This gold miner's pick from the Ballarat Goldfields c 1920 was donated by Mr David Hopcraft, a dealer at the Arkuna Market Berwick, Victoria in December 2010. When Gold was discovered in Victoria c1853 most of the labourers and some landowners left the market gardens and farms to try their luck on the goldfields. Local Blacksmiths made picks similar to this one for them. There was a great shortage of labour in Melbourne and at the same time, due to the huge influx of people lured by the Gold, there was an increased demand for food. The market gardeners were getting very good prices for their produce and many increased their wealth considerably and many of these tenant farmers were able to purchase their blocks of land and live a profitable life. There was such a shortage of labour that J.B.Were applied for Irish immigrants to work the farms. This pick is an example of the hand made tools many pioneers took with them when they abandoned their farms and market gardens in the District of Brighton to try their luck at prospecting when gold was discovered in Ballarat and Bendigo c1853. Some were successful , most were not and retuned again to the hard life of farming. A forged steel pick with a wooden handle. The steel pick-head was hand-forged by a blacksmith. This miner's pick was used on the Ballarat gold-fields c1920gold mining, ballarat, bendigo, early settlers, market gardeners, moorabbin, bentleigh, mining equipment, gold rush, immigrants, blacksmiths, forges, tools

Gold was discovered in Victoria c1850 and people came from all over the world to seek their fortune at Ballarat and Bendigo and surrounding gold fields. This large wooden rocking- box or cradle was used by gold prospectors. A handle on the rocker is pushed back and forth, as the miner put gravel into the top part and finer and heavier particles dropped through a screen, helped along by buckets of water. The bottom part of the device had slats, that caught the heavier metals. After many shovel loads of gravel were pushed through the rocker, the miner would then use his gold pan to sort out the heavy minerals to find gold. Most of the pioneer settlers in Moorabbin Shire left the area to try their luck at gold mining and there was a desperate shortage of workers to maintain the market gardens and supply food to the ever increasing population of Melbourne.This gold prospector's 'cradle' is hand made and typical of those used by many hopeful Moorabbin Shire pioneers as they abandoned their market gardens to try their luck at finding gold in the Ballarat and Bendigo minefields c1850This gold miner's rocker is very old, and very well-used. It is a large wooden rocking- box or cradle used by gold prospectors. A handle on the rocker is pushed back and forth, as gravel is put in the top part of the box so that finer and heavier particles drop through a screen.. The bottom part of the device had slats, that caught the heavier metals. i.e gold particles. The water passed through the shute at the base back into the creek or river.moorabbin, brighton, market gardens, pioneers, early settlers, fruit, vegetable, ballarat, bendigo, gold mining, gold prospedtors, gold rush, were j. b., irish immigrants, chinese immigrants, gold panning, gold digger

Conditions of sale by private contract dated 19th July, 1937 between Mrs. M. Ebbott (seller) and Trustees of the loyal Gold Miner's Pride Lodge M.U.I.O.O.F. (buyers) for land situate No.430 High Street, Bendigo being part of Crown allotments 1 & 2A section 38A described in certificate of title volume 3645 folio 728944. Also all the vendor's right, title and interest in that piece of permissive occupancy land described in permit to occupy No. W.54098, together with all buildings on the above mentioned land.. Price 306 pounds and 5 shillings.organization, business, h.a. & s.r wilkinson real estate

Conditions of sale by private contract dated 25th November, 1929 between H.A. Wilkinson (seller) and R. Rigby (buyer) for land situate corner Bray and Brown Streets, Long Gully, being the land described in miners right as residence area No. 31072, together with 5-roomed weatherboard dwelling and all sundry. Price 95 pounds.organization, business, h.a. & s.r wilkinson real estate

Diggers & mining. The gold era. IN 1855, the government, realizing that the diggers had a grievance, substituted the miner's right for the licence. Slide shows a copy of a Miner's Right 26 March, 1856, William Lunn. Markings 29 994.031 GOL:5. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Condition of sale by private contract dated 23rd . March, 1929 between H. A. Wilkinson and W. H. Moyle for property located at 52 Nolan Street, Bendigo described in certificate of registration, Miner's right number 30830. Together with 5-roomed weatherboard dwelling for the price of 525 pounds.organization, business, h.a. & s.r wilkinson real estate

Copy of certificate of Marriage (reg 23) on January 1902 at Bendigo, by licence and according to the rites of the Bible Christian Church, by Francis Rankin and between Mathew John Rodda, age 24, miner and bachelor (whose parents are listed as Harry Rodda (dec) and Mary Jane Sarah), and Sarah Bawden, age 22 domestic spinster whose parents are listed as William Bawden and Elizabeth Lawry. Witnessed by Henry Casley and May Boyd

Diggers & Mining. Diggers and Miners. The tram-lines which carried firewood to the mines were made of wood. Markings: 39 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. Diggers and Miners. . . . And McGregor's Mine, Aberfeldy River. Markings: 38 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. Diggers and Miners. . . . The World's Fair, Happy go Lucky, . . . Depicts 8 miners outside the mine. Markings: 37 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. Diggers and Miners. . . . The Long Tunnel Extended, . . . Markings: 36 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. Diggers and Miners. Some other mines in the Walhalla area were the North Long Tunnel, . . . The slide shows the North Long Tunnel in a gully. Markings: 35 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. Diggers and Miners. This shows a section of quartz reef about 3.500 feet down in the Long Tunnel Mine. Markings: 34 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. Diggers and miners. Horizontal and vertical shafts were used to reach and follow the roof in the Long Tunnel Mine. Later as inclined shaft was used. Markings: 33 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. Diggers and miners. The mine was almost in the main street. Photo shows the town and the mine in a valley between the mountains. Markings: 33 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. Diggers and miners. The Long tunnel operated almost continually from 1863 to 1914 and produced 301/2 tons of gold worth over £3,000,000. Markings: 31 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. Diggers and miners. This is the Long Tunnel Gold Mine in 1910. The tram-line roamed the hill was used for carrying timber to the mine. Engine House, Inclined Shaft, Battery, Boiler House and Firewood stacks are marked on the slide. Markings: 30 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. Diggers and miners. The Gold Mines. Altogether there were over a dozen mines operating in Walhalla. The Long Tunnel Mine became famous as the richest gold mine in Victoria. Markings: 29 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers & Mining. Diggers and miners. Photo with the caption 'Today, Walhalla is served by a modern bus service'. It can be seen in the photo that Walhalla is very mountainous. Vehicles appear to be made in the 1930s to 1940s. Markings: 28 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Bendigo Advertiser ''The way we were'' from 2000. Asphalt works: Day Street, Bendigo. Business owner Alfred Day was born in 1845 at Chilwell, Nottinghamshire. He came to Australia and worked in Eaglehawk for eight years as a miner. He established a business trading as the Bendigo City Bone Mills and Asphalt Works in 1874. He was responsible for laying the first asphalt railway platform in the colony at Sandhurst in 1876. The clip is in a folder.newspaper, bendigo advertiser, the way we were

Bendigo Advertiser ''The way we were'' from 2000. Powerful: steam-driven winding machinery which lowered and raised the cages in the main mine shaft. Cages were used to transport miners to and from their shifts at various levels and to transport buckets of ore, timber and even animals from the different working levels of the mine. The clip is in a folder.newspaper, bendigo advertiser, the way we were

Copy of Certificate of marriage dated 5th April 1902 at Wesleyan Methodist Church Golden Square (reg No37 ) and by licence between Benjamin White, bachelor age 22 years residing on Maple St Golden Square, born at Golden Square and Emily Davies Moyle, Spinster 18 years of Hayes St Ironbark, born at Ironbark. Benjamin's parents named as Richard and Nancie White, Emily's as Peter and Catherine Vivian Moyle. Witnessed by John Medlin and Elizabeth Annie Moyle. Profession of both Messrs White are Miners. Minister named as William Shaw, Wesleyan Methodist Minister.fra marperson, bendigo, certificate of marriage, white, benjamin & emily (nee moyle), marriage, certificate

Diggers & Mining. Diggers and miners. After 1861, many new fields were discovered - e.g., Walhalla (1863), Landsborough (1864), Alexandra (1867), Rheola (1868), Turton's Creek (1872; and new diggings were established on some of the older fields - e.g., Cathcart (near Ararat) in 1864, and at Fiddler's Creek (Avoca) in 1868. But these rushes do not belong to the gold era proper. And both before and for many years after 1861, there were scores of small diggings - after 1861, there were scores of small diggings - too numerous to mention - in Victoria. Markings: 16 994:LIF I. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers and miners. Diggers and Miners. Some of these fields were the scenes of remarkable rushes, comparable with the great rushes of 1851 and1852. For example, it was unofficially estimated that there were 50,000 on the Maryborough field in 1854, over 50,000 at Fiery Creek (Beaufort) in 1855, 40,000 to 50,000 at Dunolly in 1856, 60,000 at Ararat in 1857, and, in the last of the great rushes of the' fifties', 30,000 at Back Creek (Amherst) in 1859. Markings: 15 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers and miners. Diggers and Miners. R. W. I. L. S. R. Ck. Y. D H. W.P. New fields established 1858-1861. Markings: 4 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers and miners. Diggers and Miners. S.A. D. Ar. F.C. S. New fields established 1855-1857. Markings: 13 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers and miners. Diggers and Miners. Ko. W. Mal. R. Am. T. H. A. C. B. Y. Br. O. G.R. Goldfields established in Victoria, 1852-1854. Markings: 12 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers and miners. Diggers and Miners. Map of Victoria shows Bgo. Mt. A. (C'maine) Cl. Ba. B. A. Creek. Goldfields established in Victoria 1851. Markings: 11 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers and miners. Diggers and Miners. All or the gold seekers at the first great rushes to Ballarat and Mount Alexander were diggers. During the succeeding years of the gold rush decade, many goldfields were discovered; each became the focus of a rush, and the scene of a diggings. The following maps show only the principal gold fields rushed between 1851 and 1961. (The dates do not necessarily indicate the first discovery of gold in the areas.) Markings: 10 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.haminounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Diggers and miners. Diggers and Miners. . . . But the digger worked for himself - individually, or (more usually) as a member of a party who shared the proceeds of their work. Markings: 9 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields