Introduction
Historically, past Australian developments emanated from the discovery of gold. However, many towns that contributed to this phenomenon are no longer recognizable.
Faster developments were established in almost all states as more goldfields were established. The discovery of gold attracted thousands of miners from different places.
The influx of miners into these places contributed to the establishment and growth of ancient Australian towns.
Concurrently, this was associated with hardships, triumphs, and disappointments for the miners and their families.
This article discerns various aspects of the Australian goldfields and the rise and fall of the associated towns.
Major Incidences
When people received information about the discovery of gold in Australia, they moved to the concerned places (goldfields) in search of wealth.
Unfortunately, there were no facilities like houses in the places where the discoveries were made. This steered settlements in the concerned goldfields.
Conversely, they used horses and wheelbarrows to execute duties. The majority incorporated men although women later joined them.
In Bendigo, a woman discovered various goldfields. Historically, it is crucial to understand these provisions.
Gold diggers formed campsites at places where they mined gold; nonetheless, they lived in tents. Later, they made huts using timber as the population increased.
Consequently, shops emerged while other social amenities developed. Some traders built hotels and lodges using wood. The government equally erected facilities to handle criminals.
It also established accommodation facilities for solders. Entertainment facilities also emerged at the goldfields and these included theaters. However, life in the gold mines was still hard. This is a critical provision in various contexts.
The growing population at the mentioned goldfields emerged with various challenges. Gold diggers settled in small areas with inadequate facilities and comforts.
Consequently, tension easily emerged. Conflicts were mainly caused by inadequate dispute resolution. Miners had to work continuously the whole week so as to keep their ‘claims’. Contextually, a ‘claim’ is the specific locations people mined. This was because another person would easily take unclaimed sites.
There were also dangers in moving to and from Melbourne since there were robbers along the way. The police who were tasked with keeping peace in the goldfields were brutal and violent. Some of the people who went to the goldfields were lucky and they became rich.
However, the majority of gold diggers were unlucky. People who were lucky were mainly traders and landlords who sold food and land respectively. Traders were lucky because food and other equipment were expensive.
They were brought from far regions. Land owners succeeded because some people preferred to settle permanently in the goldfields.
The goldfields of Australia attracted people from various countries. Most of them were hopeful of becoming wealthy before returning to their countries.
The distance covered to reach Australia was long. Some took nearly eight months to complete their journey. They used ships to reach Australia. There were disease and epidemics during the journey.
Unfortunately, the few people who managed to reach the goldfields were weak hence could not manage the hard life experienced at the goldfields. Later, food inadequacy engulfed the concerned goldfields.
Additionally, there was inadequate supply of clean water. The environment was dirty due to poor disposal of human and domestic wastes.
This led to the outbreak of diseases in the goldfields. After some time, gold began to deplete forcing people to move out of the fields. Ultimately, most towns mystified.
