning women dug too. It was not easy digging for gold, some men got lucky and some didn't find any at all, even some of the people who found gold were only lucky enough to find a small spec. Everyone had to do things themselves.
It was very dirty and dusty on the fields there were also millions of germs as well as some diseases, you couldn't just go have a nice cold sip of water you would have to boil your water as it was very dirty with lot's of germs but some people didn't listen and got sick and many people died. Their weren't much doctors on the fields and the doctors that were there were not very experienced so if you got sick you could easily die from a fever etc. Laundresses took in the washing that men were too busy to wash themselves. Many store keepers were women. Actresses and dancers drifted to the gold fields and all of the fields eventually held thousands of people living there.
Most miners did not have any efficient transport and had to get to the gold fields by walking as well as carrying all of their belongings or pushing them in wheel burrows. Some came on horse back and some had bullock teams to pull carts. The Chinese had a very hard time with this and you can find more about the Chinese in the "Effect of the Chinese tab."
Before the hold fields became communities with shops to buy some foods and other items the miners would have eaten a very basic diet of things like damper and mutton or salted beef. The Chinese ate things like rice and cabbage, chicken soup and also learnt to cook damper.