| Gold for most was the ultimate reward. But this was rarely found without a lot of hard work. |
 Image Title: Title cover Description: John Arthur Phillips, Gold-mining and assaying: a scientific guide for Australian emigrants. Text Title: Gold-mining and assaying: |
'As to the success or unsuccess of the Diggers, it cannot
be denied that, if a man will work hard and persevere, notwithstanding
first disappointments, he is sure, ultimately, to produce for himself, at
least a renumerative amount of wages... If a man, however, should only
obtain but his ordinary wages, or if he even should not do this, he still
has the chance of getting a prize in the great lottery of the auriferous
field. Indeed, it is this very chance, and the singular but wise faith
which most men possess in their good fortune, that makes thousands descend
from their pre-conceived notions of personal dignity, to take up their
‘swag’ and hie to the diggings. The whole is a lottery, and essentially
the lottery of the working man; where, for the price of his license -
thirty shillings a month - and the strong exercise of his muscular powers,
he may draw a prize...' |
| Much has been said about luck and the digger, but for most it was the basic techniques and skill of gold mining which a digger needed to know to find that 'lucky' nugget. | |||||
 Cradling |
 Fossicking |
 Puddling | |||
 Tin Washing |
 Nuggeting | ||||
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