This image shows an unknown location in the area of Beechworth that was possibly used as a sluicing mining site for gold during the Victorian Gold Rush. This era saw an influx of Chinese immigrants and Australian prospectors hoping to strike it rich on the fields. Many companies such as the Rocky Mountain Extended Gold Sluicing Company Ltd and the Cocks Pioneer Gold &Tin Sluicing Company also set up mines in the area. This site may be the location of one of these company's mines. The wooden logs are reminiscent of known sluicing operations in the era from that time. Sluicing involved the use of high-pressured hoses to clear away soil from earth that had been dug up by miners and was a popular method of excavation in the area, although it had severe impacts on the environment.The search for gold is ingrained into the history of Victoria and therefore, images like this one which portray an open cut sluicing site can reveal important information for society and technology for the date when the photograph was taken. This image is of important historical significance for its ability to convey information about sluicing and the methods used to find gold. It also shows a location where sluicing was undertook which provides insight into the impact of sluicing on the environment at a time when it was done.A colour rectangular photograph printed on glossy photographic paperReverse: 6855 /beechworth, gold rush, sluicing, mining

Vincent Gercovich married Winifred Rebecca Bennett (English emigrant) on 13 February 1867 in St. Alipius church in Ballarat. They had a total of 12 children. Little is known about his life, but what is known that he was well disposed to several languages and due to his ability to communicate with immigrants worked at the entry gate to the city of Ballarat. He died at the age of 61. Vincent was one of these early Croatian immigrants who came to Victoria around 1850s. His surname Gercovich (probably Gerković or Jerković) came from the island of Hvar on Dalmatian coast. On his Australian citizenship documents, the place of birth was stated as Dalmatia, Austria. From research of collected documents it can be concluded that the first Croats arrived to this country some 150 years ago mainly because of gold discovery. Victoria had a few rich deposits of gold and for obvious reasons many came to join the great ‘Gold Rush’.A black and white family photograph features Gercovich family with 12 children photographed in a studio around 1889. Children ages on the photograph range from unborn to young adults.vincent and winifred gercovich, gercovich, early croatian immigrants, immigration, croatia, dalmatia, ballarat, gold rush

This photograph dates to 1899, towards the end of the gold rush in the Mopoke Gully area. A slurry of rocks after they have been broken up is depicted, and this is part of the hydraulic sluicing mining process. Four men are relaxing under a wooden structure, with a fifth bearded man standing near a stone wall. This photograph interestingly contains dogs alongside the miners. While dogs have been recorded as deterrents to thieves in the Victorian goldfields, these dogs appear as companions to these men. Mopoke Gully mines came under the 'Fryer's Creek' division of the Castlemaine District during the Gold Rush. After the Gold Rush began in Victoria with the discovery of gold at Ballarat in 1851, Gold was found in Castlemaine by December of that year. 20,000 diggers were spread across the Castlemaine region, and the area was yielding about 23,000 ounces of gold per week. Mopoke Gully was the site of the Mopoke Gully Water Wheel, operating under the Bendigo and Fryers Goldmining Company from 1887 until 1900. This Water Wheel was used in the gold mining technique of 'sluicing'. Hydraulic sluicing uses high pressure water jets to blast away the earth, which runs through a sluice box, catching the gold with all remaining slurry washing away. Hydraulicking is the process of breaking up the rocks and suspending it in a slurry. This Water Wheel was built the same year as the more famous 'Chewton Water Wheel', but was smaller in diameter (60ft as opposed to Chewton's 72ft). The Mopoke Water Wheel ruins are quite intact today, and are a registered archaeological site.The search for gold is ingrained into the history of Victoria and therefore, images like this one which portray a sluicing site can reveal important information for society and technology for the date when the photograph was taken. This image is of important historical significance for its ability to convey information about sluicing and the methods used to find gold in 1899. It also shows a location where sluicing was undertook which provides insight into the impact of sluicing on the environment at a time when it was done. This photograph reveals important information on the use of dogs on Victorian goldfields in 1899. Dogs were used both as companions, such as this photograph depicts, as well as deterrents to thieves. Sepia coloured rectangular photograph printed on gloss photographic paper mounted on card.Obverse: Reverse: A02497/ 1997.2497/ 'Good/ Luck/ Mine'/ Morepork/ Gully/ Mrs Joyce/ Bright/ Tunnel/ 800 ft/ 1899. beechworth, burke museum, gold, gold mining, 1899, castlemaine, mopoke gully, good luck mine, fryer's creek, gold rush, victorian gold rush, water wheel, sluicing, chewton, slurry

This photograph dates to 1899, towards the end of the gold rush in the Mopoke Gully area. A large opening to a mine can be seen behind the men in the photograph, with a wheeled cart on a track leading to the men's position, where the soil and rocks have been hauled away. This photograph interestingly contains dogs alongside the miners. While dogs have been recorded as deterrents to thieves in the Victorian goldfields, these dogs appear as companions to these men. Mopoke Gully mines came under the 'Fryer's Creek' division of the Castlemaine District during the Gold Rush. After the Gold Rush began in Victoria with the discovery of gold at Ballarat in 1851, Gold was found in Castlemaine by December of that year. 20,000 diggers were spread across the Castlemaine region, and the area was yielding about 23,000 ounces of gold per week. Mopoke Gully was the site of the Mopoke Gully Water Wheel, operating under the Bendigo and Fryers Goldmining Company from 1887 until 1900. This Water Wheel was used in the gold mining technique of 'sluicing'. Hydraulic sluicing uses high pressure water jets to blast away the earth, which runs through a sluice box, catching the gold with all remaining slurry washing away. This Water Wheel was built the same year as the more famous 'Chewton Water Wheel', but was smaller in diameter (60ft as opposed to Chewton's 72ft). The Mopoke Water Wheel ruins are quite intact today, and are a registered archaeological site. The search for gold is ingrained into the history of Victoria and therefore, images like this one can reveal important information for society and technology for the date when the photograph was taken. This image is of important historical significance for its ability to convey information about sluicing and the methods used to find gold in 1899. This photograph reveals important information on the use of dogs on Victorian goldfields in 1899. Dogs were used both as companions, such as this photograph depicts, as well as deterrents to thieves. Sepia coloured rectangular photograph printed on gloss photographic paper mounted on card. Obverse: Williams/ Good/ Luck Reverse: A02498/ 1997. 2498/ Good Luck/ Mine/ 1899/ Mopoke. beechworth, burke museum, gold, gold mining, 1899, castlemaine, mopoke gully, good luck mine, fryer's creek, gold rush, victorian gold rush, water wheel, sluicing, chewton

Photographs of Melbourne's grand architecture, mainly built following the gold rush boom.Digital copy of 10 page booklet of black and white photographs of Melbournemelbourne history, melbourne architecture

Gold Rush, timber kit house, possibly from Singapore, c1853colour photograph, unmounted, original, good condition

Rare Gold Rush mansion built 1856, ballroom added 1861colour photograph, unmounted[lengthy typed description on back] house built 1856, ballroom added 1861

Rare Gold Rush mansion built 1856, ballroom added 1861black and white photograph, unmounted, original, good conditionGraeme S Breydon 204 Carlisle St, Balaclava 3183 Phone 94-2886 B28-28 "Oberwhyl" Burnett St St Kilda 7/10/73

One of a group of photographs of Rutherglen collected from magazines (Pix or People or Post), then pasted onto orange paper, date unknown. This one is of the cairn erected to mark the spot where gold was first discovered in Rutherglen.monuments, gold rush

Australia, Gold Rush to the Boer War. Hard cover book, 168 pages. Cover is black glossy cardboard, print is in white. Centre of cover is a black & white photo of a cannon & 8 gunners. Illustrated with photos, drawings & maps.Donated by Bendigo Y Mens Clubbooks-military-history-allegiances

COLOURED PHOTOGRAPH GOLD RUSH INN - THE WILLIAM BARKELL ARTS AND HISTORIC CENTRE NOW CLUNES MUSEUM - THE CLUB HOTEL-RSL BUILDING,CLUNES STATE SAVINGS BANK- NOW PRIVATELY OWNED.local history, photography, photographs, buildings

Contents: The pre-contact era: Archaeological heritage in the study area ; Djadjawurrung use of box-ironbark resources The contact and post-contact era: The Djadjawurrung and Port Phillip Aboriginal Protectorate ; Djadjawurrung and the gold rushes.b&w photographs, drawings, listsdjadjawurrung, dja dja wurrung, land dispossession

This photograph depicts a large group of men in their work clothing situated in front of a large bank of earth. They are identified as miners working in an unidentified location in Australia. This photograph was taken by photographer Walter Thwaites sometime during the period of 1865-1908, likely c.1870. It is unsure where this image was taken since Thwaites travelled a lot over his photography career and the photograph is not annotated with this information. In addition, the identities of the men in the photograph are also unknown. These men are photographed in front of a large bank of earth where they had presumably been mining for gold or other precious metals. The men, with the exception of four, are wearing wide brimmed hats to protect their faces from the sun. They are also wearing loose fitting white shirts which are often worn beneath a darker coloured vest. They wear pale coloured work pants and boots. The men are mostly clean shaven with the exception of the moustache and a couple of beards. Two of the men have pipes in their mouth. Their clothing is basic and much less dramatic than the outfits worn by the gold diggers of the 1852 gold rush. These men, by wearing similar outfits, are expressing a sense of comradery or equality between them. It is likely that they are from the same, or similar, social status. They have an air of independence and share social equality in their stance and clothing. Walter William McLean Thwaites (1840-1908) was a professional photographer born in Sydney, Australia. He learnt the craft in his father's Hobart studio, but later embarked on his own solo career and toured every existing Australian colony between 1860 to 1888. The Thwaites family were a long line of photographers and artists with Thwaites' father Walter WIlliam Thwaites Sr working as an artist and photographer in Australia after moving from England in 1834. Walter Thwaites Sr's father, also named Walter Thwaites, was a British miniature portrait artist.Images, like this one, of Australian gold rush history can reveal important information about the social and environmental impact of this period. This image depicts over 30 diggers standing in front of a bank of earth and therefore, this image has the capacity to reveal or support significant information for researchers studying the fashion and social status of diggers in Australia in approximately 1870. It can also provide information on the landscape of Australia in this period and the impact of mining for gold on both society and the Australian landscape. The Burke Museum is home to a substantial collection of Australian mining photographs which can be used to gain a deeper understanding into life on the gold fields, technology used in mining, the miners themselves and the impact of the gold digging on the environment.Sepia toned rectangular photograph printed on matte photographic paper and mounted on board.Reverse: 1997.208 / MINERS. / W. Thwaites / Photography /australia, australian photography, photography, miners, gold rush, australian landscape, diggers, walter thwaites, thwaites photography, w. thwaites photography, social history

This image shows the approach to Beechworth from the south-west via the Newtown Bridge. Numerous early buildings line the road as it bifurcates to become Ford and High Streets on the ridge above Spring Creek, Gorge and Newtown Falls. The sloping, rocky terrain and water course along the gorge show evidence of the intense mining activity that occurred at the site. The Ovens Gold Rush at Beechworth started when gold was found at Spring Creek in February 1852, prompting an influx of miners from around the world. The population grew to over 20,000 by 1857. While the earliest mining at Beechworth was similar to that in other Victorian goldfields like Ballarat and Bendigo, Beechworth is notable for its use of hydraulic sluicing as a major method of removing wash-dirt. Hydraulic sluicing employs high pressure jets of water to blast away large areas of earth and wash it down to be run through a sluice box. Gold gets caught in the sluice and the remaining slurry is washed away. This method of mining is extremely effective, but causes significant environmental damage and impacts waterways along with agricultural operations. Large water quantities were required, and the long water races and deep tailraces that were constructed are considered feats of engineering. The site in the photograph is associated with the Rocky Mountain Mining Company, who constructed an eight hundred meter tunnel under the township between 1876-1880 to reduce water levels at Spring Creek, which had been subject to diversions since the earliest days of alluvial mining. Over four million ounces of gold (115 tones) were found at Beechworth between 1852 and 1868. The wealth from the Gold Rush built Beechworth and the nationally significant buildings that stand today.This image shows the early development of the Beechworth township above Spring Creek, where gold was discovered in 1852. Evidence of hydraulic sluicing, a uniquely predominant method at Beechworth, and water-works engineering are present in the landscape. By the 1870s, alluvial gold deposits were depleted and increasingly complex engineering was required so deeper shafts could reach bedrock. This image is significant for understanding changes to the landscape and the evolution of mining methods and engineering practices related to the extensive construction, manipulation and management of water networks. The shift from smaller scale alluvial mining to larger company dominance in the mining industry has implications for understanding wider social, economic, political and industrial changes, both in the region of Beechworth and within the context of the Victorian Gold Rush more broadly. A black and white rectangular reproduction photograph printed on photographic paper. burke museum, beechworth museum, beechworth, gold fields, gold rush, victorian gold rush, hydraulic sluicing, rocky mountain mining company, spring creek, netwown falls, mining tunnels, water races, tailraces, gold ming history, colonial australia, australian gold rushes, mining technology, beechworth historic district, indigo gold trail, migration, indigo shire

Mount William Gold Rush Photo taken from Spion Kop looking at western side of My WilliamView of township called Ladysmith George Mason's farmhouse in centre of picture with smoke rising from chimney Seven men in foreground carrying various items eg. shovel, gold pan, swag etc.1 copy B/W 1 copy sepia 1 on displaymining, gold mining, mafeking

The Mason family offered their barn for the baking of bread for the 'Ladysmith' community during Mount William gold rush.Photo of the Mason Family outside their home (four adults and three children)people, mason, mining, ladysmith

This coin was in use in Victoria during the gold rush in the 1850s It was replaced by a smaller British coin in the 1860s.This coin is maintained as an example of British coins used in Victoria in the 19th century Circular copper penny The obverse features a profile of Queen Victoria and text. The reverse features Britannia and text. Obverse REG D E I GRAT other text indecipherable due to wear.. Reverse BRITANNIAR other indecipherable due to wear 1854queen victoria, britannia, coins, 1854

Alexandra was originally known as 'Red Gate' and was an 1860s gold rush settlement. The Alexandra Shire Hall was constructed in 1881. Three photographs of the Alexandra Shire Hall which features the Australian coat of arms. alexandra, red gate, coat of arms, kangaroo, emu