Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Slide: Pensioners, Forest Creek. The licence was obtained from the licence office at the Commissioner's headquarters. Slide shows Commissioner and an officer outside the Licence Tent. Markings: 9 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Slide: This commissioner is settling a dispute between two parties of diggers. Slide also shows another officer and a number of mining sites, along with almost barren hills in the background. Markings: 8 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Slide: By Tulloch. Commissioner's Tent. Mt. Alexander, 1851. A Union Jack was flown to denote the headquarters of a Commissioner. Slide depicts tents, flag, police, and diggers. Markings: 7 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp.. Slide: At first, Goldfields Commissioners and their staffs were quartered in tents. Here the Commissioner in Ballarat in 1851 (Armstrong) is seen at the door of his tent. [Strutt] Commissioner's Tent, Ballarat, 1851. Slide shows Commissioners tent, a horse and staff. Markings: 6 994.LIF:4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp.. Slide reads: The licence was obtained from the headquarters of a Goldfields Commissioner. Goldfields Commissioners were appointed to the principal diggings to uphold law and order on the field, to settle disputes between diggers and to issue licences. Markings:5 994.LIF:4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp.. When the fee was reduced to 1 pound for 1 month, 2 pounds for 3 months, 4 pounds for 6 months, and 8 pounds for 12 months. Slide shows a Gold licence for 3 months. Issued 6 April 1864. Markings:4 994.LIF:4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp.. The licence fee was thirty shillings a month till the end of 1853; Slide shows a copy of a Gold Licence. Markings:3 994.LIF:4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. . The Government Camp.. From September, 1851, till June, 1855, the digger, to ''dig, search for, and remove''' gold on or from Crown lands, had to obtain a licence to the purpose. Markings:2 994.LIF:4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Life And Work At The Diggings, Section 3, The Gold Licence . . . The Government Camp Markings:1 994.LIF:4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The Diggings The Diggers. Slide: MOUNT ALEXANDER. (From our special correspondent) Forest Creek, August 28, 1852. - . . . The diggers at the Bendigo are getting up a subscription for a testimonial for Mr. Gilbert, the Assistant Commissioner there. The present is to be a gold cup, filled with nuggets of gold. Between 200 pounds and 300 pounds has already been subscribed, and from the respect and esteem in which that gentleman is held, there is every prospect of a large amount being speedily obtained . . . I think this will be a lesson for some of our government officials, to bestir themselves and endeavour to merit the esteem of the public. . . . (Argus, September 9, 1852.) Markings: 77 994.LIF:4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. Getting the Gold. Slide: Map of Victoria. Victoria - Government reservoirs on the goldfields, 1860. Letters on map relate to the position of the reservoirs standpipes. And from these standpipes the diggers took water to their claims, either by carting it or running it through small races. Markings: 72 994.LIF:4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. Getting the Gold. Slide: In 1860, the Victorian Government began the construction of Reservoirs on some important gold fields. In that year, 29 small reservoirs were built (see next map); thereafter, more were constructed (there were 38 of them in 1868). These reservoirs supplied water to small gold fields towns, and to the gold mines in and near them. But pipes were laid to stand-pipes on nearby diggings (remember that by this time the number of independent diggers was declining rapidly) Markings: 71 994.LIF:4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. S T Gill del. The Government Camp, Creswick, 1857. Shows Commissioner's Camp at Creswick and some of the mining sights. Markings: 45 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Government Camp, Castlemaine, 1857. After 1855, the Government Camps remained as centres of goldfields administration. Slide shows mining at Castlemaine in the background you can see buildings that could be the start of the Castlemaine township. Markings: 44 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. But without a miner's right, a digger had no right to his claim, and could be dispossessed of it by the holder of a miner's right. Despite the cheapness of the right, and the protection to the diggers' industry that it afforded, less than half of the diggers took out miner's rights in each year from 1855 to 1860. Markings: 43 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Shows a copy of the 1 pound Miner's Right, issued in Sandhurst on 26 March 1856, issued to William Lunn, John Williamson and signed 26 March 1857. No attempt was made to police the diggings in order to apprehend diggers working without a current miner's right. (Note the discrepancy in the years) Markings: 42 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. (As a result of the widespread dissatisfaction with the licence system which culminated at Eureka, the licence system and the system of goldfields administration by Goldfields Commissioners were abolished in 1855. For the rest of the gold decade, the digger was required to take out a miner's right - which cost 1 pound per year. The various systems of goldfields administration adopted after 1855 are set out in Unit 8 of this series.) Markings: 41 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. (Hughen) and, in December, 1854, the unrest came to a head in an armed clash between the Government and the diggers at Ballarat. Slide depicts the battle that took place. Markings: 40 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Between 1851 and 1854, there was continual unrest on nearly all of the Victorian diggings, due chiefly to the licence system and the repressive methods of its enforcement (though there were other causes - see Unit 8). The diggers held protest meetings; they formed diggers' associations; they sent petitions to the government. At times, serious rioting threatened - as at Bendigo in 1853. But the Legislative Council continued the system; Markings: 37 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Goldfields Police and Diggers, 1853. Slide also shows a miner in the background and mines, and what would be the Commissioners tents with the flag flying. Markings: 37 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.Hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Asst. Commissioner and Diggers, 1853. This and the following picture - they are really cartoons - illustrate these grievances of the diggers. Markings: 37 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. The goldfields police were stimulated to this sort of activity by an absurd regulation which allotted them half of the fines paid by prisoners they arrested. Many Commissioners, too, antagonized their diggers by their overbearing conduct. (See Unit 8) Markings: 36 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Many of the goldfields police were men of poor character, who carried out their duties with blustering arrogance, demanding the production of the licence with threatening language, and sometimes open violence; and hauling off as common criminals men who, by some mischance, did not have their licences on their persons, when, given a few minutes, they could have shown they had complied with the law. Markings: 35 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. The licence system aroused much hostility among the diggers. They objected to the principle of the fee - a tax on their labour levied by a government in which they were not represented. They objected to the incidence of the tax, which bore equally on the fortunate diggers who could afford it, and the large number of unfortunate diggers who could not. But the most objectionable feature of the licence system way the method by which, on most fields, it was generally enforced. Markings: 34 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Slide shows Gaol at Forest Creek. Labelled 'Gaol, Forest Creek, 1852'. Failure to produce the licence on demand was punishable by fine or imprisonment. Markings: 33 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Depicts diggers on the goldfield with one on the run. Some diggers avoided payment - and ''digger hunts'' were a feature of many fields. 'Joe! Joe!' marked on picture. Markings: 32 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Slide depicts map of Victoria with the 5 gold rush regions marked on it. Beechworth, Sandhurst Avoca, Castlemaine and Ballarat. By the end of 1854, the Heathcote goldfields district had disappeared, but a district had been created on the Avoca. Why? Markings: 31 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. In 1853, the Victorian goldfields were divided into goldfields districts. In September of that year, there were five goldfields districts in Victoria, each in the charge of a Goldfields Commissioner - Castlemaine, Sandhurst, Ballarat, Beechworth, and Heathcote. At the same time, there were 34 Assistant Commissioners on the various diggings. Markings: 30 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Slide depicts 2 miners, and a Commissioner inspecting their Gold Licence. S.T.G. art work. The Licence Inspected. The licence had to be shown, on demand to the Commissioner or one of the goldfields police. Markings: 29 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. HQ or Assit. Commr. at Myer's Creek, B'go. 1852. . . . Others were stationed at outlying digging to maintain order and, in particular, to issue licences. Markings: 28 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields